From Software and Agetech bring you the third title in the Armored Core series. More an expansion than a sequel (the true sequel is coming for PS2 in the future), AC: MoA is a treat for Armored Core die-hards, and a trial for just about anyone else.

Armored to the Core
The Armored Core series casts you as a Raven, a member of an elite force of mercenaries doing high-tech damage for high-ticket prices. It's a giant robot simulation as well as a fast action game, with the gameplay striking a balance of complexity somewhere between the "realistic" Mechwarrior 2 and Sega's arcadey Virtual On. Customize your machine from the ground up with an expansive inventory of body parts, engines, weapons, and high tech devices, then sign up for missions ranging from search-and-destroy to all-out AC duels.

Master of Arena centers on a storyline in which you have joined the Ravens in the interest of destroying the number one ranked AC pilot and his monster machine called 9-Ball. Arena combat challenges between two Ravens are the focus, with outside missions posing as a way to earn money for upgrades. Of course, you can always bring in your favorite machines from the previous two Armored Core games and do some damage old-school style.

Master of Nostalgia
This is exactly the way Armored Core looked and sounded way back in late '97, with very few improvements. Luckily, AC was cutting-edge way back then, so the game manages to present itself respectably, regardless of the age of its engine. Still, the environments look a bit drab and repetitive, with blocky surfaces and gritty textures, and the sound consists mainly of synthesized sounds of war and lifeless, generic techno music. In all, AC looks and sounds fine, but a little work to improve the overall presentation would have been nice.

AC's controls have always bugged some people. You move with the D-Pad, fire and select weapons with the buttons, and use the shoulder buttons to strafe and look up and down. A little more precise control over looking about would have helped out considerably, but the original Armored Core came out before the Dual Shock controller, so it still uses the old-school control scheme. Here's hoping the PS2 sequel makes better use of the entire controller.

Ancient Core
AC:MoA is more like an expansion to the original Armored Core than a sequel, so only hardcore AC fans will really get into it. While Armored Core was a damn good game in its day, for most gamers its day has just about passed.