Thank you for watching. It's been a year of ups and downs. I'll probably try to do one more video before 2024 but honestly I just want to relax for a bit. So have a good holiday if I don't catch you! Discord: discord.gg/CGPks4fFBE Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/axelottol
Debatable. There's no need to make fighters jets feel massive even though they typically are the size of mobile suits. Iirc most ACs in AC6 are 10 to 15 meters tall, about the size of an F-16. What is important to me is to make their weapons believable instead of a chink rave party
Titanfall 2 is the best game which delivered this feeling so far. Probably because of camera movement, allowing to feel how HEAVY the titans are, and also pilots are flying around like an annoying flies giving us the understanding how big we actually are. Sry for my English
I think scale should also be part of the list or at least under the movement rule. in AC6, its easy to forget that the average size of an AC is 10m but the environments make up for that. To me in this case, if a mecha is more on speedy gameplay, the size of the maps and sheer scale should be bigger to accommodate the speed while the reverse is also true. Though this may also be skewed especially with other genres than fps and tps.
not having customization killed Gundam Evolution. I feel like the "hero shooter" genre simply doesn't work with a mecha game. Because part of the appeal of mecha games is the ability to tweak the build of your giant robot to suit your playstyle, having the game restrict you into playing a specific playstyle with a specific loadout ruins the mood somewhat.
Mechwarrior is one of my favourite mecha game franchises simply because the level of customization available to you is staggeringly large, and the playstyle of a light, medium, heavy, and assault mechs are vastly different from one another, creating the experience of combined arms warfare without introducing other types of vehicles.
Where would you put GBO2 then? But I do agree that Gundam Evolution was an extreme misstep. They could just reskinned GBO with a first person format but yet went for that hero shooter route that no one wanted
I think what killed the Gundam Evo was the abscence of the iconic characters that complimented the MS that were in the game. What makes a hero shooter good in my opinion are the heroes themselves and their personalities which leads to interesting interactions between them. It would've been nice to hear banter between Char in the Sazabi and Amuro in the Nu Gundam or Kamille in Zeta with Fa in Methuss, hell if Bandai is really that lazy they could've just ported the dialogues from Versus games into this. Instead we got no-names piloting iconic mobile suits
I mean even Titanfall had a similar hero-shooter style for its mechs but you could alter a myriad of things. - Titan Kit - Class Kit - Drop Method - Chassis Paint - Chassis Decal - Weapon Paint
Regarding movement - I must add an asterisk. You can have movement roadblock, but it has to be for a very, VERY good reason. Like in Zone of the Enders 2 - where you have to stand still on top of a surface for several seconds in order to shoot the Vector Cannon. Shift to Vector Cannon Mode. All energy lines connected. Landing gear and climbing irons locked. Inner chamber pressure rising normally. Life-ring has started revolving. Ready to fire. And then BOOM! Pure beam of obliteration that destroys everything on its path. It's literally setting you for massive anticipation of something cool that's gonna happen and when your giant robot that flies at mach 6 in any direction, needs to stop for like 10 seconds to make a single shot from the gun... It's better be worth it. Gladly, Z.O.E.2 did this perfectly Similar feeling with charging up weapons in AC6 - long awaited charge is more of anticipation of something that will be cool.
Armored Core as a series doesn’t have a lot of major interaction between the pilot and machine, seeing as how it’s sort of always there, but I think the coolest thing they added in the lore of every single AC game is that the machines can take on the will of it’s pilot. White Glint did this, the IBIS Cel-240 did this, Rusty did this, 9-Ball did this, every major character has it to some degree. And it’s just cool as fuck
Huh? Dude what are you talking about? 9-ball and Ibis don't have pilots, and they never did. And what do you mean by "take the will of its pilot"? That false.
@@glouisglouisonNineball's pilot is an AI and thus Nineball is the extension of the Controller's will. Ibis is the extension of the Coral as the Coral controls/pilots it. J, the AI, pilots NWG/IX and NWG/IX is the extension of J's will. How hard is this to comprehend?
The MOST important for me? Is weight, the ability to feel physics, yet not be restrained by them. This is why Armored Core as a whole gets it quite right. To me, a franchise like Ace Combat is a mecha game as well, _because it's about controlling a machine,_ and understanding the physics to control it in its environment. Having those physics is the foundation of a mecha game, and very often that is missing in many gundam games. I also appreciate the opportunity for a good cockpit, or aggressive camera angle. Immersion and a feeling of controlling a MACHINE is vital!
@@MadDragonify It largely boils down to animations, adding in small details to sell things. As an example sure you could just have a generic thruster animation, but actually thinking about what thrusters should be on during what parts of an animation will give a much cleaner result
I don't wanna be a ackhually guy here, but if the weight and controls of the vehcle you're using are an important part of the game... Then its a vehicular combat game.
Bruh AC especially AC6 is fast paced it feels like the mech is made out of feathers, even if you are 10m tall and weight probably thousand tons but 1 to 400 km/h (QB)? No problemo. But once you just walk around regularly with your AC, you finally feel the AC weight
Really late to respond but I'm here. Mechwarrior 5 introduced me to the Battletech universe when it was released for Playstation. It's a great universe. I'm getting into the books, watching lore videos, and plan on playing HBS Battletech soon. As a new fan I feel like it's one of the most underrated properties around but I kind of like that. In my opinion, Mechwarrior 5 makes you feel like you are piloting a big hulking death machine better than any mech game I've played.
Hot take, ace combat and project wingman are great mecha games. Their setting, characters, and story are very akin mecha. The only difference being the war machines they operate
Oh totally, Armored Core 6 seems almost like a tribute to the Ace Combat series, in story and presentation. The whole "buddy" thing from Rusty is the most overt reference in its narrative as well. Such a love letter to that franchise. Imagine a story with heart like Ace Combat 5 and the Razgriz but in an AC game. **chefs kiss** Chopper and the rest of the crew in Armored Cores. Gives me goosebumps. :)
For a long time, I was a major supporter of the “slower” style of mecha. Things like Battletech, pacific rim, Titanfall, I always felt that games or shows that were too fast never had that power fantasy what I wanted from a mech game. Then I played armored core, and I now this that speed isn’t the important factor, it’s impact. In general, the slower moving mechs feel more powerful. Each impact has a tangible feeling and effect. The movie pacific rim is the best example to me. Each punch and hit is massive, and feels like a massive machine is interacting with the world around it. Faster games or shows sometime miss that impact that I enjoy so much, because there faster and have less time to spend on each move or impact, but armored core showed me that you can have that impact and that power in a faster game
For me, a great mecha game is defined by how it takes a machine and gives it Humanity. A good example, Armored Core 6: you don't see a single human throughout the entire game, but because of the VA work and how the mechs move, you can see and feel the Humanity in them.
My favourite mecha game is into the breach, it really nails the environmental destruction aspect of mecha, given how you push enemies into each other and into hazards. Also really showcases the beauty of having a team of mecha that all do different things, and working in concert against an overwhelming foe
@@kevinreyhan209 cosmic break if i recall was the mecha girl one yeah? it had a pretty interesting sort of thing where its environment was spherical if i recall? or the level of the game kinda curved? ya know fair. now that i think about it... gundam build fighters is about toy sized mechs... the question arises if those are also considered mecha? but i guess they are cause gundam?
@@zefellowbud5970 yeah, it's basically a deathmatch mech, honestly for the 2008-2010 ish (?) game it's pretty damn fun . Yep, you got your answer there lol. I understand if someone wants their 'mech' to be heavy or have some weight feel to it to be considered as much, but for me as long as it has robotic parts and robot 'feel', it's all good. At the end of the day, you don't play a game because it's a mech game or whatnot, you play it because it's fun.
@@kevinreyhan209 cosmic break has that vibe of an old game i would find people playing at a computershop or computer cafe at that time so makes sense lol. i often draw wearable powersuits for a setting im working on and i guess in a sense they can be considered mecha then especially since they do borrow a bit of the shape designs in some situations. in a way i guess mecha is more an aesthetic. i can kind of get behind that as a concept. i am like on the vibe that if humans ever go full cyborg i will bet there are people who would make themself look like a human sized gundam lol.
It’s as the title saids it all… mecha, if you fail to capture the power of being in command/pilot/control of a mechanical war machine on legs, _the 3 protocol doesn’t matter because you can’t feel the weight of your mechanized Hell on Quad_
Attack on Titan is a Kaiju show series. Since change into a gaint monster and robot. I know Evevangle mech are bio mechanical but they are mechanical while the Titians are just biological. I argue that all mechs must be some degree of mechanical.
I wouldn’t say calling something “real robot” is gate keeping. It’s a sub genre of the Mecha genre. Real robot is where robot suits, like mobile suits in the Gundam series, are used in tandem with conventional weapons like fighter jets and tanks.
also is the subgenres where It at least try to make robots to work with realism or grounded settings instead of super robot that is mech piloting a mecha that is piloting a mecha that is combined with other mechas piloted by other mechs that is made by a bunch of robots that are built by nanomachines and also being piloted by cyborgs
@@timur5219jets can fly very high, mechs cant because their thrusters are made around ground-sliding, very low altitude flight, and occasinal dodges. A fighter jet can counter a mech easily, flying at very high altitudes, droppong a laser guided bomb, and simply following the mech around with the laser as the bomb descends, mech cant do much about it, but the fighter jet is countered by ground SAMs, almost fully, so now mech has to breach enemy lines, flying over the minefields, but below the anti-air line, to destroy the SAM installations, possibly protected by another mech, sparking a duel, ultimately jets now can fly freely, enemy mechs can no longer utilise their ground mobility against the target that is that high. Again, as smart people say, mechs would be more than viable in real combat, if they had atleast 50% of their anime capabilites IRL, and i already described how they can be used.
I would kill to have an MMO type mech game where you’re a mercenary scavenging for parts to build your own mech. Specifically just being able to get out of the mech too, imagine Xenoblade X but with a player community
first and foremost - mecha as a genre is a power fantasy introducing the mech as a sort of substitute to let loose basically. mecha doesnt necessessarily requires an active pilot IMO (thinking back to the old times anime mechabots) but it plays into the disconnect to what we as a character/pilot can do compared to the machine we're in charge of. scale plays an important factor in this as it usually trivializes damage done to the enviroment (example in the video was running through entire buildings). mechas dont even necessarily have to look humanoid like hawken did.
My personal highlights for what make a good mecha game are Giant robots ✅️ Fun gameplay ✅️ Overdramatic story with some memorable sequences ✅️ If you lack the sauce of making a memorable experience is there really a point?
ACVI does a good job of reminding you of scale in the same way that FromSoftware tells stories in Souls. One moment you're zipping about and blasting everything to hell, but whenever the action lets up for a moment you'll instantly notice, "damn... that's like ten little walkways for people to climb up ten stories... and I just cleared them all in one leap with my giant freaking robot without even turning my vertical thrusters on. that's awesome."
0:07 NOW HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!! 2:13 As a matter of fact, yes. It's still a Loader 4. As long as you don't change a specific part of it, like, for example, head parts... AND, you didn't change the paintjob or an emblem. Take Evangel for example. He changed anything but head part, emblem, and paint.
Titanfall 1 felt even better than Titanfall 2 as a mecha game, the Titan was heavier, but you had more control over how it moved. The cockpit was more detailed, and you really got an immersive sense of being in a big lumbering machine. TF2 made the mecha way smoother for people who preferred pilot movement not be put off from playing them. Yet despite that, TF1 felt far more aggressive and Titans had a HUGE impact. They were like fighting bosses.
Never really played Titanfall 1 as me and my brothers never played online so and it required internet connection which I never really had access to for the X-Box.
Honestly tf1 titans were kinda bland, both gameplay wise and design wise. The options for the titans were basically, big generalist, medium generalist, and small generalist. And the designs (while distinct) weren't very interesting and didn't tell you anything about the titans other than how much health they had. I will admit that titanfall 2 overcorrected this by making every titan hyper specialized, but it's better than tf1's mech's that all do the same thing but one can run a little bit faster.
I think people tend to view the first game with rose coloured glasses and forget the reasons why these things were changed in the first place. I will admit that the making the embark animations 3rd person was a major downgrade compared to the first game though.
@@thegreatgoobert5847 I can see why it was done that way ... since Titanfall 1 was strictly multiplayer with some campaign, animators can put some extra effort for embarks. But Titanfall 2 has a fully fleshed out campaigned with all sorts of animations that is strictly campaign only.
From what I understand in terms of a Realistic Mecha game (there is a fiction version called Super Mecha, but not focus on it): Overall Goal > Immersive experince of using a mech while making sense science-wise. Bonus point if it got it's own ingame politics that causes impact in fights like maybe infighting can cause the enemy pilot representing one of the groups related to the infighting to not be as well prepared. 1) Scale and Design: Just the overall basis since it is expected for these mech to be sizable and make sense. The design has to have some form of explanation or at least have the appearance of the machine working as a machine related to science, engineering, or technology. 2) Movement, or rather at least realistic movement. Depends on context on how fast or slow and overall pacing. Controls can play a part in the overall immersion like AC (PS1)'s Tank controls as at first one would be terrible at using those controls but refine and become better as a pilot. 3) Interaction with enviroment, allies, and enemies... Basically combat. It is a mech game that is more likely on war. 4) Not needed, but a story can help to set worldbuilding. Why I say this is there are some games that do well in combat 5) Not really needed, but adds immersion to it if there unless there is a reason: Pilots and their combat interaction.
I think a good mech game would the Gundam Extreme VS series. It has a bit of all three protocols. It has customization via your tag, the MS you pick, it’s burst, and your play style with said suit. It has movement (many have universal movement options with some having major differences (some might be slower than average, faster than average, have more/less overall boost, are ground runners, have access to plane-type modes (MA modes)). And it has a bit of human element in it (pilots of MSes actually speaking with some special quotes and dialogue when fighting with and against certain MSes). It helps that it’s also a really fun game series to play. Don’t it being an arena fighter type game fool you into thinking it’s simple. Despite the easy to learn controls, there’s a lot more to it under the surface.
Your comment about scroch was spot on! I loved to play that titan though. I remember one LTS match where i killed 11 titans.... dropping cannisters, using the right bumper attack and then popping the main anility was soooo satisfying.
I'm surprised you didn't directly reference Gundam Vs. for Protocol-2, seeing as it's the poster boy for mecha smoovement. I also wouldn't be surprised if Armored Core from 4th Gen onwards wasn't DIRECTLY influenced by that series of games, seeing as From also worked on a few Gundam games over the years.
I would say personally I appreciate Mechwarrior alot as I've been playing it since I was 4 years old (MechWarrior 2 mercs) but Armored core has been on the side when I want to play a faster paced style mecha game personally im not a fan of "Gundam Style" mechs (Japanese Anime / GUNDAM) but that's where AC comes in, its a mix if the Fast paced, high firepower but also semi-realistic industrial style mecha which I enjoy much more visually and aesthetically. I personally like a more "realistic" approach to Mecha games (IE Mechwarrior or Steel battalion ) which AC is DEF NOT but visually its appealing to me. 8:41 I say... YES and NO.. it really depends on the setting / universe. Not every Mecha needs an "onboard AI" or "Personality" Like for instance, Mechwarrior as an example isn't an "extension of the body" but more of a WAR MACHINE in itself, its a tool to be used to wage war and death.. not your schizo brain waifu or flirty onboard AI. its a Machine, not a friend. For me personally I loved TitanFall 2 but thats for THAT setting and that universe, not every universe needs to have "feeling" for the machine, I personally see the machine as a tool less it has an Onboard AI personality as I meld better with the more "Reactor online, sensors online, weapons online, all systems nominal" or "Main system, activating combat mode" rather than "Hey pilot! wanna go out for a drink?!". the Machine ITSELF states the pilots personality and meaning / Intent, like in Armored Core as there isn't ANY interaction (or very little) with the Machine, its Cold Steel and raw power with the pilots quirks tacked in... a Tool to be used.
Having mechanics that block your movements like a stun or stagger like in AC6 is alright. It depends on how often you are stagger and how the mechanic is utilise. In AC6, a stagger system add 2 new offensive stats for players to mess with, impact and direct hit multiplier. New combos to pull off stagger and such are then created to compliment the system. You're rewarded for pulling off a stagger, yet also as punished for being staggered if you don't manage the bar. However, sometimes I feel like the game has too much CC. The electric status stuns you, a kick stuns you, some weapons also stun you on top of building up stagger, so playing against a mech specifically built to stun lock feel unfair and unfun especially in PvP.
My favorite mecha game I've played is still probably Zeonic Front buts just cause i liked controlling a bunch of zaku's squads lol. Next to that there was a mech game a while back on 360 made by fromsoft i liked , but i cant remember the name. I guess strategy type gameplay is big for me though ac6 and titanfall 2 was the most actual fun ive had in a mecha game.
IMO The best implementation of mechs in video games is from Xenogears and Xenoblade Chronicles X. These are fully fledged massive JRPGs with mechs built on top of them. The mechs are pretty much treated as super vehicles, and that makes them feel much more grand than in other games where mechs are the default. You can get out of your mech, and there is a whole game world waiting for you. Get in your mech, and it makes the game 10x bigger and better. Basically, I think they work best as a secondary genre tag. Edit: Also, the mechs in Xenoblade X can transform into a vehicle mode. Which adds extra cool points that you don't see a lot.
Thanks for this video! I’m currently coming up with plans for attempting to pitch an idea for an Escape From Tarkov like single player mecha game involving varying types of mechs and being able to showcase both realistic mech combat with a little flair and being able to be a foot guy on the ground, and these rules really help.
i think fast mecha tend to be "honorary mecha" because at that point their really more like larger power armour but i think when it comes to setting thats probably the most interesting a mecha can be. for 1 it leaves room for other things, tanks can have purpose as heavy weapon platforms, if a mecha runs into a tank in the open their cooked, big gun beat weak armour. BUT with some quick thinking and narrative flair a mecha speed can outmaneuver a tank, space for good writing
I played Armored Core 6 and have been searching for something like it on steam for a good while now. I completed AC6 100%. All Achievements, all Emblems, all Logs, everything. This game was so good and there’s just nothing like it out there. It only sold 2.8 Million times which I just don’t get at all
A mecha game that needs more attention: BRIGADOR. This game is insane. There's tons of playable mechs and vehicles, multiple playstyles, totally insane environmental destruction where you're blasting paths through entire city blocks. It's really fantastic.
I'd say Titanfall 1 did customization for Titans the best in the series, it just needed the touch up that TF|2 added (minus the specialist-esque system).
my favorite kind of mecha are the one I'll dubs as vertical tank (coined in steel battalion). Their main aspect is they dont have arms, just weapon (sometime the weapon might be shaped like an arm but it is still just a big gun). In this category i put steel battalion, brigador, iron rebellion, the mecha in battlefield 2142, the imperial sentinel in 40k and the starwars imperial ATST. The thing is in a lot of instance they dont have that good mobility side gundams have but they can still provide a good gameplay experience. Sure it doesn't really make a lot of sense but humanoids shaped gigantic machine dont either anyway vs traditional tank and fighter/ground attack plane. I'm just a sucker for mecha piloting heh
In Steel Battalion your mech isn't conscious, you can even lose it and buy others. But it still seems like a good mecha game because it puts you in the seat of the pilot in a way more immersive way than any other games do
When talking about customization in mecha games, M.A.S.S Builder does not get as much credit as it should. It's still early access, but has the best personalization i've ever seen in a mecha game yet (yes, more than even armored core)
for me mecha sits in line with tank and jet, it's piece of machinery operated by atleast 1 pilot (or in some cases an AI which then really puts in more in the big robot category). evangelion just features a biological mecha which still are designed (for the most part) to be piloted.
That one guy who said Mecha Break is what mech game shouldn't be is the reason we don't have good mech games anymore. Smh. Mech games can be so many different things but those people want it to be just one thing.
As a pilot, my machine represents my will, wether its a mech, an aircraft or a ship, games that let me modify my ride have the true spirit of mecha, regardless of if im the goog guy or the bad guy, as long as the pilot is represented by his mech, its therefore, mecha.
my personal definition of mecha is a robot or some sort of pilotable machine, organic or metal, with atleast the outward appearance of a robot, typically with the pilot inside the mecha
I really like it when I can be the pilot _and_ control the mech. For me, Titanfall does this perfectly. As the pilot I am not helpless, I have a skill set different from the mechs in the game. But, I'm not saying that's how a game has to handle it, just make sure things are different when I am the person vs. when I am piloting the robot, as long as I'm enjoying each side of the equation.
Cool video nice edits. Super Mecha Champions has everything a mech game should have. It's light on customization but it still has a little. SMC's problem is balancing, bad marketing, and horrible match making. The weird part is even with low players they still have enough players for good matching they just don't put in the right effort to make it better. One thing you completely forgot was story. SMC has done a pretty good job with establishing a general story and building off of it over time. Each playable pilot creates their mecha with a strong theme like assassin, sniper mission, built from scratch by a 15 year old, or even a dancer. The pilot and mech have full backgrounds and character voices. In fact following Gundam and SMC I think all mech games at least need more interesting looking pilots. They should have stronger backgrounds like a librarian whos now a sniper in the Aqualis who reads off poetry as she destroys mechs. Or a ex pirate who knows Wing Chun studied with knives and owns a Mech like Panther. Gundam is interesting not just because of the Gundams but we love the pilots. Domon Kasshu, Kira Yamato, Char Aznable. Look at Metroid the Other M. A fantastic story of an interesting soldier who is inside of the metroid armor. I think the basis for a mech game which is a robot with a human or being inside piloting, should be modeled after other mech games but just fix their weaknesses. Like Mech Break. Ive never played it but it doesn't look like it has a story, the pilot i saw you use in a video looked dismal and boring and the battlefield though kinda cool lacked a lot of color and unique things. Hopefully they have cooler looking maps. Like why make a game look EXACTLY like a game that failed.
Good video. Def disagree about the stagger tho in AC 3. With a proper build you get staggered for 1-.5 seconds depending on your build. I think if managing boost was the only thing important, high cost efficient parts that use energy would take over. Furthermore stagger IS a punish from playing too recklessly, and adds a layer of gameplay of rushing a enemy at high stager and staying away from a enemy when your bar is high. I’m conclusion I do believe there is nothing inherently wrong with knock down in a mecha if it adds to the depth to the gameplay. I think the only thing it proves is balancing, where I think it should be slightly harder to stagger overall
I’m excited for Mecha break and don’t agree with people complaining about stuff like the relationship between the pilot and Mech being important for that game since it’s an online pvp video game where YOU are supposed to have a special connection with whatever Mechs you’ll like the most. (Or if you’re like me and just pretend you’re a transformer) I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I could seriously go on about how that aspect doesn’t matter for a game like that. All the other stuff though is debatable and has some strong points behind what makes the idea of piloting giant robots so special
A good way to approach bigger slower mechs (in my point of view) is to compare it to a tank like u said it's not worth it if it's slower and all. As a mech they most definitely should and can where tanks cant go like a dense or even jump over buildings and if they have arms make them able to grab stuff. I think that's a good enough difference to feel like ur driving a mech and not a tank on legs
Tank Simulator is what does it the best for giving you a sense of scale. That's why MechWarrior is unmatched. Chrome Hounds and the original Steel Battalion did a good job. AC6 is great ofc.
Great video, however I am not sure if I completely agree with your third point. Not all Mecha games NEED to have a pilot relationship with their machine, although it does help. I am going to use HBS BATTLETECH in my example as your perspective seems more focused on eastern Mecha rather than western. In HBS BT you have to manage both your battlemechs and their pilots (mechwarriors), most of the customization in the game comes through outfitting with different weapons but the main progression for pilots is through skills, it does take a pretty long while to level up your pilots and some people may even get attached to them. Sometimes contracts don't go your way, you are a mercenary after all and pilots die. What do you do after that? Well you are running a business here and life goes on, throw another sucker into that Locust and send them on their merry-way. In my personal experience with the game the pilots don't define the machine it is the machine that defines the pilot. I had a Fire Starter that went through 4 mechwarriors whether that be through bad luck or incompetence on my part but ultimately the machine is hardware and it can be repaired, rearmed and redeployed eventually. My point is that the whole "bond with the machine" idea is really only something in the eastern side of mecha. Series like BattleTech/Mechwarrior don't really prop their pilots up in a hero fantasy (Unless you are clan fucking wolf). Again, great video just thought I would give my take.
I think rather than what makes a good mecha game? its more like what's the formula to a main stream mecha game instead, to be honest good mecha games already exist its just not main stream or people are not really going out they're way to look for them which is fine.
I couldn't think of a good mech name for my Loader 4 and just finished MGS V so he's named Punished Predator. Anyone who reads this lemme know what you named your mech in AC6
Now that we are just starting to get new mecha games after what, a decade, it's weird that people are gatekeeping on what should be considered as a mecha game.
What sets Armored Core and Gundam apart for me is how it reminds you what a mecha is. The flamboyant poses you always see in Gundam always turns me off. I need that cold hard steel feeling, where yes, it can move and pose like a human, but at the end of the day, it's just not a practical thing to do. In Armored Core, every AC shoots and idles the same and I much prefer uniformity of animations. Gundam on the other hand are mecha which are tailor made for their pilots but it's just too flashy for me in the end.
AC6's shmovement is good right until it becomes boost-slide-fest bore galore. Seriously, the game would be so much better if there was an actual running using legs & thrusters (running at the speed of boost-sliding but w/out actual sliding), look it up in Anthem, it looks STUNNING there and the movement in Anthem is so damn good & fluid, AC6 just doesn't cut it as good imo.
out of the first questions about mecha (which units were mecha) i would say yes, no (powered armor), definitely not, aerial yes, eva definitely no. now the main question i would say that depends on the genre, and what makes that genre good would be mostly the answer, for example gundam battle assault 2 is a great mecha fighting game, but it doesn't have customization in the way you are saying, but it has variation on gameplay given by the different units, in the same way a fighting game does that because of different characters, the same goes for the gundam v/s gundam games
I love Titanfall cause i felt like i was the pilot most mecha games are just about the mecha and less on the pilot but its an obvious reason why like who wants to just be a pilot and not focus on the mech but titanfall balances both greatly on a side not i wish there was a mech game like steal battalion i always wanted to buy the controller for it to feel like im actually in a mech
![How to Counter Every Striker in Mecha BREAK [Beta]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/sTWz5UmDy-8/mqdefault.jpg)
![How to Counter Every Striker in Mecha BREAK [Beta]](/img/tr.png)
Thank you for watching. It's been a year of ups and downs. I'll probably try to do one more video before 2024 but honestly I just want to relax for a bit. So have a good holiday if I don't catch you!
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play mass builder, it's the game your wanting though the gameplay isn't to the same level as AC6 it's still pretty good and thats not really the point
i think a sense of scale is improtant because whats the point of having a giant mech when u dont feel like a giant
This was my issue with Gundam Evolution.
It didn't really feel like I was a giant mech. Mountains and forests looked like bushes and hills
Debatable. There's no need to make fighters jets feel massive even though they typically are the size of mobile suits. Iirc most ACs in AC6 are 10 to 15 meters tall, about the size of an F-16.
What is important to me is to make their weapons believable instead of a chink rave party
Armored Core 6 makes you feel absolutely tiny within that context though, so this isn't a hard and fast rule at all.
@@Lezardstherapist but then you stop and see cars and buildings that are around your heel height... Makes you feel even tinier in perspective...
Titanfall 2 is the best game which delivered this feeling so far. Probably because of camera movement, allowing to feel how HEAVY the titans are, and also pilots are flying around like an annoying flies giving us the understanding how big we actually are.
Sry for my English
I think scale should also be part of the list or at least under the movement rule. in AC6, its easy to forget that the average size of an AC is 10m but the environments make up for that. To me in this case, if a mecha is more on speedy gameplay, the size of the maps and sheer scale should be bigger to accommodate the speed while the reverse is also true. Though this may also be skewed especially with other genres than fps and tps.
The average size of an AC in AC6 is 10 meters not 10 ft
@@zero0creativity thanks for the correction hahahaha
Mazinger Z isnt that big either, its only 2 below 20 meters tall.
not having customization killed Gundam Evolution. I feel like the "hero shooter" genre simply doesn't work with a mecha game. Because part of the appeal of mecha games is the ability to tweak the build of your giant robot to suit your playstyle, having the game restrict you into playing a specific playstyle with a specific loadout ruins the mood somewhat.
Mechwarrior is one of my favourite mecha game franchises simply because the level of customization available to you is staggeringly large, and the playstyle of a light, medium, heavy, and assault mechs are vastly different from one another, creating the experience of combined arms warfare without introducing other types of vehicles.
Where would you put GBO2 then? But I do agree that Gundam Evolution was an extreme misstep. They could just reskinned GBO with a first person format but yet went for that hero shooter route that no one wanted
I think what killed the Gundam Evo was the abscence of the iconic characters that complimented the MS that were in the game. What makes a hero shooter good in my opinion are the heroes themselves and their personalities which leads to interesting interactions between them. It would've been nice to hear banter between Char in the Sazabi and Amuro in the Nu Gundam or Kamille in Zeta with Fa in Methuss, hell if Bandai is really that lazy they could've just ported the dialogues from Versus games into this. Instead we got no-names piloting iconic mobile suits
I mean even Titanfall had a similar hero-shooter style for its mechs but you could alter a myriad of things.
- Titan Kit
- Class Kit
- Drop Method
- Chassis Paint
- Chassis Decal
- Weapon Paint
A lot of things killed Gevo for sure. Not having pilots and customization did not fucking help lol
Regarding movement - I must add an asterisk. You can have movement roadblock, but it has to be for a very, VERY good reason.
Like in Zone of the Enders 2 - where you have to stand still on top of a surface for several seconds in order to shoot the Vector Cannon.
Shift to Vector Cannon Mode.
All energy lines connected.
Landing gear and climbing irons locked.
Inner chamber pressure rising normally.
Life-ring has started revolving.
Ready to fire.
And then BOOM! Pure beam of obliteration that destroys everything on its path. It's literally setting you for massive anticipation of something cool that's gonna happen and when your giant robot that flies at mach 6 in any direction, needs to stop for like 10 seconds to make a single shot from the gun... It's better be worth it.
Gladly, Z.O.E.2 did this perfectly
Similar feeling with charging up weapons in AC6 - long awaited charge is more of anticipation of something that will be cool.
Armored Core as a series doesn’t have a lot of major interaction between the pilot and machine, seeing as how it’s sort of always there, but I think the coolest thing they added in the lore of every single AC game is that the machines can take on the will of it’s pilot. White Glint did this, the IBIS Cel-240 did this, Rusty did this, 9-Ball did this, every major character has it to some degree. And it’s just cool as fuck
Huh? Dude what are you talking about? 9-ball and Ibis don't have pilots, and they never did. And what do you mean by "take the will of its pilot"? That false.
@@glouisglouison
It’s the will of the machine. 9-Ball has an AI as a pilot, that’s how I see it. And IBIS has Coral as it’s pilot
@@edanpino-xt1ph If that's what you mean how do NB and WG apply to this?
@@glouisglouisonNineball's pilot is an AI and thus Nineball is the extension of the Controller's will.
Ibis is the extension of the Coral as the Coral controls/pilots it.
J, the AI, pilots NWG/IX and NWG/IX is the extension of J's will.
How hard is this to comprehend?
@@Punishthefalse My misunderstanding. I was confused by the phrasing.
The MOST important for me? Is weight, the ability to feel physics, yet not be restrained by them. This is why Armored Core as a whole gets it quite right. To me, a franchise like Ace Combat is a mecha game as well, _because it's about controlling a machine,_ and understanding the physics to control it in its environment. Having those physics is the foundation of a mecha game, and very often that is missing in many gundam games. I also appreciate the opportunity for a good cockpit, or aggressive camera angle. Immersion and a feeling of controlling a MACHINE is vital!
How does that work for turn based mecha games like Super Robot Wars?
@@MadDragonify It largely boils down to animations, adding in small details to sell things. As an example sure you could just have a generic thruster animation, but actually thinking about what thrusters should be on during what parts of an animation will give a much cleaner result
I don't wanna be a ackhually guy here, but if the weight and controls of the vehcle you're using are an important part of the game...
Then its a vehicular combat game.
@@dooggo-1402 yes. And the vehicle of focus is a giant robot.
Bruh AC especially AC6 is fast paced it feels like the mech is made out of feathers, even if you are 10m tall and weight probably thousand tons but 1 to 400 km/h (QB)? No problemo.
But once you just walk around regularly with your AC, you finally feel the AC weight
Does nobody here play Mechwarrior? Battletech? People are talking as if one of the biggest mech properties doesn't exist.
Really late to respond but I'm here. Mechwarrior 5 introduced me to the Battletech universe when it was released for Playstation. It's a great universe. I'm getting into the books, watching lore videos, and plan on playing HBS Battletech soon. As a new fan I feel like it's one of the most underrated properties around but I kind of like that. In my opinion, Mechwarrior 5 makes you feel like you are piloting a big hulking death machine better than any mech game I've played.
Hot take, ace combat and project wingman are great mecha games. Their setting, characters, and story are very akin mecha. The only difference being the war machines they operate
TRIGGER YOUR ABILITY TO RUIN MY FIELD TRIPS IS UNCANNY! G1 DR. SHROEDER SOUND OFF
Oh totally, Armored Core 6 seems almost like a tribute to the Ace Combat series, in story and presentation. The whole "buddy" thing from Rusty is the most overt reference in its narrative as well. Such a love letter to that franchise. Imagine a story with heart like Ace Combat 5 and the Razgriz but in an AC game. **chefs kiss** Chopper and the rest of the crew in Armored Cores. Gives me goosebumps. :)
If you take a look at how Monarch and Trigger control their planes, I don't think that would be a hot take at all.
> *cue spaninsh guitar
@@artyomgunard4491 Pixy and Rusty are two side of the same coin/character.
“Mecha and depression” haha IBO left a mark in all of us
Right in the feels.... such a great anime.
One of the best Gundam series for sure
For a long time, I was a major supporter of the “slower” style of mecha. Things like Battletech, pacific rim, Titanfall, I always felt that games or shows that were too fast never had that power fantasy what I wanted from a mech game. Then I played armored core, and I now this that speed isn’t the important factor, it’s impact. In general, the slower moving mechs feel more powerful. Each impact has a tangible feeling and effect. The movie pacific rim is the best example to me. Each punch and hit is massive, and feels like a massive machine is interacting with the world around it. Faster games or shows sometime miss that impact that I enjoy so much, because there faster and have less time to spend on each move or impact, but armored core showed me that you can have that impact and that power in a faster game
Pacific Rim really nailed the feeling of scale and impact.
For me, a great mecha game is defined by how it takes a machine and gives it Humanity.
A good example, Armored Core 6: you don't see a single human throughout the entire game, but because of the VA work and how the mechs move, you can see and feel the Humanity in them.
My favourite mecha game is into the breach, it really nails the environmental destruction aspect of mecha, given how you push enemies into each other and into hazards. Also really showcases the beauty of having a team of mecha that all do different things, and working in concert against an overwhelming foe
That game is really fantastic, they really did a great job tuning everything, you can play 100 times and never have quite the same experience
I honestly don't want to overcomplicate things, if the characters or if the game is robot-oriented, that's a mecha game for me.
even if its a small human sized robot?
@@zefellowbud5970 yep, do you know cosmic break ? it's a very old broken not balanced boobs mech with gacha, i consider that as mecha game too lol.
@@kevinreyhan209 cosmic break if i recall was the mecha girl one yeah? it had a pretty interesting sort of thing where its environment was spherical if i recall? or the level of the game kinda curved?
ya know fair. now that i think about it... gundam build fighters is about toy sized mechs... the question arises if those are also considered mecha? but i guess they are cause gundam?
@@zefellowbud5970 yeah, it's basically a deathmatch mech, honestly for the 2008-2010 ish (?) game it's pretty damn fun .
Yep, you got your answer there lol. I understand if someone wants their 'mech' to be heavy or have some weight feel to it to be considered as much, but for me as long as it has robotic parts and robot 'feel', it's all good.
At the end of the day, you don't play a game because it's a mech game or whatnot, you play it because it's fun.
@@kevinreyhan209
cosmic break has that vibe of an old game i would find people playing at a computershop or computer cafe at that time so makes sense lol.
i often draw wearable powersuits for a setting im working on and i guess in a sense they can be considered mecha then especially since they do borrow a bit of the shape designs in some situations.
in a way i guess mecha is more an aesthetic. i can kind of get behind that as a concept. i am like on the vibe that if humans ever go full cyborg i will bet there are people who would make themself look like a human sized gundam lol.
Steel battalion was probably the only mech simulation. I really want another game like that or Chrome Hounds
It’s as the title saids it all… mecha, if you fail to capture the power of being in command/pilot/control of a mechanical war machine on legs, _the 3 protocol doesn’t matter because you can’t feel the weight of your mechanized Hell on Quad_
Attack on Titan is a Kaiju show series. Since change into a gaint monster and robot. I know Evevangle mech are bio mechanical but they are mechanical while the Titians are just biological. I argue that all mechs must be some degree of mechanical.
what about mecha-godzilla
@@ottosturm7224 Mecha-Godzillia is a mech since it mostly mechanical.
What makes a fantastic mecha game?
The words "Zone" and "Enders" in its title.
I was about to say, no mention of Zone of the Enders 2 at the least... which is baffling considering it's one of the best
The only problem with ZOE2 is that escort mission right at the start. One of the most obnoxious missions in any game ever
weightiness. it has to feel like a big hunk of metal flying around, rather than a piece of paper like some games.
I wouldn’t say calling something “real robot” is gate keeping. It’s a sub genre of the Mecha genre. Real robot is where robot suits, like mobile suits in the Gundam series, are used in tandem with conventional weapons like fighter jets and tanks.
also is the subgenres where It at least try to make robots to work with realism or grounded settings instead of super robot that is mech piloting a mecha that is piloting a mecha that is combined with other mechas piloted by other mechs that is made by a bunch of robots that are built by nanomachines and also being piloted by cyborgs
And what if you want a fast flying giant robot without making normal fighter jets obsolete?
@@timur5219jets can fly very high, mechs cant because their thrusters are made around ground-sliding, very low altitude flight, and occasinal dodges. A fighter jet can counter a mech easily, flying at very high altitudes, droppong a laser guided bomb, and simply following the mech around with the laser as the bomb descends, mech cant do much about it, but the fighter jet is countered by ground SAMs, almost fully, so now mech has to breach enemy lines, flying over the minefields, but below the anti-air line, to destroy the SAM installations, possibly protected by another mech, sparking a duel, ultimately jets now can fly freely, enemy mechs can no longer utilise their ground mobility against the target that is that high.
Again, as smart people say, mechs would be more than viable in real combat, if they had atleast 50% of their anime capabilites IRL, and i already described how they can be used.
I would kill to have an MMO type mech game where you’re a mercenary scavenging for parts to build your own mech. Specifically just being able to get out of the mech too, imagine Xenoblade X but with a player community
first and foremost - mecha as a genre is a power fantasy introducing the mech as a sort of substitute to let loose basically. mecha doesnt necessessarily requires an active pilot IMO (thinking back to the old times anime mechabots) but it plays into the disconnect to what we as a character/pilot can do compared to the machine we're in charge of. scale plays an important factor in this as it usually trivializes damage done to the enviroment (example in the video was running through entire buildings).
mechas dont even necessarily have to look humanoid like hawken did.
My personal highlights for what make a good mecha game are
Giant robots ✅️
Fun gameplay ✅️
Overdramatic story with some memorable sequences ✅️
If you lack the sauce of making a memorable experience is there really a point?
Mechs also need drones or funnels to help them in battle.
not really it depends on the setting
ACVI does a good job of reminding you of scale in the same way that FromSoftware tells stories in Souls.
One moment you're zipping about and blasting everything to hell, but whenever the action lets up for a moment you'll instantly notice, "damn... that's like ten little walkways for people to climb up ten stories... and I just cleared them all in one leap with my giant freaking robot without even turning my vertical thrusters on. that's awesome."
if they dont have parts customization then they are just a shooter game XD
parts that changes how u control the mecha
0:07 NOW HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!
2:13 As a matter of fact, yes. It's still a Loader 4. As long as you don't change a specific part of it, like, for example, head parts... AND, you didn't change the paintjob or an emblem. Take Evangel for example. He changed anything but head part, emblem, and paint.
Titanfall 1 felt even better than Titanfall 2 as a mecha game, the Titan was heavier, but you had more control over how it moved. The cockpit was more detailed, and you really got an immersive sense of being in a big lumbering machine. TF2 made the mecha way smoother for people who preferred pilot movement not be put off from playing them. Yet despite that, TF1 felt far more aggressive and Titans had a HUGE impact. They were like fighting bosses.
Never really played Titanfall 1 as me and my brothers never played online so and it required internet connection which I never really had access to for the X-Box.
Honestly tf1 titans were kinda bland, both gameplay wise and design wise. The options for the titans were basically, big generalist, medium generalist, and small generalist.
And the designs (while distinct) weren't very interesting and didn't tell you anything about the titans other than how much health they had.
I will admit that titanfall 2 overcorrected this by making every titan hyper specialized, but it's better than tf1's mech's that all do the same thing but one can run a little bit faster.
I think people tend to view the first game with rose coloured glasses and forget the reasons why these things were changed in the first place.
I will admit that the making the embark animations 3rd person was a major downgrade compared to the first game though.
@@thegreatgoobert5847 I can see why it was done that way ... since Titanfall 1 was strictly multiplayer with some campaign, animators can put some extra effort for embarks.
But Titanfall 2 has a fully fleshed out campaigned with all sorts of animations that is strictly campaign only.
From what I understand in terms of a Realistic Mecha game (there is a fiction version called Super Mecha, but not focus on it):
Overall Goal > Immersive experince of using a mech while making sense science-wise. Bonus point if it got it's own ingame politics that causes impact in fights like maybe infighting can cause the enemy pilot representing one of the groups related to the infighting to not be as well prepared.
1) Scale and Design: Just the overall basis since it is expected for these mech to be sizable and make sense. The design has to have some form of explanation or at least have the appearance of the machine working as a machine related to science, engineering, or technology.
2) Movement, or rather at least realistic movement. Depends on context on how fast or slow and overall pacing. Controls can play a part in the overall immersion like AC (PS1)'s Tank controls as at first one would be terrible at using those controls but refine and become better as a pilot.
3) Interaction with enviroment, allies, and enemies... Basically combat. It is a mech game that is more likely on war.
4) Not needed, but a story can help to set worldbuilding. Why I say this is there are some games that do well in combat
5) Not really needed, but adds immersion to it if there unless there is a reason: Pilots and their combat interaction.
I think a good mech game would the Gundam Extreme VS series. It has a bit of all three protocols. It has customization via your tag, the MS you pick, it’s burst, and your play style with said suit. It has movement (many have universal movement options with some having major differences (some might be slower than average, faster than average, have more/less overall boost, are ground runners, have access to plane-type modes (MA modes)). And it has a bit of human element in it (pilots of MSes actually speaking with some special quotes and dialogue when fighting with and against certain MSes). It helps that it’s also a really fun game series to play. Don’t it being an arena fighter type game fool you into thinking it’s simple. Despite the easy to learn controls, there’s a lot more to it under the surface.
The fact that Gundam Extreme Vs. has Street Fighter moves referenced in-game already makes this game top-tier.
Your comment about scroch was spot on! I loved to play that titan though. I remember one LTS match where i killed 11 titans.... dropping cannisters, using the right bumper attack and then popping the main anility was soooo satisfying.
I'm surprised you didn't directly reference Gundam Vs. for Protocol-2, seeing as it's the poster boy for mecha smoovement. I also wouldn't be surprised if Armored Core from 4th Gen onwards wasn't DIRECTLY influenced by that series of games, seeing as From also worked on a few Gundam games over the years.
Wake me up If they ever make a good Gurren Lagaan game, I've had my fill of playing as a glorified turret.
PIERCE THE HEAVENS WITH YOUR DRILL! YOU CLIMB ON MY BACK AND YOU CLIMB ON MINE AND TOGETHER WE WILL REACH THE MOON
I would say personally I appreciate Mechwarrior alot as I've been playing it since I was 4 years old (MechWarrior 2 mercs) but Armored core has been on the side when I want to play a faster paced style mecha game
personally im not a fan of "Gundam Style" mechs (Japanese Anime / GUNDAM) but that's where AC comes in, its a mix if the Fast paced, high firepower but also semi-realistic industrial style mecha which I enjoy much more visually and aesthetically.
I personally like a more "realistic" approach to Mecha games (IE Mechwarrior or Steel battalion ) which AC is DEF NOT but visually its appealing to me.
8:41 I say... YES and NO.. it really depends on the setting / universe. Not every Mecha needs an "onboard AI" or "Personality" Like for instance, Mechwarrior as an example isn't an "extension of the body" but more of a WAR MACHINE in itself, its a tool to be used to wage war and death.. not your schizo brain waifu or flirty onboard AI. its a Machine, not a friend.
For me personally I loved TitanFall 2 but thats for THAT setting and that universe, not every universe needs to have "feeling" for the machine, I personally see the machine as a tool less it has an Onboard AI personality as I meld better with the more "Reactor online, sensors online, weapons online, all systems nominal" or "Main system, activating combat mode" rather than "Hey pilot! wanna go out for a drink?!".
the Machine ITSELF states the pilots personality and meaning / Intent, like in Armored Core as there isn't ANY interaction (or very little) with the Machine, its Cold Steel and raw power with the pilots quirks tacked in... a Tool to be used.
You also forgot another rule for mecha series & games.
War crimes
Gotta get those geneva violations.
check out Brigador, the war crime simulator!
Having mechanics that block your movements like a stun or stagger like in AC6 is alright. It depends on how often you are stagger and how the mechanic is utilise. In AC6, a stagger system add 2 new offensive stats for players to mess with, impact and direct hit multiplier. New combos to pull off stagger and such are then created to compliment the system. You're rewarded for pulling off a stagger, yet also as punished for being staggered if you don't manage the bar. However, sometimes I feel like the game has too much CC. The electric status stuns you, a kick stuns you, some weapons also stun you on top of building up stagger, so playing against a mech specifically built to stun lock feel unfair and unfun especially in PvP.
My favorite mecha game I've played is still probably Zeonic Front buts just cause i liked controlling a bunch of zaku's squads lol. Next to that there was a mech game a while back on 360 made by fromsoft i liked , but i cant remember the name. I guess strategy type gameplay is big for me though ac6 and titanfall 2 was the most actual fun ive had in a mecha game.
GBO2 has a protocol 2 problem. Major, especially at higher costs where chain staggers are ingrained into the meta.
I'm so sad Hawken died, that game ruled
i felt very skeptical of mech break when i saw it at game awards, hope it ends up good tho. ac6 dlc campaign when??
IMO The best implementation of mechs in video games is from Xenogears and Xenoblade Chronicles X.
These are fully fledged massive JRPGs with mechs built on top of them. The mechs are pretty much treated as super vehicles, and that makes them feel much more grand than in other games where mechs are the default. You can get out of your mech, and there is a whole game world waiting for you. Get in your mech, and it makes the game 10x bigger and better.
Basically, I think they work best as a secondary genre tag.
Edit: Also, the mechs in Xenoblade X can transform into a vehicle mode. Which adds extra cool points that you don't see a lot.
Thanks for this video! I’m currently coming up with plans for attempting to pitch an idea for an Escape From Tarkov like single player mecha game involving varying types of mechs and being able to showcase both realistic mech combat with a little flair and being able to be a foot guy on the ground, and these rules really help.
i think fast mecha tend to be "honorary mecha" because at that point their really more like larger power armour but i think when it comes to setting thats probably the most interesting a mecha can be. for 1 it leaves room for other things, tanks can have purpose as heavy weapon platforms, if a mecha runs into a tank in the open their cooked, big gun beat weak armour. BUT with some quick thinking and narrative flair a mecha speed can outmaneuver a tank, space for good writing
I played Armored Core 6 and have been searching for something like it on steam for a good while now. I completed AC6 100%. All Achievements, all Emblems, all Logs, everything. This game was so good and there’s just nothing like it out there. It only sold 2.8 Million times which I just don’t get at all
A mecha game that needs more attention: BRIGADOR. This game is insane. There's tons of playable mechs and vehicles, multiple playstyles, totally insane environmental destruction where you're blasting paths through entire city blocks. It's really fantastic.
Tired: Attack on Titan is Mecha
Wired: Ace Combat is Mecha
Inspired: Fast and Furious is Mecha.
family. famecha
I'd say Titanfall 1 did customization for Titans the best in the series, it just needed the touch up that TF|2 added (minus the specialist-esque system).
my favorite kind of mecha are the one I'll dubs as vertical tank (coined in steel battalion). Their main aspect is they dont have arms, just weapon (sometime the weapon might be shaped like an arm but it is still just a big gun).
In this category i put steel battalion, brigador, iron rebellion, the mecha in battlefield 2142, the imperial sentinel in 40k and the starwars imperial ATST.
The thing is in a lot of instance they dont have that good mobility side gundams have but they can still provide a good gameplay experience. Sure it doesn't really make a lot of sense but humanoids shaped gigantic machine dont either anyway vs traditional tank and fighter/ground attack plane.
I'm just a sucker for mecha piloting heh
Notice you like mecha games, you should review M.A.S.S. Builder
Code Geass Music, Ultraman and Gundam in the first few seconds. This is gonna be good.
hello fellow Hawken fans
the 3 things I think are needed are
1. sense of weight and scale
2. customizability
3. a person or piolet
In Steel Battalion your mech isn't conscious, you can even lose it and buy others.
But it still seems like a good mecha game because it puts you in the seat of the pilot in a way more immersive way than any other games do
When talking about customization in mecha games, M.A.S.S Builder does not get as much credit as it should. It's still early access, but has the best personalization i've ever seen in a mecha game yet (yes, more than even armored core)
for me mecha sits in line with tank and jet, it's piece of machinery operated by atleast 1 pilot (or in some cases an AI which then really puts in more in the big robot category).
evangelion just features a biological mecha which still are designed (for the most part) to be piloted.
You didn't mention battletech, front mission huh.
Thanks bud! Man, can't wait for the new SRW!
That one guy who said Mecha Break is what mech game shouldn't be is the reason we don't have good mech games anymore. Smh. Mech games can be so many different things but those people want it to be just one thing.
As a pilot, my machine represents my will, wether its a mech, an aircraft or a ship, games that let me modify my ride have the true spirit of mecha, regardless of if im the goog guy or the bad guy, as long as the pilot is represented by his mech, its therefore, mecha.
my personal definition of mecha is a robot or some sort of pilotable machine, organic or metal, with atleast the outward appearance of a robot, typically with the pilot inside the mecha
bro 1:01 "mecha and depression" had me rolling
I really like it when I can be the pilot _and_ control the mech. For me, Titanfall does this perfectly. As the pilot I am not helpless, I have a skill set different from the mechs in the game. But, I'm not saying that's how a game has to handle it, just make sure things are different when I am the person vs. when I am piloting the robot, as long as I'm enjoying each side of the equation.
Cool video nice edits. Super Mecha Champions has everything a mech game should have. It's light on customization but it still has a little. SMC's problem is balancing, bad marketing, and horrible match making. The weird part is even with low players they still have enough players for good matching they just don't put in the right effort to make it better.
One thing you completely forgot was story. SMC has done a pretty good job with establishing a general story and building off of it over time. Each playable pilot creates their mecha with a strong theme like assassin, sniper mission, built from scratch by a 15 year old, or even a dancer. The pilot and mech have full backgrounds and character voices. In fact following Gundam and SMC I think all mech games at least need more interesting looking pilots. They should have stronger backgrounds like a librarian whos now a sniper in the Aqualis who reads off poetry as she destroys mechs. Or a ex pirate who knows Wing Chun studied with knives and owns a Mech like Panther. Gundam is interesting not just because of the Gundams but we love the pilots. Domon Kasshu, Kira Yamato, Char Aznable.
Look at Metroid the Other M. A fantastic story of an interesting soldier who is inside of the metroid armor.
I think the basis for a mech game which is a robot with a human or being inside piloting, should be modeled after other mech games but just fix their weaknesses. Like Mech Break. Ive never played it but it doesn't look like it has a story, the pilot i saw you use in a video looked dismal and boring and the battlefield though kinda cool lacked a lot of color and unique things. Hopefully they have cooler looking maps. Like why make a game look EXACTLY like a game that failed.
“Mecha and depression” yeah…yeahhhhhh IBO does that to someone
Having the giant mechs dwarf humans and then dwarfing mechs with bigger mechs
Good video. Def disagree about the stagger tho in AC 3. With a proper build you get staggered for 1-.5 seconds depending on your build. I think if managing boost was the only thing important, high cost efficient parts that use energy would take over.
Furthermore stagger IS a punish from playing too recklessly, and adds a layer of gameplay of rushing a enemy at high stager and staying away from a enemy when your bar is high.
I’m conclusion I do believe there is nothing inherently wrong with knock down in a mecha if it adds to the depth to the gameplay. I think the only thing it proves is balancing, where I think it should be slightly harder to stagger overall
I think you’d like Armored Core For Answer, it’s even faster than AC6 with less restrictions
For me, what matters most in a mecha game
1. A big boah robot
2. Batshet tons of guns that you can use
And 3. I'm speed boi
I’m excited for Mecha break and don’t agree with people complaining about stuff like the relationship between the pilot and Mech being important for that game since it’s an online pvp video game where YOU are supposed to have a special connection with whatever Mechs you’ll like the most. (Or if you’re like me and just pretend you’re a transformer) I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. I could seriously go on about how that aspect doesn’t matter for a game like that.
All the other stuff though is debatable and has some strong points behind what makes the idea of piloting giant robots so special
A good way to approach bigger slower mechs (in my point of view) is to compare it to a tank like u said it's not worth it if it's slower and all.
As a mech they most definitely should and can where tanks cant go like a dense or even jump over buildings and if they have arms make them able to grab stuff. I think that's a good enough difference to feel like ur driving a mech and not a tank on legs
I really wish Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS Maxiboost was on PC but its only on Arcade and PS4.
According to a video i watched yesterday comparing mech heights across all media, games, anime, movies, etc. Linguini from Rattatuie is a mech
Mecha Break is definitely everyone dream mecha games
The Ariel shade in this video is crazy
Tank Simulator is what does it the best for giving you a sense of scale. That's why MechWarrior is unmatched. Chrome Hounds and the original Steel Battalion did a good job.
AC6 is great ofc.
Great video, however I am not sure if I completely agree with your third point. Not all Mecha games NEED to have a pilot relationship with their machine, although it does help. I am going to use HBS BATTLETECH in my example as your perspective seems more focused on eastern Mecha rather than western. In HBS BT you have to manage both your battlemechs and their pilots (mechwarriors), most of the customization in the game comes through outfitting with different weapons but the main progression for pilots is through skills, it does take a pretty long while to level up your pilots and some people may even get attached to them. Sometimes contracts don't go your way, you are a mercenary after all and pilots die. What do you do after that? Well you are running a business here and life goes on, throw another sucker into that Locust and send them on their merry-way. In my personal experience with the game the pilots don't define the machine it is the machine that defines the pilot. I had a Fire Starter that went through 4 mechwarriors whether that be through bad luck or incompetence on my part but ultimately the machine is hardware and it can be repaired, rearmed and redeployed eventually. My point is that the whole "bond with the machine" idea is really only something in the eastern side of mecha. Series like BattleTech/Mechwarrior don't really prop their pilots up in a hero fantasy (Unless you are clan fucking wolf). Again, great video just thought I would give my take.
why does nobody talk about the Front Mission series?
If it wouldn’t exist without Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, or Gundam
It’s not mecha
I need my Getter Robo hack and slash game IMMEDIATELY
Evangelions are bio-mechs.
I think rather than what makes a good mecha game? its more like what's the formula to a main stream mecha game instead, to be honest good mecha games already exist its just not main stream or people are not really going out they're way to look for them which is fine.
i mean ac6 is a bad example for saying "having a lot of parts makes balancing difficult" because ac6 is extremely well balanced
Grand! Impeccable! 11/10!
God tier music choices
I couldn't think of a good mech name for my Loader 4 and just finished MGS V so he's named Punished Predator.
Anyone who reads this lemme know what you named your mech in AC6
Regular mech was named Malaclypse Elder
Shooty sniper mech: West
Heavy Mech: Thicc Boi
It's having a glint in the visor of a promo mech
Now that we are just starting to get new mecha games after what, a decade, it's weird that people are gatekeeping on what should be considered as a mecha game.
The problem with Mecha Break is the fact that it's just another hero shooter with a mech coat of paint.
What sets Armored Core and Gundam apart for me is how it reminds you what a mecha is. The flamboyant poses you always see in Gundam always turns me off. I need that cold hard steel feeling, where yes, it can move and pose like a human, but at the end of the day, it's just not a practical thing to do. In Armored Core, every AC shoots and idles the same and I much prefer uniformity of animations. Gundam on the other hand are mecha which are tailor made for their pilots but it's just too flashy for me in the end.
AC6's shmovement is good right until it becomes boost-slide-fest bore galore. Seriously, the game would be so much better if there was an actual running using legs & thrusters (running at the speed of boost-sliding but w/out actual sliding), look it up in Anthem, it looks STUNNING there and the movement in Anthem is so damn good & fluid, AC6 just doesn't cut it as good imo.
Put the Zudah in it.
Most of those points don’t quite fit in with ZOE but it does have a lot of mobility.
Dont forget exteel!! One of best Customizable Mech games !
Heck!!, this video just makes me want to play Mechwarriors 5 🤣👌
movement is really important to me.
Bt-7274 is the ultimate husbando
Zone of the Enders anybody???
Hell yeah. ZOE2 is a classic
out of the first questions about mecha (which units were mecha) i would say yes, no (powered armor), definitely not, aerial yes, eva definitely no. now the main question i would say that depends on the genre, and what makes that genre good would be mostly the answer, for example gundam battle assault 2 is a great mecha fighting game, but it doesn't have customization in the way you are saying, but it has variation on gameplay given by the different units, in the same way a fighting game does that because of different characters, the same goes for the gundam v/s gundam games
we really gonna make a ship of Theseus allegory with loader 4?
I love Titanfall cause i felt like i was the pilot most mecha games are just about the mecha and less on the pilot but its an obvious reason why like who wants to just be a pilot and not focus on the mech but titanfall balances both greatly on a side not i wish there was a mech game like steal battalion i always wanted to buy the controller for it to feel like im actually in a mech