Armored Core: Asset Management

This episode was excellent and quite creative, with some top-notch performance by Keanu Reeves.

The core meaning of this episode is about us, the gamers and how this passion can affect our lives and our morals. I believe this was excecuted almost perfectly, in an engaging and shocking way.

The visuals offered here are great and the camera work during the action sequences is excellent and almost videogame-like. Like I mentioned before, the story is just brilliantly written and very creative.

Altough everything here is excellent, the episode does leave you wanting more from this world that unfortunately, as this is just an anthology series, we are most likely never going to get.

I have reviewed each episode of "Love, Death + Robots" and am a big video games guy, so thought I'd do the same process for Amazon's "Secret Level".

Whilst I haven't specifically played any of the "Armored Core" games I have played some similar Mech Styled stuff over the years, so I wasn't completely unprepared for what it was about.

A pilot (Keanu Reeves) was long ago modified with an A. I co-pilot that's is in his head the whole time, giving him an almost schizophrenic existence - but allows him to control a giant mechanical robot. He gets a job, to intercept and engage a series of other "mechs" on his way to an undefined target. Whilst his AI connection usually gives him a massive advantage in combat, he meets opponents here that are unusually skilled.

So, the selling point here is probably the photo realistic work and the use of very recognisable actors such as Reeves and Temuera Morrison. Patrick Schwarzenegger is also in the short, but he is playing a character that doesn't (fortunately, given his ending) look like him. You also have regular V. O artists Erin Yvette and Steve Blum. It looks really good and the movement within the mech fights are excellent.

It's another one though that suffers a little with the .. so what .. when it comes to the story, for me anyway. Reeves pilot character is a little cliché, and the length of the story doesn't really have enough to time either flesh him out properly or do much more with him other than a few battles. The world doesn't really make much sense, who gives his this target to head for and why is never explained, though again that probably would be improved if the episode was allowed to be longer.

I didn't hate it. But for all it's star power it's perhaps the most forgettable episode of the series so far.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon was my introduction to the series so after I finished my playthrough, I went back to play the previous games.

The stories of the games are great with their themes and gripping characters, but I felt like none of that was present in this episode. There was an interesting perspective that could've been told, but I walked away more confused about the story than anything.

I liked this episode visually and would love to see more content in general from Armored Core. I just hope that next time the writers and directors actually take the time to learn or play the games.

I have played my fair share of Armored Core games in my day. I never focused much on the story mostly I am there for the combat. My desire for armored core media is the same. This episode delivered very well in terms of action in my opinion. I would have liked more but I would same for any of the episodes in Secret Level.

As far as story goes Keanu plays a main character I can get behind. I don't want to get too into the story I would just say it was satisfying and I could not ask for a better ending.

This secret level episode is one I could watch a whole series of just for the mechs.

All in all the episode is short which appeals to our 21st century attention spans, invokes a sense of nostalgia, and has a satisfactory conclusion.

Episode 8 - Armored Core: Asset Management.

I was left astonished by the way they've managed to perfectly capture the feeling of this universe, the high stakes of each fight the ACs have, and the pilots' -in some occasions- struggles to live in this world knowing what they are. I am a big fan of AC6, and this was such a joy.

The direction, the pace of the episode, the themes it slightly touches on, the dialogue and the action scenes are all superbly done.

We get inside the Pilot, and we get to understand, to an extent, why 'no one is like him'. We see how he struggles to be in a community of other pilots that are more... human, than him or them.

The sci-fi elements are amazing here, as well as the soundtrack.

And in the end... you're left wanting more. Much more.

One can only hope, that one day we can see a full length film of this dark and captivating universe.