#QT https://mastodon.social/@NoSoloBot/114826347368665575
Ok seriously this keeps happening today!
I remember playing this game so much as a kid, making multiple save games to use as play test builds before the games allowed you to save multiple setups per save. I have played (nearly) every mainline title since the original and have loved each one, but the original PSX disc holds a special place in my heart.
At some point, the staff at the local daycare center I went to must have found the disc I accidently left behind after being picked up one night and claimed it was theirs, so what did my parents do? Buy me a replacement disc from the local Blockbuster. It still has the security strips on the label, even! I don't even care, it's one of my favorites in my collection.
I recently played the game on stream and was able to beat it within one session, which is wild compared to when I was a kid! Some day I'll get around to playing AC2, AC3, and AC4/AC4A on stream too. Armored Core VI was such a fantastic return to the series, too.
When people hear From Software these days, the games that tend to come to mind are most likely the Soulsborne titles, but Armored Core is just as much one of their titles, as the tough-yet-fair gameplay has always been part of this series identity. The evolution from slow and clunky to high speed anime mecha, before finally landing in the hybrid setting in AC VI, has been such a joy to play through. I will say, though, that the first few titles didn't have analog controls so you'll have to get used to using the shoulder buttons to strafe and look up/down.