Armored Core V
Armored Core V is a 3D mecha-based video game developed by FromSoftware for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the 14th installment and 5th main installment of FromSoftware's "Armored Core" series. "Armored Core V" is a return to the more traditional style of gameplay found in the original series of games. It is an indirect sequel to "Armored Core 4" and "". Gameplay. Whereas previous games in the series focused on quick-reflex combat, "Armored Core V" relies heavily on tactical gameplay. Similar to the first games in the series, "Armored Core V" requires players  to use level geography to their advantage. New to the series is Ultimate Weapons, which deal enormous damage, but these weapons need to be recharged between uses, limiting the player to only one use per mission or match. The online mode features five-on-five team-based battles, with each side battling over specific objectives across the map. One member of each team is designated as the Operator and must oversee the entire battle and issue orders to their team. A curiosity about the game is that, according to the producer Toshifumi Nabeshima, the player should hold the controller (PS3  and XBox 360) in a special way as the ideal to control the robotic war machines. According to information from the game itself, this way of playing is called “densetsu no AC mochi” (伝説のAC持ち) in Japanese, which means the “legendary Armored Core grip”. The online servers for "Armored Core V" were shut down on March 20, 2014. Story. In a distant futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, people gathered in a few survivable areas. Among them, "City", which is relatively large, was oppressed by a person called the Father and his enigmatic organization called The Corporation. At one point, a man who  was an aide to the Father was banished to the underground world. The man united the people of the underground world to form the Resistance organization. They carried out an all out counter-offensive war operation to break the tyrannical rule of the Father. However, the operation failed because it was detected in advance, and the man also died. A year later, the Resistance relaunched under a new leader. Release. The game was released in Japan on January 26, 2012 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released by Bandai Namco Entertainment on March 20 in North  America, March 22 in Australia, and March 23 in Europe, all in 2012. FromSoftware has released a companion application for iOS and Android devices which provides access to a database of in-game parts and weapons to aid in mech customization. In Japan, those who pre-ordered "" received an art book and a download code for an exclusive variant of the Moonlight close-quarters weapon. In North America, two promotional download packages were offered to those who pre-ordered "Armored Core V": Amazon offered the Recon Pack, while GameStop offered the Heavy Assault Pack. Both of these packs can now  be purchased from the in-game store. Both content packs did not add anything new to the game, rather they enabled players to access parts far earlier than they would normally by playing through the campaign. Reception. The game received "mixed or average reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, "Famitsu" gave it a score of one nine, two eights, and one nine for a total of 34 out of 40. "The Daily Telegraph" gave the Xbox 360 version four stars out of five and said it was "a brilliant game that is nonetheless  difficult to recommend to everyone", but that "those with an eye for detail and a fair amount of patience will be rewarded with a deep, engaging and entirely idiosyncratic experience. Just don't go in expecting your hand to be held at any point". "The Digital Fix" gave the PlayStation 3 version seven out of ten and said it was "a very sterile and cold experience" without its multiplayer approach. "Metro" likewise gave it seven out of ten and said it was "still not the game that will make giant robot sims mainstream, but it does have some innovative ideas  in terms of both combat and online play". "The Observer" gave the game a mixed review and said that it "looks fantastic and is thoroughly entertaining, but its impenetrability may prove too much for all but the faithful".