Software:Armored Core: For Answer

From HandWiki
Short description: 2008 video game
Armored Core: For Answer
North American Xbox 360 cover art
Developer(s)FromSoftware
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Hidetaka Miyazaki
Producer(s)Toshifumi Nabeshima
Composer(s)Kota Hoshino
SeriesArmored Core
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release
  • JP: March 19, 2008
  • NA: September 16, 2008
  • AU: November 27, 2008
  • EU: November 28, 2008
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Armored Core: For Answer is a 2008 mecha-based vehicular combat game developed by FromSoftware and published by Ubisoft for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the 13th installment in the mecha-based Armored Core series, the game is the direct sequel to Armored Core 4.

Gameplay

AC customization features a new interface. Online mode returns with a new co-operative mode alongside the player versus mode. Gameplay enhancements an auxiliary high-speed booster. All parts carried over from the previous game have had their parameters altered, much like the transition between previous series installments Silent Line and Nexus. The game is also the second in the series to feature multiple endings.

Plot

Five years have passed since the LYNX War. Earth is now governed by the League of Ruling Companies, an international council composed of the corporations that survived the war, which ostensibly seeks to preserve global peace and corporate prosperity. In truth, the League is little more than a puppet of its chief member, Omer Science Technology, which emerged from the LYNX War with an enormous technological advantage and seeks to keep it. Since much of the world's surface was polluted to inhospitable levels by hazardous Kojima Particles dispersed during the LYNX War, the League built perpetually-airborne habitats known as Cradles, which are dependent on ground-based power plants called Arteria that generate even more Kojima Particles as waste. Over half of the human population now lives in the Cradles, while the surface is a battlefield where corporate armies and mercenaries wage the interminable Economic War over control of Kojima Particle-based technology.

During the League's rise to power, it relied on the capabilities of LYNX, the pilots of the combat mechs known as NEXTs, and then abandoned the LYNX on the surface in favor of utilizing Arms Forts, mobile super weapons that could bring tremendous amounts of firepower to bear. While most LYNX are forced to eke out a living as mercenaries for Collared, a League-controlled intermediary organization, a handful of LYNX discovered the corporations' dark secrets and formed a resistance group called ORCA to overthrow the League. The player takes on the role of a LYNX known as Strayed who works for Collared and eventually becomes a pivotal figure in the escalating conflict between the League and ORCA.

Three ending routes can be unlocked sequentially over three playthroughs. In the first ending, Strayed is tasked by the League with stopping ORCA from seizing the Arteria. Strayed succeeds, ensuring the Cradles stay aloft. ORCA is eliminated and the League remains in power, but the existential threat posed by Kojima Particle radiation is still unsolved, and one day, it will rise to the Cradles' altitude.

In the second ending, Strayed helps ORCA take control of the Arteria. As a result, the Cradles lose power and make an emergency descent to the surface, causing many civilians to die from Kojima Particle exposure. However, the energy from the Arteria is redirected to destroy an array of autonomous weaponized satellites in Earth's orbit. The satellites had originally been put in place by the corporations years ago as a means of precluding any single corporation from exploiting space's wealth of resources and attaining economic supremacy. With the satellites neutralized, humanity gains the opportunity to save itself from extinction by colonizing other worlds.

In the third ending, a psychotic ORCA-affiliated LYNX with the callsign "Old King" reaches out to Strayed. Old King is the last survivor of an anti-corporate terrorist group that Strayed eradicated, but he blames the corporations for his comrades' deaths and disagrees with ORCA's efforts to minimize bloodshed, so he proposes destroying Cradle 03, a fleet of five Cradle airships with 100 million inhabitants between them. After Old King and Strayed carry out this unprecedented atrocity, Collared deploys a team of its best LYNX to hunt the two mass-murderers down. Old King dies in the battle, but Strayed emerges victorious and goes on to destroy all of the other Cradles, becoming the single most prolific killer in history.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PS3Xbox 360
1Up.comC−[1]C−[1]
Destructoid3/10[2]N/A
EdgeN/A7/10[3]
Famitsu29/40[4]30/40[5][6]
Game Informer6.25/10[7]6.25/10[7]
GameSpot7/10[8]7/10[8]
GameZone7.9/10[9]7/10[10]
IGN7.8/10[11]8/10[12]
OPM (UK)5/10[13]N/A
OXM (US)N/A5.5/10[14]
Aggregate score
Metacritic62/100[15]64/100[16]

Armored Core: For Answer received "mixed or average" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[15][16] One of the most consistent complaints among reviewers seemed to be the lack of any sort of online community. Kevin Van Ord of GameSpot stated in his review that there were "fewer than a dozen [players on] Xbox Live" when he tried to playtest the game, and that similar attempts to find a game on PlayStation Network yielded "just a single opponent".[8] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40 for the PlayStation 3 version,[4] and one nine and three sevens for the Xbox 360 version,[6] while Famitsu Xbox 360 gave the latter console version 31 out of 40.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Quintero, Cesar (September 26, 2008). "Armored Core: For Answer Review". Ziff Davis. http://www.1up.com/reviews/armored-core-answer. 
  2. ↑ Nicholson, Brad (October 21, 2008). "Destructoid review: Armored Core: For Answer (PS3)". Enthusiast Gaming. https://www.destructoid.com/destructoid-review-armored-core-for-answer-108132.phtml. 
  3. ↑ Edge staff (January 2009). "Armored Core: For Answer (X360)". Edge (Future plc) (197): 94. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "アーマード・コア フォーアンサー [PS3"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=958. Retrieved December 14, 2018. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "アーマード・コア フォーアンサー [Xbox 360"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=957. Retrieved December 14, 2018. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ihtsham, Usman (March 26, 2008). "Famitsu For The Week". http://whatifgaming.com/famitsu-scores. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Reiner, Andrew (December 2008). "Armored Core: For Answer: This mech's broken. Eject! Eject!". Game Informer (GameStop) (188): 110. https://www.gameinformer.com/games/armored_core_for_answer/b/xbox360/archive/2009/09/22/review.aspx. Retrieved December 14, 2018. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 VanOrd, Kevin (October 1, 2008). "Armored Core: For Answer Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/armored-core-for-answer-review/1900-6198445/. 
  9. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (September 29, 2008). "Armored Core for Answer - PS3 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/armored_core_for_answer_ps3_review/. 
  10. ↑ Folkers, Brandon (September 29, 2008). "Armored Core for Answer - 360 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/armored_core_for_answer_360_review/. 
  11. ↑ Clements, Ryan (September 22, 2008). "Armored Core for Answer Review (PS3)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/23/armored-core-for-answer-review. 
  12. ↑ Clements, Ryan (September 22, 2008). "Armored Core for Answer Review (X360)". Ziff Davis. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/912/912354p1.html. 
  13. ↑ "Armored Core: For Answer". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK (Future plc): 103. January 2009. 
  14. ↑ "Armored Core: For Answer". Official Xbox Magazine (Future US): 87. December 2008. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Armored Core: For Answer for PlayStation 3 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/armored-core-for-answer/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Armored Core: For Answer for Xbox 360 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/armored-core-for-answer/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360. 
  • Official website (Japanese)
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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