Armored Core • Retrospective • [The History of From Software]
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 7 июл 2024
- Armored Core is a 1997 third-person shooter mech video game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. The game is the first entry in the Armored Core series.
The story introduces many elements that are commonly found in later game in the series, such as corporatocracies and mech robots known as "Armored Cores". The game takes place in a future Earth that has been wiped out by a cataclysm and forced humanity underground, a theme which would continue until Armored Core 4.
Gameplay involves controlling Armored Cores in combat scenarios against other Cores and vehicles. Cores are highly modular, allowing players a great deal of customization over them, such as swapping out different leg units to gain speed advantages. As players complete more missions, they gain credits to purchase different items and parts for their Core.
The game was favourably received by critics, who were especially impressed with its customization and multiplayer.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:06 Historical Context
03:59 Story
07:56 Gameplay
19:25 The Player
28:48 Closing Thoughts
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
My From Soft videos:
Armored Core Videos:
ARMORED CORE 1 CHAT: • Themes in Armored Core...
Dark Souls Videos:
ANALYSIS: • DARK SOULS • The Ultim...
LORE: • Exploring the Story of...
TRANSLATION: • Gwyn's Story • Dark So...
Sekiro Videos:
ANALYSIS: • Sekiro • Analysis (Ful...
LORE: • Exploring the Story of...
Bloodborne Videos:
ANALYSIS: • Bloodborne • Analysis ...
LORE: • Exploring the Story of...
TRANSLATION: • Bloodborne's Story • T...
Demon's Souls Videos:
ANALYSIS: • A Look Back At • Demon...
LORE: • Exploring the Story of...
TRANSLATION: • Re-Exploring the Story...
King's Field Videos:
King's Field 1: • A Look Back At • King'...
King's Field 2: • A Look Back At • King'...
King's Field 3: • A Look Back At • King'...
King's Field 4: • A Look Back At • King'...
Shadow Tower Videos:
• A Look Back At • Shado...
• A Look Back At • Shado...
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Interfaces & Immersion video:
• Interfaces & Immersion...
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Footage Suppliers:
(King's Field 1, Dark Souls 1 & Souper Mario 64)
World of Longplays: / @worldoflongplays
-King's Field was recorded by "Deskawa"
-Dark Souls was recorded by "martanius".
-Super Mario 64 was recorded by "RickyC"
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Patreon: / medievalmegaman
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/aesiraesthetics
Essays&Espresso:
/ @essaysespresso8637 
Игры
![Armored Core 2 • Retrospective • [The History of From Software]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U6QEOkowjbY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Armored Core 2 • Retrospective • [The History of From Software]](/img/tr.png)
![Armored Core 4 • Retrospective • [The History of From Software]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zlVGb8cH9HE/mqdefault.jpg)
"They don't exactly spoon feed you" This is basically the design foundation for From Software's stories haha.
The human plus thing where your game restarts after you have lost so much money, it really reminds me of another ps1 classic, Monster Rancher. In this game, if you fail so spectacularly and kill one of your monsters early by having it brutalized in combat over and over, there will be a special scene at the monster's funeral and you will then unlock a secret 'Ghost' monster. Amazing, incredible secrets put into these classic games that not everyone will experience.
lol yea it's also resource management since the game take cost of ammo and repair
Then you can make the ghost die too
I remember Monster Rancher, I put every music CD me and my friends owned through that game. Also was semi into the anime series for a lil bit.
@@Jeffmetal42 same! I also loved Monster Rancher 2
It's all about the music for me... It's something retrospectives can't really capture. It's a sound you won't find anywhere else and each game comes with its own leitmotif and style. The electro tech beats are like threads of a time that had already long past even on release. It's meant to be strangely alien, distant, like music we'd create a thousand years from now despite its age. It's far removed from us even now, and through its music, AC itself builds its world. The new trailer for VI seems to understand the power music has in Armored Core. Don't miss it. 🦾
AC2 had this song that always made me laugh like crazy, sounded like a dog howling.
i'm not familiar with the series at all but the music in AC6 trailer was fantasstic... would you have any specific soundtrack recommendations?
@@judgemurder This is a medley but here ruclips.net/video/_vRP48rgdqU/видео.html
@@judgemurderthe answer
oh
that explains why music in ac6 trailer felt so weird and confusing...
btw cant wait to play my first AC game this weekend
This could not have come out at a more perfect time, thank you Aesir! ❤
One could say it came out in response to...
enjoy :D
Once he made the video , from soft had no choice but to announce armored core 6
@@blumiu2426 Does this look like less than a day's worth of research, scriptwriting, recording, compiling footage, and editing to you?
@@eldonhill4840 Something tells me you didn't think too hard, considering there are scenarios he could have prepared this ahead of time.
Damn, the timing on this!!!! AC6 is gonna be SICK!
enjoy! :D
Overall I'm worried
@@R3TR0J4N I think its okay to be. After they've spent so long with Souls-like games, I'm a little concerned it might end up like that. But, I think they've been going long enough with all their games to trust them.
Just in time for the new trailer.
yes, my timing was suspiciously good!
@@AesirAesthetics We Mecha/Amored Core fans are eating good
@@elidasilva5558 😋
I remember back in the day I never found out about the Human Plus plotline, since I was constantly save/loading whenever I had a bad run of a mission just so I won't go broke. I only found out about it literally couple years later while reading GameFAQs.
You dropped this exactly when AC6 was announced. Perfecto!
Timing so good you'd think I had classified info or something 👀
Enjoy!
Just finished the SinclairLore AC chat this morning and ready to dive head first into this one! Impeccable timing in more ways than one.
There is nothing suspicious about the timing! whoever said that? Enjoy!
From Software games really are your lane, man. Your videos on them never fail to deliver and always contain valuable insight and make me understand them better. You are really good at contextualizing and explaining what makes a game interesting from the perspective of the interactive medium, and the fact that you also made a game yourself and have better understanding of the video dev process only helps your videos and adds to their quality. Loved this video, Aesir!
Thank you 🥰
As someone who has loved the souls series and is looking forward to the new armored core, but know nothing of the series. I appreciate the timing of this video immensely!
Thank you :)
Search on RUclips
"Ac4a multiplayer match jpn vs eng"
Trust me on this
AC is nothing like Souls, thank God.
@@JeraldOsborn I'd have to disagree, AC and Souls really share a lot in common even pre Miyazaki. Shoot I'd even argue AC can be a bit more difficult than Souls at times
@@spicymoist2889 difficulty does not equal "souls like"
Wow, that was enlightening. After the AC6 trailer at the Goty awards event, i was looking up Armored Core videos all day. They were decent and gave a good understanding of what the game is about, but you basically just covered all there is to know about the game and even found things that nobody else mentioned before in 30 minutes, well done!
I had no idea that the human plus thing actually meant, you would lose your original identity, this blew my mind. And it is true that you actually have to read the dialog/briefings and contextualize on your own that the missions about eliminating terrorists are actually missions to forcefully put down a workers protest. You are the first iv'e seen who pointed that out man, great job!
thank you, I'd check out the "SinclairLore" channel's Armored Core stuff if you want to know more.
No one is as informed on the games as Sophie
Eh, the mails you receive blatantly tell you that they hired you because they cannot endorse rebellion; the first two mission are "destroy/kill the squatters/strikers". Both Chrome and Murakamo emails are like speeches at political rallies. That's the charm, you are no hero, you are gun for hire. And replaceable.
In your very first mail after becoming a Raven you are told the Nest will sell you weapons, parts, and get you contracts, and that for how long you do that depends on your skill, not your moral compass. You are expected to die fast.
The Human Plus program is not about erasing your persona, is about rplacing more and more of your body with cybernetic implants until you become one with your core; and in the end you become just a digital copy of yourself. It's the mental stress that ends up killing human plus ravens, when they realize they no longer have a body.
that's what sets Armored Core apart from its peers, you are not a heroic archetype; you are just interested in money and how big is the purse.
You get the "rebel" moniker because you escape the program time and again, and are branded as such by the companies, but they will still employ you. And you couldn't care less.
From software going back to their roots has me stoked af
What nobody ever seems to mention in their videos is that you could bring your save game file into each new game that came out in the days of the memory cards. I always thought that was cool and so rewarding to the die hard fans. Sometimes it was the only way to still have certain parts and weapons in your possession which were hidden on certain maps or rewards or stolen in the case of a certain radar unit. The PS2 Armored Core 2 which was basically a launch title also had the save game carry over function through the whole series on PS2. I loved that they loved their player base enough to do that. You could take your memory card to a friends place and load your builds off it and play versus too which was badass for the late 90's on PS1.
playing armored core is a surreal, experience.
It's like learning to walk.
About how hard it is. About how you will stumble. And after 10 hours in you will fly like it is 2nd nature to you.
Walk, jump, fly, evade.
It really feels like learning to pilot an actual mecha.
I mean, put this game on vr machine with shake function. And the game will hold up fine. That's how solid this game design foundation is.
I really hope AC6 will mean a resurgence in more mech games. There's waaay to many fantasy/hero games cluttering the market.
Mech games are a dime a dozen, what we are lacking is good games about PILOTING and customizing mechs
@@abyssphantom6786i just got into mechwarriors 5 mercenaries, good times!
Man..my first experience with AC was a demo disk on the original PS1. Then the first time I bought it was the release of PS2. Bought them all but 5 killed it for me. So I'm super excited for 6 to see what a 10 year absence can do
And it's directed by Yamamura from Sekiro, so you know the gameplay is gonna be gooooood
And apparently they took 6 years to make the game. How much shit do fromsoft begin so far back man?! So awesome
Was that demo disk the one with the awful Star Wars fighting game and crash bandicoot on it? Might have had the water ski game and something with a lizard as well if I'm not mistaking.
@@rustedaxe2018 sure was, also had 2 secret games if you pressed the R buttons colony wars and fighting force.
@@edo1497 That's cool. Never knew about the others though. Wish I still had it.
Never played AC and haven't really been feeling it, but after the announcement trailer, and now hearing you explain the concepts and getting some idea of what to expect in terms of gameplay and storytelling, I'm pretty hype for AC6. Plus, poison corrosive gas levels will make a souls player feel at home.😊 Thank you, great work, subscribed!
Excellent video! For years I was ridiculed by the ignorant when I said "without Armored Core there is no soulsborne". Now neophytes are quickly checking AC! Jokes aside, I am really hyped and had massive nostalgia hit watching this video.
:D
A bit of game trivia - FROM made two games named after the corporations in the first gen AC games - Murakumo, and Chrome Hounds.
lol!
did he made a 30 minute video in less than a day? or is he this well prepared?
Aesir is in cahoots with Miyazaki
I am the Batman of doing this thing, plans for every contingency.
Also, lucky.
Aesir works through pain.
@@AesirAesthetics i hope one day i can refer to myself as the batman of the thing i do damn thats hard
Dude mustve done a mad dash to finish this video when he saw the announcement
I'm excited to watch this when I get home from work! I love your videos man, you're doing a great job.
Thank you, hope you enjoy and that you dont cringe when the rap happens :D
I absolutely loved this video essay on one of my all time favorite franchises. I've been playing since AC2 and went back to the original after I beat it. It's so nice to see this long series get the recognition it deserves. Your style is awesome, loved it.
This was an excellent video, it was a treat to revisit the game with this added insight. Lots of details I didn't know before. Looking forward to the next one!
Who wrote that rap into the video? Who is sabotaging me! >:O
What happens when you don't armour your core kids
@@vintheguy I deal exclusively in kid friendly raps :)
You absolute madlad. You. Absolute. Mad. Lad.
You either have the BEST timing or the fastest turnaround in the business.
Please continue this amazing series with all the games! This video was awesome! Thank you so much!! 💥
This is such an under rated series. The main stream seems to simply ignore this amazing franchise. I was playing AC4 the other day on Xbox 360 and it holds up so well.
I just found your channel because of this video and watched through almost all of your content, the quality and depth of analysis you have is amazing keep up the great work
I have no experience with Armored Core or knowledge of the games but the way you talk about them I recognize deeply with other games I have played over the years. And the way you made a case for this game felt really compelling and ”true”.
Very nice video 🤌🏻
Superb video! Thank you!
I needed this refresher, thank you. It's been so long.
I played the original on the vita years ago, the customization options on the vita and on the game allowed me to fully customize the controllers to my liking in order to aim with the right stick, move the mecha with the left stick, shoot with the right shoulder trigger, jump and fly with the left one, strafe with the back touch screen, switch weapons with the face buttons, I loved my customization on every sense and loved the game, I continued the series with the psp games (extremely hard games) and finally a new entry has arrived, can't wait to play it
nice! no reverse grip for you :D
i played through 1 on my PSP- holds up well! love the mission where you chase a dang Fuchikoma through a parking garage.
Vita truly brings out the best in the game, shame AC2 never got ported but still. A fair amount on Armored Core can be played on the vita.
@@TofuSG98 i've been wanting a PSTV for a while now (not easy to find!)- would love to play Monster Hunter: FU(hehe) and Ridge Racer with a Dual Shock...
Glad to see an upload I love all your work!!!
Yay, thank you!
That feel when one of your favorite RUclipsrs deep dives one of your favorite games ❤
9:19 I love that you brought this up! It wasn't till I played AC nexus on an emulator with the keyboard using the classic control scheme that I realized how subtle, but immersive the classic scheme was. In most Gundam series, the mechs are controlled with foot pedals and levers that you slide back and forth. With joysticks being an exception or the norm depending on the timeline. In AC, having that learning curve gives you the illusion of being a tiny guy inside the robot and not the robot itself. and over time the controls become second nature and give you an additional sense of mastery over your mech as your in-game pilot goes from bottom rank rookie, to 9 breaker ace.
I wonder to this day if FROMSOFT felt the same, and that's why even after jumping into the PS2 era where ALL controllers had joysticks, They kept using the original control scheme, and only introduced true joystick aiming and movement in NEXUS.
OH and you can play a fun game of "Spot the inspiration" when you watch the opening CG movies of AC games. In the same way that Miyazaki isn't subtle expressing his fandom of BERSERK, Fromsoft isn't shy of "borrowing" cool mech gimmicks and ability's from Gundam and beyond. ORBIT weapons are like Funnel bits, KOJIMA Particles are like Minovsky/GN particles and so on. Which makes sense. As I'm sure many of the staff and mecha designers also have extensive portfolios working for SUNRISE. "Is it illegal to steal from yourself?"
ALSO AC NEXUS's opening movie has that battle in the rainy green tinted city because the Matrix sequels came out around that time, and that DBZ fight between Neo and Smith was really cool.
WAIT! HOLY SHIT! "SPOILERS" As I'm typing this I just realized that Nexus also ends with you in your mech, defending a dome like city, from a never ending swarm of Ai flying machines coming down from the sky to destroy it!
This is a good video for many new upcoming AC players like me since it's coming from someone who understand the series from the very beginning.
Welcome aboard! it's bascially Souls with mechs
Really cool and thoughtful/insightful video! Great work.
You do the best FROMSOFT analysis videos!
thank you 🥰
I dip in and out, but I absolutely love your videos. I really enjoy learning about these games I will never get to, and you do such an enjoyable job of uncovering their artistic genius.
Thank you :)
Great video aesir. Excited to watch your series
Enjoy :)
This was fascinating and insightful, thanks
Your tone and pacing is S+. Hope the AC announcement gets you a bunch of new subs.
Keep at it!
thank you :)
Looks amazing Aesir, I am a souls fan and much like those below me, I needed this as well. As a RL anarchist, I hope there are anarchist options in the story, so I can meaningfully fight against soulless corporations in armored core 6
There are lmao
Oldking ending and destruction ending and the entirety of last raven
This game really is a scathing critique of Capitalism in a way that truly befits the Cyberpunk genre.
I wish other media in the genre understood it's roots, beyond pure aesthetic.
I think this game's "Human Plus" system is very unnerving, and resonates strongly with me, as it feels very real compared to the more abstract idea of "Hollowing" as seen in the DS series.
@@Squiddy0912 yep
Great video, thanks for the content!
Happy you enjoyed it :)
Man, I never got ANY of this way back in the day! Fantastic video!
I feel like young me would have loved armored core on the ps1, I just never knew it existed
Great work on the video man especially right after AC6 trailer was shown great to see the series make a comeback and I'm sure more fans are happy with this as well.
thank you :D
Well done! I found your video after the announcement, researching which of these games to play. I likely wouldn't have played the first (leaning towards 3) but your video was excellent and i could really feel your appreciation through your coverage. I'm now a new subscriber, great stuff!
thank you :D
This impeccable timing can't even be ignored by the algorithm, you sure are lucky. Have a sub! :D
thank you :D
Semi Unrelated but Bulk Slash the 3D Sega Saturn Mech Game received a fan translation along with an excellent fan dub.
I felt like saying that here because this is the type of audience that would appreciate such a thing
Very nice timing on this!
;)
Armored core is still a strong example of how your theme and player actions should permeate every relevant pillar of the game.
Of course corporations wouldn’t tell you you’re union busting, they’d call them terrorists. If you kill a pilot on a mission, of course they should disappear from the arena.
Your mercy rule being a narratively double edged sword is a really cool touch.
So many modern games take those details for granted, assuming nobody will notice.
this video rocks! can't wait for the ac2 vid!
This was amazing and so fun to watch! The usual from you
Glad you enjoyed it! :D
7:19 nicely put succinct theme of the way fromsoft does storytelling
:)
Holy shit, immediate subscribe. Straight to the point, insightful, intelligent, immediatly hooked. Bra-fucking-vo, dude.
The timing for this was perfect.
thank you :D
What a timely video!
what leak? who said anything about prior knowledge? are you a lawyer?
Great video, instantly subscribed!
wow, you unlocked my bias toward this game, I used to replay the ps1 first game periodically every like 3 to 5 years. I remember the first time i rented the game i really did enjoy the role play of it. Navigating the emails made me feel as denizen of this world. As a child the whole concept of the game made it feel like I had a real job and I personally got alot of hours out of that game, as well as the second and 3rd games.
Armored Core fuckin rules. Thank you for bringing more attention to this franchise, just subscribed!
I think you did a perfect job encapsulating the original AC experience. Coming from hard core player of them.
We are going home Ravens. We have been on Stand by for long enough. It is time for us to Sortie.
I played Armored Core and Project Phantasma obsessively in the 90's. Endless builds and the AC fights with the plasma Cannon and Moonlight Sword while mid-air were pure joy.
I've somehow missed AC franchise while growing up, but I can't wait to experience Armored Core 6 🔥😍. Thanks for the awesome video 😁!
Thanks Aesir I needed this 💯
glad you enjoyed :D
@@AesirAesthetics lol thanks I didn't know what Armored Core was thanks for this video it really helped
Honestly im suprised there are not more retrospects on this series.. lot of long time fans..anyways nice video brother
Thank you, more to come!
ARMORER CORE 6 GOT ANNOUNCED LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
And now we have a new trailer.
Great video man
thank you :D
Welp guess I gotta play Armored Core now :D Excellent video
You wont be disappointed, it's really good.
Someone should make a video on it, it's so good!
(thanks for the kind words :D )
Your timing is impeccable
what January leak? huh?
The man who never missed.
;)
Broooo excellent video!! I really loved the analysis and explanation of the story, I saw the trailer for the new armored core and I was interested in the aesthetics so I looked for more information about the game and its history, since here in Mexico I never heard of that game anywhere when i was young or later games but thanks to finding your great video you made me dive into the story its really interesting and sinister i cant wait for the next video and know about the future history, while i will watch more videos from you and again, congratulations for the great work!!!! 🤠👍🏻
thank you, welcome aboard :D
Back then, Armored Cores are basically Iron Man suits, and not that big from cars. 6 games later, they're basically the size of the biggest Gundam models.
10:39 - 10:42 very well said
:D
There seems to be a lovely crossover between mech and racing games where like yeah sure the combat and racing is fun, but the building of the car and the depth of options to choose from is what really hypes people up to get deep into these games. Especially the older ones with clunkier gameplay
Great timing! I hope your video does very well.
Also I hope you are doing very well too!
Also aslo great mini video!
great timing on that one.
Enjoy!
The idea of being the pilot and not the mech is why I'm excited for AC6. This is one of the reasons I liked Star Wars: Squadrons
This is great! Thank you!
Enjoy! :D
Wonderful analysis! I feel like I'm viewing the Armored Core series through a brand new lens.
As an impatient kid playing a rented copy of AC back in the day, it was all about the immediate fantasy of controlling and upgrading a powerful robot. I no doubt skipped the text dialogue, because when you're only allowed to game for a limited time each day, who wants to read? 😅
But looking back via your video, it's clear From Software had much greater narrative ambitions. It's amazing to see, even in their early days, how artfully they worked within the constrants of their platform to build a richer world for those willing to seek it out.
I now intend to play AC2 in anticipation of your next video. Praise thee for PCSX2 😁
Thanks for the vid
The armored core series is one of the best series ive ever played. Anytime I think about mechs, AC is the first series that comes to mind. No one does mechs like this and that needs to change
Awesome video
Thank you for this..
i was looking for something like this
Enjoy! :D
I used to absolutely LOVE armored core and S.L.A.I (steel lancer arena international) back in the day. Hyped af about a modern armored core being announced.
Thank you very much for this great video! Greetings from germany
Glad you enjoyed it :D
Myself and my best friend as a kid would spend hours customizing our mechs even though we were absolute garbage at the game itself and it was way more fun than it had any business being.
I just love your videos, always happy to see a notification from your channel ❤️
Glad you like them!
brilliant deliverance of knowledge to newcomers like me, thanks a million, sir 👏
Congratulations you have gained a new subscriber!
thank you :D
Wow, thank you!
I'm just so happy that ACVI is coming to PC. Master of Arena was the last entry I played back on the PS1.
super interesting video. Cant wait for the Retrospective of the rest of the series.coincidentally, im corrently playing armored core 3 through last raven and even though im playing on a psp emulator (pc is potato and tablet cant run ps2 emo above 15 fps), im having a blast. kinda wished i had played it way back when... Anyway owesome content, subscribed!
You should make similar videos for the other numbered games in the series. I've played every AC game to date and I fell in love with the PS1 era controls the moment I started, so much so that my transition to AC4 was a bit rough (I found AC3's control to be better, but I came around to it since I realized we got new ways to shoot multiple weapons at the same time. Same with AC5, etc). I can't stress enough how using the shoulder buttons to look up/down, and strafe side to side was genius to allow high speed, precision combat!
That's the plan.
Though these vids take like 100-200 hours to make O_o
Great video 👍
thank you :D
Armored core is what built from software and my childhood good thing they remember who they are
You start the game. You put in your name. You rev up your engine and try not to be lame. Oh yeah. Great recap!
Every Soulstuber scrambling to hop onto the Armored Core train. I see ya'll.
I was ready day 1!