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Armored Core 4

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Armored Core 4
Armored Core 4
Developer(s)From Software
Publisher(s)Sega
Designer(s)From Networks
Platform(s)Playstation 3
Xbox 360
ReleaseJapan December 14, 2006 (PS3)
Japan TBA 2006 (Xbox 360)
North America Q1 2007
PAL TBA
Australia TBA
Genre(s)Mech Simulator
Third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single player
Multiplayer

Armored Core 4 is a newest installment in the Armored Core series of video games. It was unveiled in the Tokyo Game Show of fall 2005. Many people believed that Last Raven would be the last Armored Core game in the series, but a teaser movie shown at E3 earlier that year began to spark speculation. Codenamed "Project Force" the game shown at E3 bore striking similarities to previous Armored Core titles. At the Tokyo Game Show From Software later revealed that Project Force was indeed a next generation AC game now known as Armored Core 4. Armored Core 4 is presently being developed for both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. While developer From Software has previously created games for the Microsoft system, Armored Core 4 will be the first Armored Core game to appear on a Microsoft system. Sega of America has announced that the title will be shipped for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in Spring 2007 [1].

Series producer and From Software CEO Naotoshi Zin noted in an interview with IGN that Armored Core 4 would feature multiple AC opponents and a reworked damage system that would be more "precise" than previous generation AC games. Players will also be able to customize every aspect of their Armored Core much in the way that the Gran Turismo series allows players to customize their racing cars for optimal performance. According to Zin Armored Core 4 would allow players to create their own 100% original AC. Armored Core 4 will be the first Armored Core game to be fully online, making use of the 360's Xbox Live and the PlayStation 3's online capabilities. Up to eight players can compete online in various multiplayer matches ranging from team battles to all-out battle royales. The game will not make use of the PS3's Sixaxis motion-sensing controller feature, however. [2].


Background

Set sometime in the future, Armored Core 4 restarts the series' storyline from square one. Overpopulation has led to widespread food and resource shortages. Wars begin to break out and six corporations emerge from the fray to form a new world order. People have taken to living in colonies under a system called the "Pax Economica". The Pax is a mixture of socialism and slavery, with each and every person being loyal to one of the corporations.

The game's story begins five years after the Pax has been established.

The six corporations have recently been revealed by From Software on their website. [3]

  • Global Armaments America - An American corporation represented on From's website by a brown boxey AC.
  • Rosenthal - Possibly an German corporation represented on From's website by the white AC seen in the game's first few trailers.
  • Rayleonard - Possibly an English or French corporation represented by a dark grey AC with sharp spikey parts. The Rayleonard AC is featured heavily on From's Armored Core 4 website and in the "God is Force" trailer.
  • Bernard and Felix Foundation - Possibly an East European corporation represented on From's website by an advanced looking light grey AC.
  • Leone Meccania - Possibly an Italian corporation represented by a sleek grey-green AC.
  • Eqbal - Possibly a Russian corporation represented by a red AC with rather smooth and round parts. Note: in the company's logo the E in Eqbal is reversed.

Trailers

Three trailers have been revealed thus far by From Software. These trailers have not shown any gameplay features as of yet and have only served to showcase the game's graphical capabilities and its physics engine.

What has been revealed in the trailers thus far:

  • Multiple ACs seen on the same field at once. In the previous generation it was rare to see more than two ACs at the same time during a mission, and the typical maximum was four.
  • The white Rosenthal AC in the first two trailers is seen firing its back weapons while in flight. In previous games bipedal ACs could normally only fire back-mounted cannons while crouching on the ground. (AI-controlled ACs typically did not have this restriction, and for human players it was only accessible through features like "Human Plus" and "OP-INTENSIFY")
  • The Rosenthal AC also appears to have a core equipped with an energy shield similar to the ones seen on the Airborne Pulverizers of Armored Core: Last Raven. This suggests that a fourth class of core will be added which supplies this feature.
  • From Software has stated that there will be over 30 Cores in the game, almost double the amount of Cores from Last Raven.
  • The AH-64 Apache and Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships appear in the trailers as enemies. This conforms with From Software's statements about the game being set in a near-future environment like their other next generation title Chromehounds.
  • The architecture of the buildings and structures seen in all three trailers is reminiscent of modern-day and post modern buildings. This also fits with From's official statement on the game's setting.
  • An AC in the E3 2006 trailer is seen physically preforming a reload action.
  • Human soldiers are seen among a convoy of ACs, MTs and military vechiles, but they were no threat when they first appeared in Last Raven.
  • The size of mission areas appears to have been dramatically increased. Landscapes seen in the trailers appear to be very expansive.
  • Some kind of gigantic machine dwarfing several ACs is seen in the middle of a sandstorm near the end of the E3 2006 trailer.
  • Images on From Software's website suggest that underwater battlefields will appear in the game as well. In all previous AC games, if an AC fell into deep water it was as good as destroyed.
  • A gameplay demo from the 2006 Tokyo Game Show [4] shows an AC attacking enemies without using a lock box on the HUD.
  • Another video of the demo from Tokyo Game Show [5] shows the player AC starting with 17,000 AP, far higher than in any previous AC game, which capped a player's AP at 9999.

Sega takes over publishing

Shortly before the North American release of Armored Core: Last Raven it was announced on Agetec's message boards that localization of Armored Core 4 would not be done by Agetec. Instead Armored Core 4 will be localized by Sega, who brought From's flagship Xbox 360 title, Chromehounds to North America. It will be the first Armored Core since the original not to be localized by Agetec.

From Software initially announced that the game would ship on or as close to the PlayStation 3's November 11th launch date as possible. However, a recent update to their website now shows the game hitting stores in Japan a month later on December 14th [6]. A date for the Xbox 360 version has yet to be announced.

SEGA of America, Inc. recently announced that it will publish Armored Core 4 for release on both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 in Spring 2007. [7]

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