GIANT BLOODY MECHAS!!! Alright I’m going to assume my editor expects me to write a little bit more than that for this article, but honestly, do you need much more convincing?
Ever since I was a wee lad with scabby knees and crippling social anxiety, I’ve adored robots and mechs. Some kids like trains, others like dinosaurs, I was obsessed with humanoid war machines. If I can be totally transparent with you, this obsession began with Power Rangers. Every week I’d watch Tommy and Co. getting absolutely bodied by the monster of the week, only to turn the tide by calling in some of the coolest mecha to ever grace my eyeballs. The Megazords were awesome, no, more than awesome, they were iconic. After this I would doodle mechs constantly and get lost in imaginary worlds where I was a badass mecha pilot launching missiles left, right and centre, battling other, albeit far weaker, bots by the boat load.
With all that in mind you can see why a game like Armored Core VI is so high on my wish list right now. While FromSoftware games have always been a bit of a no go for me thanks to their difficulty, I did put over 200 hours into Elden Ring since release. This has given me a much needed insight to how these games operate and the chance to explore what I assume will be a beautifully crafted, if not slightly dystopian world, all while at the controls of massive mecha that are fully customisable.
This is fantastic news since I’ve always felt mecha needed a bigger share of the market. I’m willing to accept I might be a bit biased with my history and love for the pilotable bots, but honestly I don’t care. I can’t get enough and if Armored Core VI will be the first step in flooding the market with mecha, then you can bet I’ll be first in line.
Now, a slight concern of mine is my total lack of knowledge on the series. While I’m well versed in other mechas like Gundam, Gurren Lagann, Mazinger, Big O, Titanfall and Mech Warrior, for some reason, Armored Core and I always missed each other. It didn’t help that most of the series was released when I couldn’t afford to take a chance on a game which really didn’t have a massive fanbase I could learn from. Armored Core games have, for the most part, been a niche market and not seen as a massive franchise by most.
Fires of Rubicon being developed by FromSoftware seems to have changed this as the sixth mainline game looks to be highly anticipated by a wide audience! I’m not entirely sure if this is down to the hype behind FromSoftware or the sheer amount of marketing Bandai Namco have committed to but whatever it is seems to have worked a treat. Hell, I’m even tempted to pick up the premium edition just for that Armored Core model, AND THE GARAGE!!!
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is out on 25th of August!
Written by Will.
Edited by Alexx.