Post-apocalyptic Armored Core 3 Portable hampered by twitchy controls

Armored Core 3 Portable (FromSoftware; PSP; rated teen)

Set in a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity dwells underground, the Armored Core series of video games put players in “mecha”, massive, humanoid-looking vehicles that are piloted by a single person.

These games are fun for two reasons. You’ll enjoy taking your personal mecha out on missions which will have you fighting against other mechanoids. You’ll have as much fun configuring your ride with different arms, legs, heads, jet upgrades, weapon attachments—you name it.

In Armored Core, the mecha are military machines, and in Armored Core 3 you belong to a private military group called the Ravens, who hire themselves out to any of the corporations struggling for control of territory.

This PlayStation Portable version is a port of the game released in 2002 for the PS2. Added to the game is an Arena, so you can battle up to four friends over a wireless connection, or you can connect your PSP to your PS3 and challenge other players anywhere in the world.

But the controls for the handheld version are a bit twitchy and can lead to some frustration in trying to orient your mecha. You might be more satisfied waiting for an Armored Core game that has been designed specifically for the PSP.