PlayStation Blog Breaks Down The Armored Core Franchise

gameranx.com:

When it was revealed last year that the Armored Core franchise would return and that FromSoftware would once again head into the world of mech combat, many gamers were confused. They were confused because many didn’t remember that the franchise had been helmed by the same team that made Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Elden Ring, etc. But that is indeed the case, and now they’re going back to the franchise they haven’t touched on in many years. To honor the franchise and the team behind it, the PlayStation Blog decided to do a nice breakdown of what the series was like before.

For example, if you’ve never played the games before, here’s an easy enough synopsis for you:

“Armored Core is a sci-fi action game series that blends high-speed mech combat with intricate simulation elements where you assemble a mech of your dreams using numerous weapons and parts.”

You can see why many players would be open to such gameplay options, and the franchise did last for five entries before going on hiatus.

As the blog reminds fans, the first title came out in 1997 on the original PlayStation. Thanks to expansions, it came out in multiple versions, but the intent was the same. When the second game arrived in 2000, the dev team expanded upon what they had before, including a deeper narrative featuring 100 playable missions! It removed some things from the original title, but the core concepts were the same. It also had online multiplayer, a tease of what was to come.

The third game came out in 2002 and slowly improved through various expansions, but things started to change when the fourth entry arrived in 2006. Why? First, the team was able to expand what they could do graphically, and it also was made by Hidetaka Miyazaki.

The final entry, at