TOKYO--Armored Core Mobile Online, a currently Japan-only mobile game, combines complicated mech customization, multiplayer battles, and an online component to form one of the most intense and unique mobile experiences to date. The game, which is slated for release in Japan on October 3, lets players create mechs and then compete against other players wirelessly.

　　Of course, the complexity of the game undermines the opportunity for it to be released outside of Japan, where the cell phone market is significantly of a lower grade. However, playing this game was a nice opportunity to witness the future of mobile gaming technology. The only gameplay mode is mission mode, which lets the player get into gameplay and roam around a map, presumably with other players. We didn't get a chance to play with anyone else, since our hands were full with the computer AI, which was very aggressive. As in most mech games, your player character has two components: the mech itself and the pilot that sits in it, and you can customize both. We took a peek at both the RC garage and weapon garage, which seemed to offer a fair number of options, especially for a cell phone game.

　　Another feature of note is the "mail" option, which lets you organize competitions with other players. Although everyone playing Armored Core Mobile Online on the show floor seemed content to work through the complex game on their own, the option to communicate and compete was clearly present throughout the game.

　　We had a top-down, in-game view. It took only a few steps in our first venture with the game to get into a heated match with a tank that, quite frankly, took our heads off. It's apparent that this game will challenge you to keep on top of your mech and make sure that it is fully upgraded when possible. The graphics were fairly well done, although most of the effort seemed to have been concentrated on the gameplay operations rather than on the placement of extra details in the environment.

　　All in all, we found Armored Core Mobile Online to be a deep, intimidating game. It would surely challenge players all over the world should their cell phones become advanced enough to support its rich gameplay. In any case, if you hear more about Armored Core Mobile Online further on down the line, you shouldn't be surprised.