Armored Core: Formula Front

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Armored Core: Formula Front
Developer(s)	From Software
Publisher(s)	Agetec
Platform(s)	PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
Release date(s)	JP December 12, 2004 NA December 15, 2005 EU March 3, 2006
Genre(s)	Action, Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: B ESRB: Teen PEGI: 12+

Armored Core: Formula Front is a mecha video game in the Armored Core series.

Storyline

As the newly hired architect for a team that has just made it into Formula Front's Bottom League, the player has been tasked with assembling and preparing the team's ACs for battle against those fielded by other Bottom League qualified participants. The decision as to how the ACs should be operated in their upcoming matches, manually or AI-controlled, is left for the player to determine. Both methods offer their own unique challenges.

Background

Formula Front is the worldwide phenomenon in which unmanned, AI-controlled ACs [u-ACs] are pitted against one another in fiercely contested arena battles. These events are so popular that they have attracted over one billion spectators since being introduced.

Although only twenty-five years old, Formula Front arena warfare is now the world's most popular form of entertainment. The excitement derived from watching two hulking masses of metal shred each other to pieces has proven irresistibly alluring.

At the heart of Formula Front's success are the architects. These are the individuals responsible for assembling and programming the u-ACs entered into league matches, and it is through their innovative spirit that the "unlimited possibilities" inherent in Formula Front have been showcased to the world. As long as they continue to deliver the thrills fans clamor for, Formula Front's popularity is sure to endure.

Gameplay

The player assumes the role of an "Architect". An Architect is a person who builds, programs and battles with a modified Armored Core known as a "u/AC" or an Unmanned Armored Core. u/ACs are AI controlled Armored Cores which compete exclusively in battling tournaments. u/ACs battle independent of the Architect's control, so the Architect must influence how the u/AC fights by customizing various part combinations and loading various program functions into the u/AC's AI. The North American version of the PSP game has since been modified to allow players the option of actually piloting their u/AC in battle instead of letting the AI fight for you. In the game, this is called a "N-u/AC" ("N" standing for Naked) and is supposedly notoriously hard to control. Formula Front is the first Armored Core game to be released on multiple platforms, originally on the PlayStation Portable and later on the PlayStation 2. In Japan it was released simply as Armored Core: Formula Front. In America the game was modified and released as Armored Core: Formula Front Extreme Battle, however the PlayStation 2 version was not released in North America. The American version of the game was then re-released in Japan entitled Armored Core: Formula Front International; this re-released Armored Core: Formula Front International edition is considered to be the ultimate edition as it also contains a large amount of additional battles not found in the American version of the game, and includes both Japanese and English text options (except for the tutorial videos which are only in Japanese).^{[citation needed]}

Customization

Armored Core: Formula Front also allows a player to build their own robot using 480 different parts. These part come in several categories. These categories are head, core, arms, legs, generator, fire control system, booster, radiator, extension, inside, right arm weapon, left arm weapon, back left weapon, back right weapon, right hangar unit, left hangar unit, and optionial parts. Several different part types can also be available. For instance, there are three types of cores (OB, EO, and Standard). Other types of customization include paint, AI tune, Parts Tune, Repository, Sortie Order, Name Entry, Sample Emblem, and Edit Emblem.

Teams

There are several teams with which the player must compete with to reach the top of Formula Front. Some of these teams may contact you in your DAC. Many of them will request rematches. A few notable teams in the game are B.T. Wyvern, Ogre, AR tour team, Neonia, V.R. Expert, Peace Security, and Testarossa Artigiana.

External links

• Official Website (Japanese)