Finally, another Armored Core instalment just surprise dropped on Steam, but you'll need to have the patience of a saint to play it
A whopping 16 main Armored Core games have released since 1997, but only 2023's brilliant Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is officially available on PC. Until now, that is: a second Armored Core game just released on Steam courtesy of Japanese publisher G-Mode, and it's going for the bargain price of $11.
Alas, Armored Core: Mobile 3 is not likely an instalment the masses will embrace. It was originally released for flip phones in 2007, and further complicating matters, it was a Japanese exclusive. While that's not exactly the case now—you can easily go and buy Armored Core: Mobile 3 on Steam right now—few will have the patience to play it without English subs. Indeed, no major efforts have been made to modernize this ancient artefact, though it does appear to have controller support.
Here's the trailer:
If that's not enough to discourage you, it's pretty cool to have this curio made available again. It takes place between Armored Core Nexus and Armored Core Last Raven, both of which were offshoots of Armored Core 3. They released for PlayStation 2 in 2004 and 2005 respectively (PS2 owners ate well: a huge seven Armored Core games released for the platform).
The format is pretty much identical to the main Armored Core games: players customize their mech, all the better to complete a series of discrete missions "across various scenarios, including assaults and defenses in urban areas and open wastelands".
Why this mobile port instead of the more palatable console instalments? It's never been officially addressed, but the publishing history of the Armored Core series is a tangled web, with stakeholders including Sega, Sony, Ubisoft, the now-defunct Agetec, as well as current custodians Bandai Namco. Given how voluminous the series is, that's a lot of admin work for something that probably won't ever achieve the level of success of a Dark Souls or Elden Ring.
If you're curious to see how the port plays, YouTuber Cleric Armored Core recorded this stream recently: