Anytime a publisher/developer tries something new with a popular game brand, fans should worry. On one hand, changes could attract new players. For the same reason, those changes might alienate long-time fans. With Armored Core 4, From Software ditched some of the slow-paced strategic game play that its mech-based series is known for in favor of a more approachable arcade style.

In the game, players find themselves jetting around the globe, fighting off the remains of an evil conglomerate on a desolate planet. Enemy robots and vehicles inhabit a number of locales, from a torn-apart U.S. city to the outskirts of icy Antarctica. The player cleans house throughout each level, blasting enemies to bits while completing side objectives. The story lacks a solid foundation, but it manages to hold everything in place.

Customization offers a number of tools for gamers to play with. Not only can they set up various weapons for their left and right shoulder mounts, they can customize other details on their Nexts (the "technical" name for the robots). Building a Next from the ground up has always been a big part of the Armored Core series, and From Software has done an excellent job keeping this feature intact. However, the sub-menus could've used a better layout. Purchasing weapons becomes a hassle as the player must look up prices and other information on different screens instead of having the details all in one place to glance over. It almost resembles checking out a used car and then having to walk up ten flights of stairs to get to the dealer's office.

Once past the confusing menu system, however, getting into the game presents no troulbe. It works more on a kinetic arcade level, almost like Sega's Virtual On but with a slight focus on strategy. The ability to use Primal Armor to keep the Next's power at a steady level works great here. The boosting system also shines, with players able to perform high jumps while holding the trigger button and performing "quick bursts" that let them perform fast dashes. These come in handy for avoiding incoming attacks and setting up a defensive strike, although some players might be confused as to why the two weapons were mapped to face buttons instead of triggers. Despite the odd button-mapping, the controls work well enough.