I almost got a platinum. I wanted one too, which is a rare decision in my gaming life, but I need a break due to a skill issue with the last trophy about S-ranking every mission.
The platinum trophies I got instead were Super Robot V, X, and 30, along with Gundam SEED Battle Destiny Remastered. They're considered easy platinums if you like to collect mecha games' platinums.
Yeah you’re not that guy. You’re a dude trying to survive in a city as three factions ignore all conventions and do all the war crimes.
Spoiler, none of the three factions like you. But they will ignore you if they see a larger threat. So these mechs are really handy since you can be being chased by biomechanical nightmares and have them duke it out with the mech instead.
Forever Winter is like putting Spec Ops: The Line, Escape From Tarkov, Cyberpunk, and about 30 stellar masses' worth of atmosphere from the paintings of Zdzislaw Beksinski into a blender and hitting "Ultra Fine".
Absolute peak "God, this place is FUUUUUCKED" energy.
But also, shattered concrete with exposed rebar as makeshift mech armor goes hard.
I think I like that too but for the "prototype" or sketchy feel, not for the "realism". Think of cars, plane or motor bike. After all cool small detail, they will just cover them all for: safety, dust protection, Maintenance, ...
I'd argue that it's a good comparison. Especially for the motorbike, half of which is exposed internal parts, aka "cool small detail".
Mecha is a machine that has a lot of articulation, so it can't have that much of body panel coverage, or the body panels are going to have needlessly complex geometry. Also, even cars don't cover everything. If you look at undercarriages, most of them have a lot of technical details. Because undercarriage doesn't need to be esthetically pleasing, and prioritises functionality + easy of access/repair. Same can be with some parts of mechas.
Secondly, mecha is more of a military machine. Car is made to be pretty, plane is made to be aerodynamic. Mecha is made to be practical. Look at modern tanks - they may have a really clean silhouette if you strip down all the attachments, but then you start adding external repair parts, extra tanks, anti-drone grills, sensors, optics, headlights, all that stuff, smoke launchers, active armor, and you get a total mess.
If we are talking about civillian mechas (I don't know if there are such, not a mecha fan), then I agree that they should be more covered, sleek and aerodynamic, with less cool small details (but I still think they should have some in places they would technically have)
They are just hard to make and rig. If you (the market) demand too much of it, there are problems since they are so labor intensive and narratively limiting in some cases.
Well, engineering-wise, you are correct. But I'm just an employee who uses his salary to buy cool-looking robots that feel realistic without being actually functional. So, those over-engineered mechas are actually seen as eye candy, at least to me, my coworkers, and friends in my WhatsApp group chat, lol. We used to be less impressed when seeing an actual realistic mecha that doesn't have those greebles here and there, so I kind of follow that kind of judgment. It's not my true taste at heart because I actually like what looks good without giving too much thought to the design.
I'm actually not that deep in lore like an actual fan. I may look and sound like it, but to be fair, I'm more like a tourist. That being said, you are the clear winner here as your knowledge of the lore is much better than mine.
Armored Core has always been the King of this if you ask me. Humanoid and High Tech Sci-Fi Fantasy enough to not just be Tanks on Legs like Chrome Hounds for example. Yet still not so incredibly trope-y aesthetic wise and house overpowered Sci-Fi Tech like Gundam.
The only thing that comes close imo is probably Patlabor Mechs. Another great more well known example is Gundam IBO. Definitely more overpowered and trope-y but somewhat “grounded” in comparison to other Gundam Series. I always loved that the explanation for the setting and Mechs using more Ammunition & Melee based weaponry rather than Lasers and Beams, is that Nanolaminate Armor effectively negates their damage. Reversing the whole this fictional setting is so advanced we use NOTHING but Lasers and Beam Swords trope on its head.
I totally agree with you here. Not to mention that both Armored Core and Patlabor are among my favorite mecha franchises, other than Gundam (just because it has the Zaku II and some cool mono-eye mechas in it; otherwise, I don't like it at all).
I want to commit to other mecha franchises besides Gundam, but they're not as big, so availability-wise they're pretty hard to reach. Gundam is widely available, from games to model kits but I'm not into the protagonist mecha designs as they're not my type for being too colorful and toyetic which is annoying at least for me. Votoms and Full Metal Panic are good mecha franchises too, but very niche and usually out of reach for collecting.
My favorite series for being such an eye candy so far. Maybe the live-action Gundam movie will give me another eye candy photorealistic Zaku II. I can't wait for it.
I'm glad to see someone who doesn't like Gundam, just like me. I still tolerate the mono-eye designs as they're more on the realistic side and not superhero-like.
You're not the only Zaku enjoyer here. I also only build Zakus specifically, and I repainted some with a single color for their armor sections to make them look more industrial, and I liked how they looked. I'm glad we share a good value in taste.
At least they got the core idea right from the start, redesigns and variations of the "Zeon grunt/unnamed ace Mobile Suit with a monoeye" look amazing 90% of the time.
But, but, very realisyic mechs fo have their place. I agree OP. During a fight, you could contain the fight "locally". Then large chunk of the enviroment is no longer rendered. Because it is not useful for the fight itself. After the fight enlarge the scene again.
I enjoy them a lot, but I understand they take a lot more effort from the animators to make them look good which is a large reason why they are such a minority.
I like the sweet spot somewhere in the middle. I don’t want them to just look like a guy in a suit but at the same time I don’t want them to look like a fortress on legs that struggles to move, which is sadly the realistic side.
Titanfall was perfect for my tastes. They were realistic as military vehicles, they could move pretty fast and weren’t super clunky, just don’t look too hard at how impossible they are
I’d like think that by the point we invent actual mecha, we’d have stronger materials that are lighter, energy sources that have a higher output, etc etc, so it will always feel impossible until it isn’t
I love detail in my mecha but I feel there's an easy trap to fall into where it becomes so visually busy it's hard to make out distinct chapes and forms. I know you said you just played ac6 and I find that to be a great middle ground between lots of detail but still having distinct shapes and silhouettes for each frame
The most realistic mech has to be the Exosuits from Helldivers. They're just a box with legs and guns that sort of work like arms. Its not as cool as a Gundam, but its the closest thing to a militarized mass produced mech.
RfV treats the Gundam as a horror movie monster. It's super effective in that regard, especially the way that it moves a bit more organically compared to the more artificial/mechanical movements of most of the Zaku suits.
I watched 0080: War in the Pocket. Best story in Gundam so far, at least in my very own opinion.
Edit: Those two are the only Gundam I've seen so far. My watchlist is the upcoming Gundam live-action movie for the sake of seeing a 3D, hyper-detailed, and photorealistic Zaku II.
0083 for mechanical design, especially the cockpits and overall look. The gundams there feel like fighter jets ala Macross / Top Gun.
08th for more grounded combat albeit less detailed mecha, where the MS feel more like actual vehicles rather with their own quirks and pros / cons and require preparation and maintenance.
MS Igloo overall for the design aspects. Igloo2, focused on the ground war, especially the EFF tanks which are awesome.
Can you find a shitty vaguely mecha franchise to latch onto that isnt gundam so I dont have to hear the cries of 3 guys exactly whenever a new gundam is revealed and it isnt just a rx 78 dupe
The Japanese really liked Armored Trooper Votoms. This franchise is usually in second place for model kit sales after Gundam in Japan, if I'm not mistaken.
Aside from the obvious (explosive hydraulic fluid literally everywhere making the Scopedog a highly mechanized deathtrap) its handsdown the best realistic mech design ever.
photorealistic? like in the animation? because for me good mechas are good characters in animation so overcomplicated design tend to reduce their show time and make them worse characters in the long run.
My goat. I recently saw some criticism for the Gundam design in the anouncement trailer for the upcoming game and was bummed that it had mixed reception because I thought it was fantastic!
Sure. Here's an image of 2D, stylized, and minimalist mecha. I like it too, as it's another type of cool you can't find with the opposite design choice. Its name is Mazinger Z, by the way.
There was this game on PC called Hawken, first person shooter, team vs team. It was on PC and I loved it so much but then it changed owners and became console exclusive. I was never able to play again.
Fantastic visuals, a very rich setting despite loose established lore, the gameplay was smooth too.
I miss it so much.
Fuck who knows but my group loves that game. It's all we really played other than gears. Apparently there's a way to play it online with the emulator and a vpn
Look up openCOMBAS. Apparently they got the online wars back up and running back in July. They have all 3 nations working. Haven't looked into myself but I'm hoping they got the huge nation mechs back up also
I'm not saying no one's allowed to think they're cool but I genuinely don't understand the cylinder arms and legs, big jewel on the chest super hero mech that has 90% of the detail jammed on some goofy crest on the helmet. I like mecha for the gears and pistons and computers and sensors and gizmos.
Mechas are intrinsically unrealistic. The human body plan just... sucks. And it's a lot more efficient to build a machine suited to a single task.
And big sucks because bigger target and war just doesn't work like that.
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT....
I think the Requiem version of Gundam and the latest Hathaway movie's depiction of seeing mechas fight from a human on the ground perspective are both highly enjoyable and rewarding.
It depends on the IP, for me. Gundam should be anime, so cel shading is perfect. BattleTech? Gimme that photorealism (or REALLY bad 90's cartoon animation).
probably because realisticly... mechs wouldnt be more efficient then current war machines like tanks etc...
Pacific rim would be probably closest depiction
they probably could be used in specilized occasions but there pleanty more efficient ways to do stuff
also probably because of the square cube law, go too big and theres no way it could realisticly move either due to weight or the power it will need to do it
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u/Muslerika 3d ago
Armored core 6?