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89-498: Armored Core is a third-person shooter mecha video game series developed by FromSoftware . The series centers on a silent protagonist who takes on work as a mercenary pilot in the far future, operating large robot combat units known as Armored Cores at the behest of corporate and private clients. As the player completes missions for these clients, they gain credits to improve their Armored Core and unlock further opportunities to make money. Some games include an "Arena" mode in which

178-473: A bird 's legs, hence the name. However, birds actually have forward-facing knees; they are digitigrade , and what most call the "knee" is actually the ankle. The 1868 Edward S. Ellis novel The Steam Man of the Prairies featured a steam-powered, back-piloted, mechanical man. The 1880 Jules Verne novel The Steam House ( La Maison à Vapeur ) featured a steam-powered, piloted, mechanical elephant. One of

267-521: A cockpit , typically located in the chest or head of the mech. While the distinction is often hazy, mecha typically does not refer to form-fitting powered armor such as Iron Man 's suit. They are usually much larger than the wearer, like Iron Man's enemy the Iron Monger , or the mobile suits depicted in the Gundam franchise. In most cases, mecha are depicted as fighting machines, whose appeal comes from

356-449: A skyscraper ( Space Runaway Ideon , Genesis of Aquarion , Science Ninja Team Gatchaman , Neon Genesis Evangelion ), some are big enough to contain an entire city ( Macross ), some the size of a planet ( Diebuster ), galaxies ( Getter Robo , Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ), or even as large as universes ( Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen , Demonbane , Transformers: Alternity ). The first titan robots seen were in

445-636: A super robot , with Getter Robo (1974 debut). An early use of mech-like machines outside Japan is found in "The Invisible Empire", a Federal Men 's story arc by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (serialized 1936 in New Comics #8–10). Other examples include the Mexican comic Invictus by Leonel Guillermo Prieto and Victaleno León; the Brazilian comic Audaz, o demolidor , by Álvaro "Aruom" Moura and Messias de Mello (1938–1949), inspired by Invictus , created for

534-518: A 3D third-person perspective include Nintendo 's Radar Scope (1979), Atari 's Tempest (1981), Nihon Bussan 's Tube Panic (1983), Sega 's Space Harrier (1985), Atari 's Xybots (1987), and Square 's 3-D WorldRunner (1987). and JJ (1987) Third-person shooters for home computers include Dan Gorlin's Airheart (1986) and Paul Norman's Beyond Forbidden Forest (1986). Konami 's run & gun shooter Contra (1987) featured several third-person shooter levels where

623-403: A contaminated Earth and is being opposed by a resistance faction that seeks to overthrow them. 2013's Armored Core: Verdict Day details the outbreak of another war 100 years later following an apocalyptic event. Another continuity has begun with 2023's Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon . For the first time in the series, it takes place far away from Earth in a human-colonized star system on

712-420: A control system inspired by Prince of Persia . Mega Man Legends (1997) by Capcom is another early 3D third person shooter which took a different approach to the genre, mixing this with a role-playing game influence. Around the same time, Deathtrap Dungeon (1998) by Eidos Interactive and MediEvil (1998) by SCE Studio Cambridge (then Millennium Interactive ) were some of the first 3D games in

801-457: A first person mode. Armored Core: Nexus was released on March 18, 2004, as a direct sequel to Silent Line . Unlike its predecessor, Nexus was treated as a core entry rather than an expansion and did not allow for save data import. While carrying over parts from 3 and Silent Line , mechanics changed significantly compared to past expansions. The heat mechanic introduced in Armored Core 2

890-412: A first-person viewpoint for challenges that require precise aiming, while others simply allow a player to freely switch between first and third-person perspectives at will. The first-person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved was actually designed as a third-person shooter, but added a first-person perspective to improve the interface for aiming and shooting. The game switches to a third-person viewpoint when

979-561: A greater emphasis on two player cooperative play, as does Resident Evil 5 (2009). As of 2009, the third-person shooter genre has a large audience outside Japan, particularly in North America. Vanquish (2010) by PlatinumGames featured a gameplay style reminiscent of bullet hell shooters, with bullets and missiles coming from all directions. The third-person shooter genre is still quite popular in contemporary gaming circles. In 2012, Rockstar Games released Max Payne 3 , which

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1068-401: A large scale for use in wars. The real robot genre also tends to feature more complex characters with moral conflicts and personal problems. The genre is therefore aimed primarily at young adults instead of children. Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) is largely considered the first series to introduce the real robot concept and, along with The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982), would form

1157-448: A milking stool, imagine it a great body of machinery on a tripod stand." Ōgon Bat , a kamishibai that debuted in 1931 (later adapted into an anime in 1967), featured the first piloted humanoid giant robot, Dai Ningen Tanku ( 大人間タンク ) , but as an enemy rather than a protagonist. In 1934, Gajo Sakamoto launched Tank Tankuro ( タンクタンクロー ) on a metal creature that becomes a battle machine. The first humanoid giant robot piloted by

1246-414: A popular third person shooter which introduced the player being allowed to control aiming of their weapon themselves by means of two control sticks. In Tomb Raider and Syphon Filter , on the other hand, the protagonists automatically aimed at antagonists. Forcing or allowing the player to control aiming themselves, either using control sticks or a mouse, would go on to become commonplace in later games in

1335-490: A reboot, players could not import save data from Armored Core 2 or Another Age . A stand-alone expansion, Silent Line: Armored Core , was released on January 23, 2003, and was a direct sequel to Armored Core 3 . Like other expansions in the franchise, players could import their progress from Armored Core 3 into Silent Line , retaining their parts and credits from the earlier game. Silent Line introduced new gameplay mechanics, including computer-controlled companions and

1424-469: A stand-alone expansion. It allowed players to import their save files from Armored Core 2 and continue with their existing Armored Core units. The game introduced movement controls using the DualShock analog sticks and cooperative mission mode. The Japanese version of Armored Core 2 was the first title to include online broadband play, allowing players to fight each other over the internet. Armored Core 3

1513-602: A standard vehicle (such as a fighter plane or transport truck) and a fighting mecha robot. This concept of transforming mecha was pioneered by Japanese mecha designer Shōji Kawamori in the early 1980s, when he created the Diaclone toy line in 1980 and then the Macross anime franchise in 1982. In North America, the Macross franchise was adapted into the Robotech franchise in 1985, and then

1602-490: A third-person perspective, the TPS genre is distinguished by having the game presented with the player's avatar as a primary focus of the camera's view. A third-person shooter is a game structured around shooting, and in which the player can see the avatar on-screen in a third-person view . Third-person shooters are distinguished from other shooter games that may present the game from a third-person view such as shoot 'em ups , as

1691-407: A two-player competitive 3D third-person shooter vehicle combat game, Cyber Sled . A year later, Elite Systems Ltd. released Virtuoso on the 3DO . This was an early example of a home console third-person shooter which featured a human protagonist on-foot, as opposed to controlling a vehicle, and made use of polygonal 3D graphics along with sprites in a 3D environment. Fade to Black (1995)

1780-403: A vehicle. However, the third-person perspective can interfere with tasks that require fine aiming. Third-person shooters sometimes compensate for their distinct perspective by designing larger, more spacious environments than first-person shooters. The boundaries between third-person and first-person shooters are not always clear. For example, many third-person shooters allow the player to use

1869-504: Is an abbreviation, first used in Japanese, of 'mechanical'. In Japanese, mecha encompasses all mechanical objects, including cars , guns , computers , and other devices, and 'robot' or 'giant robot' is used to distinguish limbed vehicles from other mechanical devices. Outside of this usage, it has become associated with large humanoid machines with limbs or other biological characteristics. Mecha differ from robots in that they are piloted from

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1958-436: Is another reboot of the series, unrelated to any past games, set in an alternate future where humanity has developed an interstellar civilization. The player character, codenamed "C4-621" is an augmented Armored Core pilot sent to the distant planet Rubicon 3 to fight in a war between corporations, the government and the local inhabitants for the control of a highly valuable resource called "Coral" which exists only there. The game

2047-498: Is often tied in with toy manufacturers. Large franchises such as Gundam , Macross , Transformers , and Zoids have hundreds of different model kits. The size of mecha can vary according to the story and concepts involved. Some of them may not be considerably taller than a tank ( Armored Trooper Votoms , Yatterman , Megazone 23 , Code Geass ), some may be a few stories tall ( Gundam , Escaflowne , Bismark , Gurren Lagann ), others can be titan sized as tall as

2136-488: The Armored Core games have featured multiplayer options in some form. In the original PlayStation era, local split-screen multiplayer modes were the primary method, generally featuring head-to-head battles. A PlayStation Link Cable feature, allowing for the connection of two PlayStation consoles, was included in all three original Armored Core titles. With the PlayStation 2, split-screen and console linking continue to be

2225-521: The Armored Core series produced a similar video game called Daemon X Machina that was released for the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows. Third-person shooter Third-person shooter ( TPS ) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters , but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em up games also employ

2314-527: The Shogun Warriors in the U.S., that were (and still are) very popular with children and collectors. Robot/mecha anime and manga differ vastly in storytelling and animation quality from title to title, and content ranges from children's shows to ones intended for an older teen or adult audience. Some of the first mecha featured in manga and anime were super robots . The super robot genre features superhero -like giant robots that are often one-of-a-kind and

2403-634: The run and gun shooters Hover Attack in 1984 and Thexder in 1985, and Arsys Software 's 3D role-playing shooters WiBArm in 1986 and Star Cruiser in 1988. Historically mecha-based games have been more popular in Japan than in other countries. There are a few real prototypes of mecha-like vehicles. Currently almost all of these are highly specialized or just for concept purpose, and as such may not see mass production . Most of these experimental projects were made and first presented in East Asia. In

2492-474: The "real-time, over-the-shoulder tracking shots of Gus Van Sant 's Elephant evoke third-person shooter games like Max Payne , a close cousin of the FPS". 2D third-person shooters have existed since the earliest days of video games, dating back to Spacewar! (1962); third-person perspective shooting is also featured in its clones , Galaxy Game (1971) and Computer Space (1971). Arcade shooters with

2581-400: The 1948 manga Atomic Power Android ( 原子力人造人間 , Genshiryoku Jinzō Ningen ) and Mitsuteru Yokoyama's 1956 manga Tetsujin 28-go . However, it was not until the advent of Go Nagai 's Mazinger Z that the genre was established. Mazinger Z innovated by adding the inclusion of futuristic weapons, and the concept of being able to pilot from a cockpit (rather than via remote control, in

2670-570: The Arena mechanic introduced in Project Phantasma . Like its predecessor, Master of Arena allowed players to import save files from both the original Armored Core and Project Phantasma to continue their progress. All three games from the original PlayStation era were re-released on the PlayStation Network in 2007 for the tenth anniversary of the original title. The original Armored Core

2759-685: The Diaclone toy line was adapted into the Transformers franchise in 1986. Some of Kawamori's most iconic transforming mecha designs include the VF-1 Valkyrie from the Macross and Robotech franchises, and Optimus Prime (called Convoy in Japan) from the Transformers and Diaclone franchises. In Japan, "robot anime" (known as "mecha anime" outside Japan) is one of the oldest genres in anime. Robot anime

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2848-526: The anime project due to View Works shutting down. The series is one of many set to appear in its own episode of Tim Miller 's anthology series Secret Level (2024). The making of Armored Core solidified FromSoftware's development skills, and in July 1999, they released the multiplayer action game Frame Gride for the Sega Dreamcast . The company's focus would shift from RPGs to mech games due in part to

2937-446: The area surrounding the avatar more clearly. This viewpoint facilitates more interaction between the character and their surrounding environment, such as the use of a tactical system in Gears of War , or navigating tight quarters. As such, the third-person perspective is better for interacting with objects in the game world, such as jumping on platforms, engaging in close combat, or driving

3026-734: The attention of mercenaries. Added into the conflict are the Planetary Closure Administration, an organization tasked with quarantining Rubicon, and the Rubicon Liberation Front, a resistance group who venerate the Coral, wishing to end its exploitation and free the planet. Within the core games of the franchise, the gameplay is generally focused on the player taking the role of a mech -piloting mercenary, taking on missions for various clients and gaining currency from completing them. Missions can involve multiple objectives and pit

3115-596: The avatar is piloting a vehicle, and this combination of first-person for aiming and third-person for driving has since been used in other games. Metroid Prime is another first-person shooter that switches to a third-person perspective when rolling around the environment using the morph ball. Many games in the genre such as the ARMA series and its descendants (including the popular battle-royale shooter PUBG ) allow players to freely transition between first and third-person perspectives at will. Alexander R. Galloway writes that

3204-744: The basis of what people would later call real robot anime. Some robot mecha are capable of transformation ( Macross and Zeta Gundam ) or combining to form even bigger ones ( Beast King GoLion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ), the latter called 'combination'. Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa are often credited with inventing this in 1974 with Getter Robo . Not all mecha need to be completely mechanical. Some have biological components with which to interface with their pilots, and some are partially biological themselves, such as in Neon Genesis Evangelion , Eureka Seven , and Zoids . Mecha based on anime have seen extreme cultural reception across

3293-456: The case of Tetsujin). According to Go Nagai: I wanted to create something different, and I thought it would be interesting to have a robot that you could drive, like a car. Mazinger Z featured giant robots that were "piloted by means of a small flying car and command center that docked inside the head." It was also a pioneer in die-cast metal toys such as the Chogokin series in Japan and

3382-439: The combination of potent weaponry with a more stylish combat technique than a mere vehicle. Often, they are the primary means of combat, with conflicts sometimes being decided through gladiatorial matches . Other works represent mecha as one component of an integrated military force, supported by and fighting alongside tanks , fighter aircraft , and infantry , functioning as a mechanical cavalry. The applications often highlight

3471-501: The conclusion to Armored Core 3 ' s story arc. The game is structured around a 24-hour clock that moves forward as missions progress. At the end of the 24-hour period, choices made by the player can alter the outcome of the plot. The game introduced a component damage system, allowing for individual parts to be broken in combat. Armored Core 4 was released on December 21, 2006, for the PlayStation 3 , serving as another reboot for

3560-458: The cover system as its core game mechanic, along with a blind fire mechanic. Gears of War (2006) employed tactical elements such as taking cover, influenced by Kill Switch , using off-center viewpoints inspired by Resident Evil 4 . The game also employed grittier themes than other titles and used a unique feature which rewarded the player for correctly reloading weapons. Gears of War , as well as games such as Army of Two (2008), place

3649-455: The end of 2003's Silent Line: Armored Core , humanity has fully returned to the surface of Earth. The final two games of this continuity, 2004's Armored Core: Nexus and 2005's Armored Core: Last Raven involve the end of the existing power dynamic of corporations and Ravens fighting over the surface. 2006's Armored Core 4 rebooted the series yet again. Here, corporations have seized control of Earth governments and are waging war across

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3738-503: The first appearances of such machines in modern literature was the tripod (or "fighting-machine", as they are known in the novel) of H. G. Wells ' famous The War of the Worlds (1897). The novel does not contain a fully detailed description of the tripods' mode of locomotion , but it is hinted at: "Can you imagine a milking stool tilted and bowled violently along the ground? That was the impression those instant flashes gave. But instead of

3827-502: The first game to do so being Armored Core 4 . The original trilogy of Armored Core games were developed for the original PlayStation by FromSoftware and established many of the core themes and mechanics that would be found in the rest of the series. The debut title, Armored Core , was released on July 10, 1997, in Japan . Story elements like corporate-funded conflicts, post-apocalyptic settings, and silent protagonists were introduced in

3916-463: The first game. The game's mechanics revolve around taking on missions from various clients for pay, using earned money to customize the player's Armored Core unit. Armored Core: Project Phantasma was released as a stand-alone expansion to the original game, released on December 4, 1997. Project Phantasma introduced an Arena mechanic that would be expanded on in later titles, as well as an import mechanic that would become an important feature through

4005-472: The franchise. An Xbox 360 version, the first instance of a main title in the franchise being released outside of the PlayStation ecosystem, was released on March 22, 2007. Gameplay in Armored Core 4 has been sped up and streamlined from its predecessors in an attempt to make the game more accessible to new players. The game marks the first instance of online multiplayer outside of the Japanese release of Armored Core 2: Another Age . Armored Core: For Answer

4094-399: The franchise. Players were able to import save data from earlier Armored Core games and bring their existing Armored Core units into the expansions. A second stand-alone expansion, Armored Core: Master of Arena , was released on February 4, 1999, and was the final game released for the original PlayStation . It concluded the core arc of the original Armored Core and greatly expanded on

4183-464: The game is presented with the player's avatar as a primary focus of the camera's view. Third-person shooters are analogous to first-person shooters in terms of immersion, but simply displace the camera from being at the eyes of the character to a point slightly above and behind them in most cases. It is a 3D genre that grew to prominence during the 2000s, especially on game consoles . It features shooter game elements, sometimes combining these with

4272-420: The gameplay remained the same, including the mission structure, customization, and Arena modes. The title did overhaul the visuals from the original game, taking advantage of the added power of the new console, but overall designs stayed similar. Unlike Project Phantasma and Master of Arena , players could not import their saves to the new game. Armored Core 2: Another Age was released on April 12, 2001, as

4361-565: The games. An Arena mode introduced in Armored Core: Project Phantasma gave players the opportunity to fight opponents outside of missions for additional rewards. Project Phantasma also introduced the import feature, allowing players to retain their progress from a previous entry when starting a new one. This import feature would become a mainstay of the franchise, with "expansion" titles like Silent Line: Armored Core allowing for importing save data. Since its first release,

4450-474: The genre to include third person shooter influences in a fantasy setting, with fictional or alternative weapons achieving the same effect as a gun for the player. Die Hard Trilogy (1998) by Fox Interactive was met with critical acclaim at the time of its release, and the section of the game based around the first Die Hard film in the trilogy was another early take on a 3D third person shooter. Syphon Filter (1999) by Eidetic (now Bend Studio) combined

4539-539: The genre, such as Oni (2001), Max Payne (2001) and SOCOM (2002). Max Payne (2001) was acclaimed as a superlative third person shooter, inspired by Hong Kong action cinema . Several platform games with third-person shooter elements were also released during that time; examples included Ratchet & Clank and most of the games in the Jak and Daxter series, both of which were designed for younger audiences than most third-person shooters. Resident Evil 4 (2005)

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4628-446: The genre, the player would often be required to stand still to use first-person view, but newer titles allow the player to play like a FPS. These games are closely related to first-person shooters , which also tie the perspective of the player to an avatar, distinguished only in a minor change of position of the player camera . While the first-person perspective allows players to aim and shoot without their avatar blocking their view,

4717-518: The giant robot genre in Japan. The first anime featuring a giant mecha being piloted by the protagonist from within a cockpit was the Super Robot show Mazinger Z , written by Go Nagai and introduced in 1972. Mazinger Z introduced the notion of mecha as pilotable war machines, rather than remote-controlled robots. Ken Ishikawa and Go Nagai, later, introduced the concept of 'combination' ( gattai ( 合体 ) ), where several units slot together to form

4806-440: The increasing reliance on Armored Core pilots called Ravens. Following the events of 1999's Armored Core: Master of Arena , humanity rebuilds and colonizes Mars. Through 2000's Armored Core 2 and its expansion, Another Age , the fledgling Earth government struggles to maintain power as opportunistic corporations exploit the power gap and rebel groups resist against the hegemony of government and business interests. The series

4895-407: The jumping and climbing elements of puzzle-based games and brawlers . Third-person shooter games sometimes incorporate an aim-assist feature to compensate for the difficulty of aiming from a third-person camera. Many include some form of first-person view, which allows precise shooting and looking around at environment features that are otherwise hidden from the default camera. In early examples of

4984-577: The manga/anime franchise Patlabor and the American wargame BattleTech universe , also encompass mecha used for civilian purposes, such as heavy construction work, police functions, or firefighting . Mecha also have roles as transporters, recreation, advanced hazmat suits , and other research and development applications. Mecha have been used in fantasy settings, for example in the anime series Aura Battler Dunbine , The Vision of Escaflowne , Panzer World Galient , and Maze . In those cases,

5073-411: The mecha designs are usually based on some alternative or "lost" science-fiction technology from ancient times. In case of anime series Zoids , the machines resemble dinosaurs and animals, and have been shown to evolve from native metallic organisms. A chicken walker is a fictional type of bipedal robot or mecha, distinguished by its rear-facing knee joint . This type of articulation resembles

5162-446: The parts which compose it. Many of the franchise's games feature a branching storyline where taking on certain missions can block off others, with consequences of a player's decision in mission being relayed to them at the end of a mission. Certain games require multiple playthroughs to access additional contents, such as missions inaccessible during initial playthrough, and even different endings that adds additional lore and context to

5251-458: The perspective of Tomb Raider with action elements of games such as GoldenEye 007 (1997) and Metal Gear Solid (1998). Richard Rouse III wrote in Game Developer that the game was the most popular third person shooter for the PlayStation . The Nintendo 64 version of Army Men: Sarge's Heroes by The 3DO Company was released the same year as Syphon Filter, and is an early example of

5340-474: The planet Rubicon 3. Decades prior to the game's start, a powerful resource called Coral was discovered, leading to significant technological advancements, but a disaster called the Fires of Ibis scorched the entire Rubicon system and left it highly contaminated. However, the Coral, thought to have all burned, has begun to reappear, bringing multiple corporations into conflict for control of it which, in turn, has brought

5429-726: The player against computer controlled opponents, some of which pilot mechs as well. Upon completion of a mission, the operating costs of the mech, such as repairs and ammunition, are deducted from the total earnings of the player, as well as compensation for destroying valuable objects within the mission area. Likewise, if the player loses a mission, those same deductions occur from the player's direct balance. The game's mechs, called Armored Cores (or ACs for short), are highly customizable with hundreds of parts and weapons that can be purchased from an in-game shop or by fulfilling certain requirements. Different parts can provide gameplay advantages in certain terrains or against certain enemies, which forces

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5518-411: The player fights other Armored Core pilots in head-to-head battles, which can reward the player with further income or prestige. Several story continuities exist, spread across 13 main games, seven spin-offs, and three remastered re-releases, with different releases divided by a different set of "generations" of sequels that starts with every numbered entry. The first game in the series, Armored Core ,

5607-468: The player to put thought into how to approach the construction of their mech as each sortie often has different obstacles and hazards to overcome. The customization of Armored Cores is strictly limited by multiple factors such as the maximum weight load of their leg parts, or the energy output of their generators supplying power to all equipped parts of the AC. As such, an Armored Core's performance varies depending on

5696-496: The player trudges through indoor enemy bases. Konami's Devastators (1988) is a third-person shooter where, rather than moving forward automatically, the player walks forward by holding the Up direction, as the background slowly scales toward the screen. Devastators also featured various obstacles that could be used to take cover from enemy fire, as well as two-player cooperative gameplay . A similar shooter released that same year

5785-459: The popularity of this genre". Other commentators have considered it influential on later third person shooters such as BloodRayne (2002), The Contra Adventure (1998), MDK (1997), Duke Nukem: Time To Kill (1998), Burning Rangers (1998), and Heavy Metal: F.A.K.K. 2 (2000). The game eschewed the popular first person perspective of games such as Doom , instead making use of "third person" viewpoints, wide 3D environments and

5874-612: The primary source of multiplayer. 2004's Armored Core: Nexus introduced the LAN multiplayer mode, in addition to connecting through their internet service and allowed up to 4 players to fight in matches together. Online multiplayer was first introduced in the Japanese release of Armored Core 2: Another Age , but was removed in other regions due to the PlayStation Network Adapter not being ready in time. No PlayStation 2-era game after this release would include online play either, with

5963-421: The product of an ancient civilization, aliens or a mad genius . These robots are usually piloted by Japanese teenagers via voice command or neural uplink , and are often powered by mystical or exotic energy sources. The later real robot genre features robots that do not have mythical superpowers, but rather use largely conventional, albeit futuristic weapons and power sources, and are often mass-produced on

6052-403: The protagonist appeared in the manga Atomic Power Android ( 原子力人造人間 , Genshi Ryoku Jinzō Ningen ) in 1948. The manga and anime Tetsujin 28-Go , introduced in 1956, featured a robot, Tetsujin, that was controlled externally by an operator by remote control. The manga and anime Astro Boy , introduced in 1952, with its humanoid robot protagonist, was a key influence on the development of

6141-451: The success of the Armored Core series. In 2002, FromSoftware released the mech action game Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit for the Xbox . In 2004, they released another Xbox title, Metal Wolf Chaos . In 2005, FromSoftware would start to produce a series of licensed games based on the various anime properties under the banner Another Century's Episode . Kenichiro Tsukuda, the producer of

6230-652: The supplement A Gazetinha from the newspaper A Gazeta ; Kimball Kinnison's battle suit in E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman novel Galactic Patrol (1950); the French animated film The King and the Mockingbird (first released 1952), and Robert Heinlein 's waldo in his 1942 short story, " Waldo " and the Mobile Infantry battle suits in Heinlein's Starship Troopers (1958). A transforming mech can transform between

6319-429: The surface for dominance. A war waged over the course of the game pollutes the environment, leading to the creation of floating cities in 2008's Armored Core: For Answer . Depending on the player's choices, humanity either barely survives the fallout of For Answer's conflict or is completely eradicated. The third continuity of the series continued with 2012's Armored Core V . A single corporation has dominance over

6408-558: The theoretical usefulness of such a device, combining a tank's resilience and firepower with infantry's ability to cross unstable terrain and a high degree of customization. In some continuities, special scenarios are constructed to make mecha more viable than current-day status. For example, in Gundam the fictional Minovsky particle inhibits the use of radar, making long-range ballistic strikes impractical, thus favouring relatively close-range warfare of Mobile Suits. However, some stories, such as

6497-436: The third-person shooter shows the protagonist from an " over the shoulder shot " or "behind the back" perspective. Thus, the third-person perspective allows the game designer to create a more strongly characterized avatar and directs the player's attention as in watching a film. In contrast, a first-person perspective provides the player with greater immersion into the game universe. Third-person shooters allow players to see

6586-631: The world. The personification of this popularity can be seen as 1:1-sized Mazinger Z , Tetsujin, and Gundam statues built across the world. Mecha are often featured in computer and console video games . Because of their size and fictional power, mecha are quite popular subjects for games, both tabletop and electronic. They have been featured in video games since the 1980s, particularly in vehicular combat and shooter games , including Sesame Japan's side-scrolling shooter game Vastar in 1983, various Gundam games such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Last Shooting in 1984 and Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble in 1986,

6675-513: Was Cabal (1988), which inspired many of its own " Cabal clones," such as NAM-1975 (1990) and Wild Guns (1994). Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 cites Sega's Last Survivor (1988), released for arcades and then ported to the FM Towns and FM Towns Marty , featuring eight-player deathmatch. He notes that it has a perspective and split-screen similar to Xybots , but with entirely different gameplay and controls. In 1993, Namco released

6764-481: Was also a fully 3D third-person shooter released around this time, but as well as featuring an on-foot protagonist rather than a vehicle, utilised entirely polygonal 3D graphics. Tomb Raider (1996) by Eidos Interactive (now Square Enix Europe ) is claimed by some commentators as a third-person shooter, and Jonathan S. Harbour of the University of Advancing Technology argues that it's "largely responsible for

6853-473: Was also released on the Japanese PlayStation Classic in 2018. With the transition to the PlayStation 2 , FromSoftware released Armored Core 2 as a launch title in Japan on August 3, 2000. As a narrative sequel to the original trilogy, Armored Core 2 transitioned the series away from the post-apocalyptic setting and added more science fiction elements, such as Mars colonization. Much of

6942-470: Was in development around 2005, but the title was never released. Armored Core: Tower City Blade is a manga by Fujimi Shobo based on the game. It was serialized in Dragon Age Pure between March 14 and April 14, 2007. A project called Armored Core: Fort Tower Song was to consist of a book and an anime also released in 2007. The book was completed but the anime was not. By 2011 FromSoftware canceled

7031-437: Was influential in helping to redefine the third-person shooter genre, with its use of "over the shoulder" offset camera angles, where the camera is placed directly over the right shoulder and therefore doesn't obscure the action. An important gameplay mechanic that helped revolutionize third-person shooters in the past decade was the cover system . Koei 's WinBack (1999) has a cover system. Kill Switch (2003) features

7120-410: Was made much more influential, especially with the introduction of booster heat. All part stats were also totally redistributed. The game was the first in the franchise to include support for dual analog sticks. It also introduced a new LAN multiplayer mode that allowed up to 4 players to participate in matches against each other. Armored Core: Last Raven was released on August 4, 2005, and served as

7209-1349: Was praised for its refined gameplay. In 2015, Nintendo published multiplayer third-person shooter game Splatoon for the Wii U , which was followed by two sequels for Nintendo Switch in 2017 and 2022 respectively, with Splatoon 2 being one of the console's highest selling games and Splatoon 3 becoming one of the fastest selling Switch games. In the late 2010s, the third-person shooter battle royale game Fortnite Battle Royale saw huge popularity. The survival horror games Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis were remade in 2019 and 2020 respectively, featuring third-person shooter gameplay similar to Resident Evil 4 . Mecha Fictional mecha vary greatly in size and shape, but are distinguished from vehicles by their humanoid or biomorphic appearance, although they are bigger, often much bigger, than human beings. Different subgenres exist, with varying connotations of realism. The concept of Super Robot and Real Robot are two such examples found in Japanese anime and manga . Real-world piloted humanoid or non-humanoid robotic platforms , existing or planned, may also be called "mecha". In Japanese, "mecha" may refer to mobile machinery or vehicles (including aircraft) in general, piloted or otherwise . 'Mecha'

7298-410: Was rebooted with 2002's Armored Core 3 , beginning a new story arc that concluded with Armored Core: Last Raven in 2005. Following a global nuclear war, humanity has retreated underground. Following centuries of rule by an artificial intelligence called The Controller, its decay leads to the destruction of much of humanity's underground network, causing them to look toward the surface for safety. By

7387-497: Was released in 1997, while the most recent, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon , was released in 2023. The series has been released on various PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as Windows and mobile phones . In the original continuity established by 1997's Armored Core through 2001's Armored Core 2: Another Age , Earth experienced a cataclysm known as the "Great Destruction" and humanity has been forced underground. Corporations begin fighting for dominance, leading to

7476-604: Was released on PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X/S on August 25, 2023. In 2004, FromSoftware released two spin-offs from the main Armored Core series. The first, Armored Core: Nine Breaker was released on October 28, for the PlayStation 2. Removing the focus from story-based missions, the game is instead built around an Arena mode where the player must compete with computer-controlled opponents to increase their rank. Minigames designed as training exercises were included to allow players to practice specific skills. Armored Core: Formula Front

7565-425: Was released on April 4, 2002, and served as a reboot for the franchise. The story returned to a post-apocalyptic setting and retained the core concept of corporate warfare and mercenary mission structure. Very little gameplay was changed from the earlier PlayStation 2 titles, instead focusing on incremental improvements and minor features like USB mice, computer-controlled allies, and surround sound. Due to its nature as

7654-604: Was released on December 12, for the PlayStation Portable . Like Nine Breaker , its focus was on Arena-style gameplay, though a new mechanic put a focus on building an artificial intelligence strategy for the Armored Core units to execute. Formula Front was later released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. Several mobile games were released in the Armored Core franchise from 2004 to 2008, but they were never released outside of Japan. An American version of these mobile games

7743-489: Was released on January 26, 2012, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and acts as indirect sequel to Armored Core 4 and Armored Core: For Answer . The game focuses on the online multiplayer component and includes far fewer offline story missions than its predecessors. In the game's online mode, players battle for territory in teams of up to 20 players. A co-operative mode is included for players to fight NPCs alongside other players for various rewards. Armored Core: Verdict Day

7832-410: Was released on March 19, 2008, as a standalone expansion to Armored Core 4 . It incorporates an online co-operative mode and a branching storyline. The game was noted for its technical problems on the PlayStation 3 version. Like Nexus , this game did not simply add content to its predecessor and changed gameplay by greatly increasing booster speeds and increasing generator performance. Armored Core V

7921-467: Was released on September 24, 2013, as a standalone expansion to Armored Core V . The game retains its predecessor's multiplayer focus, though it allows players to create teams of AI companions instead of requiring teams composed entirely of players. A full-length story mode returns alongside a newly implemented "hardcore mode", and players can import their saved games from Armored Core V to retain their personalized mechs. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

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