Armored Core 2 is presented as an ambitious but underappreciated turning point for FromSoftware’s mech series, released for PlayStation 2 in October 2000. It mattered because it expanded the scale and visual ambition of earlier games while prioritising intricate mechanical customisation over the cinematic spectacle increasingly expected from new hardware.

Set on a contested Mars, the game gave players about 30 mercenary missions, three competing factions, 50 Arena opponents and split-screen multiplayer. Its extensive parts system made every design choice affect weight, energy use, mobility and weapons, although its awkward non-analogue controls and steep learning curve limited its appeal; for veterans, those flaws also reinforced the feeling of operating a demanding machine rather than a superhero.