Armored Core 4

Overall, Armored Core 4 is a pretty fun game for fans of the genre and anyone looking to get into the genre with the patience to learn their way around the customization, which is the core of the game. The short missions, limited battle area, and muted visuals may turn some people off, but most will be satisfied with the swift, intuitive gameplay, the online versus, and the simple fact that they are controlling a giant mechanized robot.

Past the faster, more boost-friendly gameplay, a lot has stayed the same in Armored Core 4. The learning curve is steep, the controls take effort to master, and the single-player game is ultimately there to prepare you for head-to-head matches. It’s a very specific game experience that rewards trial and error and fails to appeal to a broad audience in the process.

Multiplayer adds life, and we guess it's cool that Armored Core 4 is nearly identical on both PS3 and 360 (though the 360 has voice chat) so nobody gets a vastly inferior version. But ultimately, this series is going to have to evolve into a more accessible, playable, solo-friendly experience if it ever wants to be known as anything other than a niche curiosity.