But then how would you apply that logic to things like GamePass, where you will end up spending way less if you are a prolific gamer? I spent $120 for a year of PS+ Premium and it paid for itself in 2 weeks with the cost of buying the individual games vs just having access to the catalogue. And not just things I downloaded, played for 10 minutes and removed. There was plenty of things I would have out right paid $40-70 for and have put 40-100 hours in that I didn’t have to buy because they were on the subscription service. It would have cost almost a $1000 for the value of time spent playing games I got access to for only $120.
Grids aren’t needed to get the same effect in a computer game. Also, when speaking about video games specifically, “grid based” combat has a bit of technical differences that you don’t necessarily want or need in a strategy game. It affects positioning and animations. It makes diagonal movement and height changes awkward. It makes sense when playing PnP and helping to visualize and handle rules. But when a computer is doing all that in the background, having the freedom of movement and the visuals match a more realistic way of traversing terrain is better.
I don’t really like grid-based movement in video games. It always feels weirder. It always shows how absurd some rules based on positioning are. It just sucks vs the more fluid style like BG3 has. Like, I love me some XCom, but I’ve played knock-offs that don’t use grids, and they feel way better.
Having only ever played AC2 (and Chromehounds which as basically a spiritual successor) before AC6: It feels pretty much like the same game. The only thing I’m not liking is that in AC2, all the parts were in the shop from the start and you just had to have money to purchase them. AC6 unlocks parts in the shop over time, by completing missions. So even if I grind out a good paying sortie to buy everything right off the bat, I don’t actually have everything.
But the combat and action? I see no difference in 6 from 2. AC2 was also pretty much about playing aggressively, dodging enemy missiles, and retaliating in the same way 6 handles it. The best build was the one that gave you the highest numbers across the board. But the bosses are actually unique and not just another AC who might be a few levels higher than you.
I don’t know how 3-5 played (didn’t even know they existed until 6 was announced; never saw them in a store, never heard anyone talk about them), but 2 was definitely not what you would say makes Armored Core, Armored Core.
I thought Lae’zel looked like that because she is a githyanki, but after seeing the actual actress I’m not so sure. Her nose looks unreal. They mocapped her way too well.
Die. Then you can reassemble before retrying. If you leave the mission, you start from the beginning. This way you can keep your checkpoints, but still switch up parts. It’s like it’s specifically there for people like me who suck lol
Totally agree with the supply cabinets they drop sometimes. That shoulda been a way to access your entire garage if you manage to reach it without dying.
I feel limited in my options because I’ve gotten everything I possibly can to mix up my mech at this point through the missions and the logcabin stuff, and while I do want to be a plasma goblin, I can’t even use 2 plasma guns without overloading my energy, let alone adding in the shoulder cannons. :/
I only have access to two generators. And one of those is the one I started with.
So I can change my build whenever I want? I could buy and sell outside of a sortie, but what if I want to swap shit between checkpoints? I can’t use the store then, but I can access my garage and owned bits. Can also have multiple mechs. And because I must. It’s video game law. 😤
Difficulty and weirdness in the story wise? Very similar.
How the game actually feels to play? Totally different. AC is more of a hardcore arcade action game. One part MechWarrior, one part bullet hell shooter. I’m surprised to see it hasn’t really changed much from AC2, the last AC I ever played.
Some of the levels are fucking epic as hell. One of the missions I’ve done so far, you have to take down this massive building sized tank on legs, and it’s like the size of a level in and of itself. You’re already in a giant mech that dwarfs a human, and this structure made me feel like just a regular dude fighting a skyscraper.
I didn’t find it difficult so much as frustrating when I would do what it asked, but it wouldn’t register until I did it like 10 times.
Elite Dangerous had a similar tutorial where you had to run through a checklist of things to complete it and move on to the main game. When I first got it back in beta, it was not optional and it also wasn’t clear on how to do some of the shit it asked you to do, forcing you to check the controls constantly. It’s an optional thing now, and there is also the option of running through the lift off check list every single time you launch your ship. Pointless and tedious, but adds some immersion.