Armored Core Formula Front (PS2)

[Cacophanus]

Managed to nab a copy that came with the limited edition soundtrack and I spent over an hour trying to get the sodding PSP connectability nonsense to work. Only to realise that From Software don't want you to copy your garage of AC's to the new game (some kind of anti-cheating nonsense that ties in with Formula World, on online repository of player created AI ACs). Not to mention the whole save game structure is inherently backward as a consequence.

As a game, it's the same as Formula Front on the PSP though with greater emphasis on building a better team of AC's rather than just one uber mecha (parts cannot be duplicated in other designs, so you have to vary the parts load-out).

Overall, it's pretty and it does have a player controlled section (like normal AC) but the lack of foresight with the PSP connecting functions is just plain moronic.

[Zed]

So core gaming-wise, apart from team building against PSP FF being more a single AC, is there any notable reason to get the PS2 version? The concept always struck me as being more portable friendly.

W.r.t. player controlled ACs; is it a duplicate of Ninebreaker, or new mechanics once more? Does it have LAN VS or Xlink Kai compatibility? and if so better/worse than Nexus/NB for VS matches?

I think i'll probably pick up the PSP version when it gets a bit cheaper (or 2nd-hand), unless you can pursuade me otherwise.

[Cacophanus]

So core gaming-wise, apart from team building against PSP FF being more a single AC, is there any notable reason to get the PS2 version? The concept always struck me as being more portable friendly.

W.r.t. player controlled ACs; is it a duplicate of Ninebreaker, or new mechanics once more? Does it have LAN VS or Xlink Kai compatibility? and if so better/worse than Nexus/NB for VS matches?

I think i'll probably pick up the PSP version when it gets a bit cheaper (or 2nd-hand), unless you can pursuade me otherwise.

The PS2 release has more maps and tweaked AI (it can use cover properly now and has better AI protocols for using the AC's weapon loadout). In all honesty though, the PSP version is the better one if only for the portable aspect and that it is the main version that is compatible with Formula World (after all, even if you create Team Data on the PS2 release it has to be transferred to the PSP before it can be uploaded to a PC).

The versus aspect is entirely based around Formula World, again as far as I can see, which is a hub of downloadable and uploadable Team Data content.

Anyway, my main gripe with Formula Front is the idiotic implementation of PSP connectivity. You cannot upload your garage of AC's into the the main game of Formula Front (PS2). Instead, you have to extract your "Team Data" from the PSP, or PS2 version for that matter, in order to transfer your AC's. However, this Team Data cannot be fused with the system data. Admittedly, you can play against the team in question but you can't modify the team in any way.

I am assuming this was implemented in such a way to stop people stealing teams from Formula World and claiming that they were their own. Even so, it's stupid and essentially punishes the player for owning the PSP release of the game first.