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[Sentenza]

"From the creators of Elden Ring...".

There, mystery solved.
Developer that hits mainstream with a massively successful release receives a sudden surge of attention even on their previously-overlooked IPs.

And please note how despise of this the game is performing decidedly below most of their past output in their other popular series.

 

[skit_data]

I mean isn't it obvious?
It's because of the massively influential, genre defining and critically acclaimed Déraciné.

 

[Fart Knight]

Gravity Rush gettin axed still hurts huh

 

[nightmare-slain]

Souls and the likes of bloodborne/sekiro and elden ring have lifted them to a new level and they are seen as a high quality mainstream studio. So it makes sense people are giving Armored Core a try. The last time an AC game came out DS2 hadn't even been released yet and AC5 came out only a few months after Dark Souls.

I had never even heard of AC until 2015 when I got into Bloodborne and Dark Souls. Over the last 8 years I never bothered to try any of them. I can't even say I was a fan of mechs. But for me From Software can put out any game and it's an instant day 1 purchase. With each game I played I originally wasn't interested in it and ignored it only to final play it and get hooked on it. Didn't like the look of Dark Souls, ignored all Bloodborne marketing because it was "Like dark souls", wasn't interested in the japanese setting for Sekiro or the norse setting for Elden Ring. I know it makes me seem ignorant and close minded and I will admit I was!

So basically at this point I will ignore whatever I think and trust that From Software will prove me wrong. I don't do that with many studios... in fact From Software is probably the only one. It goes to show the quality of games they make and they haven't let me down so far. I'm still early on in AC6 but I'm having so much fun with it.

 

[Hypereides]

This should tell you two things:
a) Game scores are a popularity contest. If some game developer isn't some media or community darling, don't count on their game being received favorably or being assessed fairly.
b) Game reviewers and game journos alike are incapable of actually assessing what's good and what isn't.

Its happened on multiple occasions. Early Yakuza game entries weren't on the "high end" of the score scale either for example.

 

[Naked Lunch]

shut up nerd

Quality post.
Keep up the good work.

 

[RoboFu]

Also op, AC was big in Japan on the ps1. That’s where it gain notoriety.

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

Also I never played Armored Core games before, but looking at videos it seems to me like the technology wasn't ready to do the concept justice before. Those games seem barren and difficult to track. Zone of Enders captured the anime mecha combat feeling way better and it was way more popular. Now AC6 is looking (and playing) a lot more like ZoE and it's being received well. I'm not surprised.

No, Armored Core doesn't aim to capture the anime mech vibe. It's always presented a grittier and more realistic approach to mechs, and some might even say the earlier games had better controls.

On the other hand, ZOE's gameplay was entirely focused on delivering the sensation and style of piloting a Gundam.

If ZOE is like Gundam, then Armored Core is like Patlabor.

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Changed the title of my thread

The Armored Core anomaly


I am very pleased that Fires of Rubicon is receiving positive reviews and my copy of the video game will arrive in a few days... (Because Amazon Mexico sold out of copies).



What I do not understand is why until the sixth installment, the series is receiving attention? It caught my attention in the PS3 era, but it was more like a Niche game...

Nobody or very few people gave Dragon Dogma a chance... but now there is a huge hype on its sequel, and the video game press is bowing down... WTF? If they didn't listen before...

This is how the same thing happened with Nier, which nobody paid attention to until Automata arrived... or with Dragon Dogma, which I bought its copy in the first months of its launch.

Is it the people who barely realize the potential of the series or the hypocrisy of the video game press that for its convenience advertises a video game?

It's simple really : Everyone and their grandmas love FROM games nowadays due to the outstanding success of the Demon's/Dark souls games...

Talking about Demon's souls that started this whole modern FROM craze/renaissance:
Remember Yoshida saying that he found it "unbelievably bad" when he 1st tried it ? Well,
the game came at a time where people were fed up by the infinite, hand-holding, auto-pilot AAA games - that, and good word of mouth, plus, the "expert" vidjya gaem journalists/ press suddenly decided that it was the "cool" thing to hype back in the day.
It was a perfect storm really for them (FROM), the rest is now history...

Having said that, it's a double edged sword : Even if FROM decided to release a game titled " Dark's Ancient brown turd quest" nowadays it'd still be a success, there's definitely a big circle-jerk community around their games nowadays where they absolutely can do no wrong with the usual "herp derp git gud" shite which has reached meme level status something which, unfortunately, is absolutely not good since it makes it impossible as to have any actual constructive criticism about their work.
I'll always side with the underdogs, thing is, FROM has left underdog status 14 years ago, for the money they're making nowadays after the success of the Souls games and especially Elden Ring, the fact that their games are always lacking in the technical department is something that I personally find to be inexcusable, no game nor developer should be above criticism...
I'll always be a fan of them but not a fanboy.

The fact that AC6 is finally getting the recognition it deserves is only a positive since I always wanted a proper, AAA AC game (i.e : with "proper"production values).

TLDNR : AC6 is getting commercial recognition is due to the fact that FROM is a powerhouse nowadays due to the success of the souls series.

 

[ungalo]

Video game press is a bunch of followers, they're not making trends. Not that they can't try to influence people and succeed in some way but most of the times they're chasing after the public and saying what we want to hear (or what they think people not very intelligent want to hear, which can backfire sometimes). That's why they overrate games all the time.

 

[MagnesD3]

I get the love for them; not sure I would call them the best developer. Maybe the hottest developer or the current darling of the industry, for how long who knows. But I do respect them for using their newfound adoration and cash to take risks. Armor Core 6 is a risk, it's another difficult game hidden behind a pretty package. Excellent production values and no expense spared. Dark souls put them on the map, Eldin Ring put them in the stratosphere., Armored Core 6 will keep them there. They have been on one hell of a roll. I really hope AC makes them enough bank.

Who is the best developer then? Nintendo has been at times but currently they arent popping consistent 9.5s.

 

[ADiTAR]

Who is the best developer then? Nintendo has been at times but currently they arent popping consistent 9.5s.

Yeah, but Nintendo do have a wider variety of gameplay experiences. I think what's nice about AC6 is that it gives the From Software fanbase something different to try.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

It’s funny how people are all “duuuuuhhh OP, why do you think this is the case?!?!” like it happens every time a studio makes successful games.
I don’t remember Harmo Knight making a buzz even if it’s from the developers of the top-grossing IP in the world. Nor Sega’s other IPs getting rediscovered after Sonic’s success and getting the same kind of interest. I mean, imagine the internet hyping Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games because it has Mario in it. You know, the one from Mario Kart 8! The game that redefined pie charts!

In the case of AC6, it’s the gaming press and the FS fanboys that generated the hype after ER‘s success. Like anything FS shits out is now automatically a guaranteed 11/10 because it’s from the ER studio.
Why? You can see it in the replys here. Between people who genuinely think ER is the best game ever and the FS hipsters who were enjoying FS’s jank before it was cool, some people have been led to think it’s only natural that a previously unnoticed and underperforming IP should now enjoy the spotlight because its bigger brother made it really big.

 

[kurisu_1974]

Changed the title of my thread

The Armored Core anomaly


I am very pleased that Fires of Rubicon is receiving positive reviews and my copy of the video game will arrive in a few days... (Because Amazon Mexico sold out of copies).



What I do not understand is why until the sixth installment, the series is receiving attention? It caught my attention in the PS3 era, but it was more like a Niche game...

Nobody or very few people gave Dragon Dogma a chance... but now there is a huge hype on its sequel, and the video game press is bowing down... WTF? If they didn't listen before...

This is how the same thing happened with Nier, which nobody paid attention to until Automata arrived... or with Dragon Dogma, which I bought its copy in the first months of its launch.

Is it the people who barely realize the potential of the series or the hypocrisy of the video game press that for its convenience advertises a video game?

I remember importing the US version of Demon's Souls since it was too niche to be published here in Europe. I think the first Nier on PS3 was also an import.

 

[Yoshichan]

It's simple really : Everyone and their grandmas love FROM games nowadays due to the outstanding success of the Demon's/Dark souls games...

Talking about Demon's souls that started this whole modern FROM craze/renaissance:
Remember Yoshida saying that he found it "unbelievably bad" when he 1st tried it ? Well,
the game came at a time where people were fed up by the infinite, hand-holding, auto-pilot AAA games - that, and good word of mouth, plus, the "expert" vidjya gaem journalists/ press suddenly decided that it was the "cool" thing to hype back in the day.
It was a perfect storm really for them (FROM), the rest is now history...

Having said that, it's a double edged sword : Even if FROM decided to release a game titled " Dark's Ancient brown turd quest" nowadays it'd still be a success, there's definitely a big circle-jerk community around their games nowadays where they absolutely can do no wrong with the usual "herp derp git gud" shite which has reached meme level status something which, unfortunately, is absolutely not good since it makes it impossible as to have any actual constructive criticism about their work.
I'll always side with the underdogs, thing is, FROM has left underdog status 14 years ago, for the money they're making nowadays after the success of the Souls games and especially Elden Ring, the fact that their games are always lacking in the technical department is something that I personally find to be inexcusable, no game nor developer should be above criticism...
I'll always be a fan of them but not a fanboy.

The fact that AC6 is finally getting the recognition it deserves is only a positive since I always wanted a proper, AAA AC game (i.e : with "proper"production values).

TLDNR : AC6 is getting commercial recognition is due to the fact that FROM is a powerhouse nowadays due to the success of the souls series.

I have never in my life read a post and been like "yep. yep. yep. yep. yep. yep." for each and every sentence.

I kept reading and I kept agreeing. Are you literally me or wtf is going on? Going forward I'll always be using "I'll always be a fan of them but not a fanboy" since it truly fits my narrative.

 

[SenkiDala]

Changed the title of my thread

The Armored Core anomaly


I am very pleased that Fires of Rubicon is receiving positive reviews and my copy of the video game will arrive in a few days... (Because Amazon Mexico sold out of copies).



What I do not understand is why until the sixth installment, the series is receiving attention? It caught my attention in the PS3 era, but it was more like a Niche game...

Nobody or very few people gave Dragon Dogma a chance... but now there is a huge hype on its sequel, and the video game press is bowing down... WTF? If they didn't listen before...

This is how the same thing happened with Nier, which nobody paid attention to until Automata arrived... or with Dragon Dogma, which I bought its copy in the first months of its launch.

Is it the people who barely realize the potential of the series or the hypocrisy of the video game press that for its convenience advertises a video game?

Well, it happens to quite a few "niche" games. The first episode releases in indifference, then it gets praised by the players and earns the statut of "hidden gem", so the 2nd next installment of the series gets attention. It happened with the NieR series, the Souls series (Demon's Souls was niche and from Dark Souls it became very anticipated), as you said also Dragon's Dogma... I'd say ICO too, those games became popular from Shadow of the Colossus.

And yes as you said it also shows the emptiness, the absence of meaning that the "game press" has. Let's be honest my friends, 99% of us, know a lot more about video games than 99% of them. We don't need them, they're useless. Just show us the trailers of games, some gameplay videos (if you're able to play them, which isn't granted as we could see many times), and just shut up.

 

[ParaSeoul]

Because souls became mainstream. Really that's all it is. Elden ring being overhyped also helped.

 

[Jack Package]

I am pretty sure that there's at least one person who was a die-hard AC fan and then went on to try Dark Souls or Demon's Souls because it's "made by the dudes who made these rad AC games".

That was me. Made me import Demon's Souls from the US many years ago.

I was delighted!

 

[killatopak]

I like to think it's because I keep buying mech games indiscriminately that FROM noticed me and said wouldn't it be nice if we make an AC game for that cool guy over there.

 

[MagnesD3]

It’s funny how people are all “duuuuuhhh OP, why do you think this is the case?!?!” like it happens every time a studio makes successful games.
I don’t remember Harmo Knight making a buzz even if it’s from the developers of the top-grossing IP in the world. Nor Sega’s other IPs getting rediscovered after Sonic’s success and getting the same kind of interest. I mean, imagine the internet hyping Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games because it has Mario in it. You know, the one from Mario Kart 8! The game that redefined pie charts!

In the case of AC6, it’s the gaming press and the FS fanboys that generated the hype after ER‘s success. Like anything FS shits out is now automatically a guaranteed 11/10 because it’s from the ER studio.
Why? You can see it in the replys here. Between people who genuinely think ER is the best game ever and the FS hipsters who were enjoying FS’s jank before it was cool, some people have been led to think it’s only natural that a previously unnoticed and underperforming IP should now enjoy the spotlight because its bigger brother made it really big.

Sega has never been that consistent of a game developer quality wise and Nintendo while they have made some of the best games ever also rarely develop consistent 9.5 bangers (unless its early in thier consoles life cycle lol). From has been delivering consistent high quality release titles since Dark Souls 2 in 2014.

 

[Kiya's Guard]

Because mecha games have always been niche, and fromsoft hasn't been actually popular until dark souls 3

 

[Tg89]

Because the company that made it has basically been the best and most consistent dev of the last decade+?

 

[Kabelly]

Because I started with FromSoftware with Bloodboorne and have loved their type of gameplay since. I loved Sekiro so having a new game completely devoid of Souls DNA was exciting for me. I like Elden Ring but it still feels like more of the same in the grand scheme of things. The new Amored Core has really tight gameplay and I'm very excited to get really into it.

You mention Nier: Automata. Well they also had a really good E3 showing which hyped of the game. The boss they showed looked really cool and the combat looked fun. Too bad it ended up being the best boss in the game.

 

[royox]

What I do not understand is why until the sixth installment, the series is receiving attention? It caught my attention in the PS3 era, but it was more like a Niche game...

ACVI is my first AC ever, therefore I will answer.

Because FromSoft got my pure trust after Dark Souls (1-3). Bloodborne literally blew my mind, Sekiro scratched an itch I didn't even knew I had and Elden Ring was awesome. Then when I heard they were doing again their long time forgotten Mech games I didn't even blink and preordered. And I'm playing, and I'm in CH3, and omg it's awesome. So if they announce any new game, I will be there for the preorder, until they release a game that I don't like and then I will stop preordering their games (more or less what I did with Bioware after Anthem).

 

[March Climber]

It’s funny how people are all “duuuuuhhh OP, why do you think this is the case?!?!” like it happens every time a studio makes successful games.
I don’t remember Harmo Knight making a buzz even if it’s from the developers of the top-grossing IP in the world. Nor Sega’s other IPs getting rediscovered after Sonic’s success and getting the same kind of interest. I mean, imagine the internet hyping Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games because it has Mario in it. You know, the one from Mario Kart 8! The game that redefined pie charts!

In the case of AC6, it’s the gaming press and the FS fanboys that generated the hype after ER‘s success. Like anything FS shits out is now automatically a guaranteed 11/10 because it’s from the ER studio.
Why? You can see it in the replys here. Between people who genuinely think ER is the best game ever and the FS hipsters who were enjoying FS’s jank before it was cool, some people have been led to think it’s only natural that a previously unnoticed and underperforming IP should now enjoy the spotlight because its bigger brother made it really big.

It’s because it’s not solely about what you’re stating. The other part of this secret sauce you and others here are forgetting is the most obvious: recognition and fame. A dev studio(and especially your director) turning into rockstars is the other half of this secret.

Kojima figured this out early. His name and his studio grabs attention. He puts his name as the first thing you see when starting a game and I bet it’s probably because he saw legendary movie directors do the same thing. Thus, when he left Konami, him and his team were seen as very valuable and had multiple offers in waiting.

Meanwhile, no one really asks which Capcom team developed Resident Evil 4 Remake. I bet half the people here don’t even know who the director is. So if that team were booted from Capcom, they would start from square 1. Capcom will still be revered as Capcom though.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

It’s because it’s not solely about what you’re stating. The other part of this secret sauce you and others here are forgetting is the most obvious: recognition and fame. A dev studio(and especially your director) turning into rockstars is the other half of this secret.

Kojima figured this out early. His name and his studio grabs attention. He puts his name as the first thing you see when starting a game and I bet it’s probably because he saw legendary movie directors do the same thing. Thus, when he left Konami, him and his team were seen as very valuable and had multiple offers in waiting.

Meanwhile, no one really asks which Capcom team developed Resident Evil 4 Remake. I bet half the people here don’t even know who the director is. So if that team were booted from Capcom, they would start from square 1. Capcom will still be revered as Capcom though.

I’m not really forgetting this.

My point is, nobody hyped Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection as the next big thing from Capcom. Nobody hypes Kirby as the next big thing from Nintendo. And sure as hell the press wouldn’t hype a new Kid Icarus like they hyped AC6 if Nintendo announced it tomorrow, even if KI’s previous recognition in Nintendo’s portfolio is about on par with Armored Core’s for FS.

As for Kojima, imagine a new Boktai getting the same attention as AC6. I’ll concede that a new game in the Policenauts universe may garner that kind of interest, what with the cult following the previous games have and the IP being dormant for so long. But Kojima’s shtick is smoke and mirrors before release, plus Hollywood actors and insane production values, so it’s understandable why his games get hyped to hell and back. The guy is a master of publicity stunts.

But Armored Core is really not a product with the same pedigree. The only reason it’s been hyped this much is because FS won GOTY last year and they have no Soulskiroborne round the corner. This is no new IP, this is no past smashing hit getting back from the grave. I repeat, imagine a new Kirby getting this kind of hype, even if the series is very consistent in quality; no, fucking Sonic gets more hype every time even if it can only dream it’s as consistently good as Kirby.

So what’s the reason AC6 was hyped like that? On one hand, FS fanboy raving. On the other, the press desperate to keep talking about FS while waiting for ER’s DLC, because anything FS gets clicks now. Like rockstars, indeed. If we had any concrete news about ER’s DLC or the next Souls game, nobody would have given AC a passing mention. The hype isn’t inexplicable, it’s just completely fabricated.

 

[March Climber]

I’m not really forgetting this.

My point is, nobody hyped Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection as the next big thing from Capcom. Nobody hypes Kirby as the next big thing from Nintendo. And sure as hell the press wouldn’t hype a new Kid Icarus like they hyped AC6 if Nintendo announced it tomorrow, even if KI’s previous recognition in Nintendo’s portfolio is about on par with Armored Core’s for FS.

As for Kojima, imagine a new Boktai getting the same attention as AC6. I’ll concede that a new game in the Policenauts universe may garner that kind of interest, what with the cult following the previous games have and the IP being dormant for so long. But Kojima’s shtick is smoke and mirrors before release, plus Hollywood actors and insane production values, so it’s understandable why his games get hyped to hell and back. The guy is a master of publicity stunts.

But Armored Core is really not a product with the same pedigree. The only reason it’s been hyped this much is because FS won GOTY last year and they have no Soulskiroborne round the corner. This is no new IP, this is no past smashing hit getting back from the grave. I repeat, imagine a new Kirby getting this kind of hype, even if the series is very consistent in quality; no, fucking Sonic gets more hype every time even if it can only dream it’s as consistently good as Kirby.

So what’s the reason AC6 was hyped like that? On one hand, FS fanboy raving. On the other, the press desperate to keep talking about FS while waiting for ER’s DLC, because anything FS gets clicks now. Like rockstars, indeed. If we had any concrete news about ER’s DLC or the next Souls game, nobody would have given AC a passing mention. The hype isn’t inexplicable, it’s just completely fabricated.

You’re trying to slot Kojima into this separate category by bringing his usage of celebrity and thus discounting the ‘rockstar developer’ aspect, but it doesn’t quite work. Boktai 1 DID have a strangely large following when it shouldn’t have as a smaller game. Consider that Kojima was given a standing ovation at an awards show for simply leaving a company.

However to humor you, I’ll just add two more examples: If Gabe Newell announced tomorrow that he was working on a new video game and he’d show it next week, people would hype it and tune in guaranteed. If Sakurai (Smash Bros) said that he was going to show a new game, people would hype it and tune in guaranteed. They don’t need celebrities in their games. You could argue Sakurai, but I’d argue he has garnered his own celebrity with his numerous amount of quirky and fun dev videos combined with his games being mega hits every time. I remember people staying up until midnight in multiple countries just to tune in to “Smash Time!” and click on a website to see one new morsel of an update for Smash.

The entire company of Blizzard used to be treated like celebrities. Didn’t matter what they released, it was like they had the Midas touch, and people would wait years for the smallest of games to release simply because there was no beating Blizzard’s quality. I’d argue they still kind of are treated with reverence, but they clearly need to turn the ship around a bit before it crashes with too much bad word of mouth.

I know it seems weird, but there are dev leads and dev teams that can sometimes break through that wall and become something very close to a household name, without needing or using other celebrities. I can keep finding names and teams people pay attention to as well: Shinji Mikami, Hideki Kamiya, iD Software, Bungie…(the list goes on).

As a matter of fact, Bungie is about to resurrect an old I.P. Let’s see how popular it turns out to be for them.

 

[A.Romero]

I also think FROM gained more notoriety but the general public is not so sensitive to that. What did change is the marketing budget.

Also we have way less big game releases than before.

 

[John Bilbo]

I hope they re-release the old AC games.