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Armored Core: Last Raven Portable Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Armored Core: Last Raven Portable Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Mecha-Madness!

Next to the Gundam franchise, the Armored Core series is probably the best known “mecha”-type game. Fans the world over have delighted for almost a decade in blowing things up and creating their ultimate mecha with this series. Five years ago, the last of the so-called “hardcore” Armored Core games was released to the PlayStation 2. While Last Raven certainly represented the epitome of the last generation of Armored Core games, it was quickly forgotten, as a new console generation and era of Armored Core games set in.

Armored Core: Last Raven Portable screenshot

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If you missed Last Raven when it was originally released, you may feel like you are in for a treat with Armored Core: Last Raven Portable. This title replicates nearly everything from the original, and it is one of the most faithful representations of a previously released title. However, therein lays the problem.

Although it is an oft-made criticism, the main problem with this version of Armored Core: Last Raven Portable lies in the PSP’s hardware; specifically, its lack of dual analog sticks. Plenty of games on the PSP have created control schemes that work with the single analog stick, Armored Core just doesn’t work with the single analog scheme, and that is this game’s major stumbling block. The game attempts to get around this early on by giving you a flexible input system that allows you to assign buttons for any of the game’s actions. However, even with these provisions, nothing replicates the feel of the second analog stick, which makes this game very hard to play.

Compounding this issue further is the fact that Last Raven is a very difficult game. The Armored Core games of the PlayStation 2 era were definitely a lot more challenging than most of the modern Armored Core titles. The levels themselves don’t seem that challenging at first, including objectives like defending a base or shooting at a building. However, once you start playing, you’ll find that you need rapid response times to defend yourself against aerial as well as ground threats. In addition, you almost never have enough ammunition for your primary weapon, so you’ll have to learn very quickly how to save ammunition and aim carefully.

Armored Core: Last Raven Portable screenshot

However, again, I have to reiterate that aiming carefully and taking out enemies with precision is very difficult to do with the game in its current form. I really wish the overall format of the game would have been changed to accommodate for the PSP’s hardware, as the gameplay itself is solid. Games like Resistance: Retribution show that games that you would expect to need two analog sticks can work just as well with just one. But Armored Core: Last Raven Portable is just not one of those games.

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If you do manage to get past the controls, Armored Core: Last Raven Portable has plenty of content to explore. The game’s interface allows you to select both story-based and extra missions, and there are plenty of branching elements to the story that keep the experience fresh through multiple playthroughs. Though the story isn’t exactly the deepest, if you are a fan of the Armored Core universe, it is entertaining enough.

Armored Core: Last Raven Portable screenshot

In addition to progressing the story, completing missions will also net you in-game currency, which you can use to upgrade your mecha. Though the upgrade system isn’t as intuitive as you might find in other Armored Core games, if you are an old fan of the franchise, you’ll be right at home swapping parts and keeping an eye on your mecha’s overall specs. However, if you are not familiar with the Armored Core style, the game doesn’t really give you much of a tutorial, and it can be frustrating at first to try and figure out how to swap parts and how things like overall weight can affect performance.

Armored Core: Last Raven Portable screenshot

Once you have completed the story mode and created your ultimate mecha, you can play with your friends using the game’s ad-hoc multiplayer mode. The game supports up to four players at a time, and it allows you to participate in very simple matches against local friends. I would have really liked to have seen an online mode for this title, especially as it would have helped give the game additional value for those who have already played the original version on the PlayStation 2.

The visuals in Armored Core: Last Raven Portable are a little hit and miss. While the cutscenes sport amazing detail and beautiful animation, the in-game visuals are not as good. Missions will see you visiting a number of environments, but each section is sparsely populated with only a few baddies and a structure or two punctuating the landscape. It really is quite a shame that the graphics take such a nosedive after the opening cutscene, as the opening scene for this title may be the best I have ever seen on the PSP. As far as the sound is concerned, Armored Core: Last Raven Portable does much better, featuring a good voiceover and some pleasant background music. Though nearly all of the sound has been reused from the original, it doesn’t suffer for it.

If you were a fan of the original Armored Core: Last Raven, this port does not offer anything except frustration. The lack of a second analog stick really limits this title’s appeal. If the development team had found a way to work around this shortcoming (like an active camera, for instance) then Last Raven Portable would have been exceptional. With plenty of missions and a great customization interface, this could have been a great title and a worthy portable reimagining of the original. However, as it is, Armored Core: Last Raven Portable is a clunky-feeling port of a game that used to be awesome.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.6 Graphics
Pre-rendered cutscenes look amazing, but actual levels are bland and featureless. 2.0 Control
Although you can map the controls any way you want to, the lack of a second analog makes quick aiming nearly impossible. 3.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Voiceover and background music are satisfactory. 3.0 Play Value
If you can get past the controls, there is quite a lot to do in Armored Core: Last Raven Portable. It’s just too bad the controls are such a huge stumbling block. 3.3 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Ad-hoc multiplayer mode allows up to four players to battle against each other.
  • Over 500 mecha parts to build your own AC unit, including some remake parts from past Armored Core games.
  • New AC opponents.
  • Branching story and multiple endings.
  • New game features: part breaking and a replay save system.
  • The game save from Armored Core 3 Portable and Armored Core Silent Line Portable can be transferred to this game.

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    • Gel padding is incredibly comfortable across a wide range of head sizes


    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
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