Silent Line: Armored Core
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| Silent Line: Armored Core | |
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| Developer(s) | From Software |
| Publisher(s) | Agetec |
| Release date(s) | July 15, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Action, Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Silent Line: Armored Core is a mecha video game in the Armored Core series.
[edit] Storyline
Following the destruction of the machine run society of Layered, mankind has slowly begun the process of returning to the surface and repopulating the face of the globe. All is well with mankind, or so the corporations would lead you to believe. Reconnaissance teams are sent out all over the world to search the land and determine what has changed, and one area eludes scouting. All attempts to investigate this region are met with loss of contact from the exploratory units. Anything that attempts to cross the line goes silent; thus this demarcation becomes known as the 'Silent Line.' Silent Line: Armored Core thrusts you once again into the Global Cortex organization where a number of missions take place that will deal with this so-called "Silent Line". What is so determinedly guarding this line? What lies behind the Silent Line that is of so much importance? Be very careful, Raven. Once again, your life is on the line. Can you survive destruction?
[edit] Background
- Global Cortex - A unique organization, Global Cortex is the intermediary between corporate clients and mercenaries for hire. These mercenaries, more commonly referred to as Ravens, are pilots who operate the massive mechanized units known as Armored Cores. Though Global Cortex works closely with all the corporations, it maintains a strict level of neutrality and does not side with any of them.
- Mirage - Mirage, the largest of the three corporations, intends to strengthen its position as the world's dominant power through the immediate acquisition and redevelopment of surface territory. Mirage believes that the future lies aboveground and all of the corporation's current efforts are focused on ensuring that this vision becomes a reality. Every day that Mirage's influence in Layered wanes, their grip on the surface world grows.
- Crest - Second only to Mirage, Crest is another corporate giant which exercises great influence over the masses. While both companies are well aware of the benefits that would accompany control of the planet's surface, Crest views Mirage's plans as far too shortsighted to succeed. Crest's own strategy, while not as immediately apparent as Mirage's, is more long-term in nature. Crest intends to first fill the void left behind when the Controller was destroyed, thereby gaining control of Layered and its citizens, and then use this momentum to secure its position on the planet's surface.
- Kisaragi - Kisaragi is a mouse among lions and even though they've made some surface territory gains, these pale in comparison to those secured by Crest and Mirage. Direct confrontation with either of its rivals would result in Kisaragi's demise, and the company takes great pains to avoid any involvement in disputes between the two. By adopting a watch-and-wait attitude, Kisaragi has done all it realistically can to ensure its continued existence.
- Artificial Intelligence Office (AIO) - An organization dedicated to the redevelopment of A.I. technology after The Controller’s destruction and mankind’s return to the surface world. They have been supplying A.I. technology to all three major corporations, though curiously no one has ever made face-to-face contact with an AIO representative.
- Emma Sears - A Global Cortex liaison manager responsible for the player’s mission assignments and communications support.
- Sera Cross - An enigmatic woman working for the AIO who occasionally relays supportive information to the player, however her motives appear to be rather questionable leaving one to wonder if she is really as helpful as she appears.
- IBIS - An A.I. construct similar to The Controller (which was called 'Dove' in the Japanese version of Armored Core 3) found within the second Layered.
During the course of the game, it is revealed that technology given to the Corporations has a suspicious quality -- it resembles that of the Controller and a satellite cannon discovered in space by Mirage (the cannon is autonomous). When Mirage attempts to infiltrate the satellite, they accidentally set off an override mechanism and the technology given to the Corporations experiences malfunctions (Muscle Tracers go berserk, etc). Mirage sends a group of Ravens to the satellite to disable the cannon, which is now firing erratically all over the surface. Once it's disabled, the Corporations look to discover the source of the override code is beyond the Silent Line. A Raven is sent out to probe the area, and breaks through the Line. A large AI fortress is discovered, and infiltrated by a Raven. The code transmitter is destroyed, but it becomes apparent the fortress was merely a relay station, and the Corporations backtrack to find that another Layered exists (there is a path to it in the fortress). A Raven is sent for a final investigation, and it is revealed that Sera Cross, the enigmatic employee of the AIO, and the AIO itself, are all AI. The Raven discovers several unknown units, seen around the surface previously, destroys them and continues on. Deep within the bowels of this new Layered, the Raven faces off with IBIS, an AI unit with a dual voice (one male, presumably a computer, and the other is Sera Cross' voice). The Raven eliminates IBIS and frees the surface from the grip of the Silent Line. A transport plane is shown, freely flying over the surface.
[edit] Gameplay
Silent Line continued Armored Core 3's storyline and development and introduced several new features as well. As your AC takes damage in missions, your AC's weaponry does as well and if certain parts take too much damage they will break completely and will be unusable for the rest of the mission. Broken parts are restored after the mission is completed so they are not lost completely. "Clone" weapons are also introduced, these are copies of existing weaponry with altered colors and statistics like lessened weight or increased ammo. Both concepts did not appear to go over well with players and were removed in the next AC game, Armored Core: Nexus.
