Armored Core: Master of Arena – the last entry of Armored Core for the first PlayStation console

Big robot shoots multiple rocket into another big robot. Both are flying. Screenshot from the game Armored Core: Master of Arena

Master of Arena It was the last Armored Core released for PSX. It occupies two disks; it has more than 100 AC arena duels; it has better story than Project Phantasma (still worse than original game); it has the widest among three selection of parts and improved controls of your AC. Armored Cores of PlayStation … Read more

Armored Core: Project Phantasma – lazy and embarrassing second entry in the Armored Core franchise

Giant robot shoots another giant robot using a rifle. Screenshot from the game Armored Core: Project Phantasma

Frustration of Project Phantasma When you start a new game you’re met with familiar main game menu of the first game. But here first suspicion comes to mind. Something is wrong. There is no mail in your mail box that kicks up the story. No message that you have a new mail. Only menu. You … Read more

Armored Core (PSX) – indie game that became a massive niche mecha franchise. The first game in the series.

Setup of AC in Armored Core PSX

Game made by twenty people I’ve never played the first game as a child. Neither it was popular among the people I knew. I had only the second and the third part for my PSX. It feels like this game was made more like a message rather than an actual game and to prove abilities … Read more

Interview with the creator of modern PSP games in 2026

Player in the FPS game Locum Tenens shoots an enemy using a plasma rifle

Interviewer: Thanks for coming. How can I refer to you? Deriv’era: Thanks for organizing this. Call me Deriv’era. Interviewer: You created a PSP game in 2025. Why? Why PSP? Deriv’era: My thought process was straightforward – to create something small you need to pick platform that will restrict your crazy ideas to something realistic. I … Read more

Is real PSP better than emulation?

Two PSP laying near - white and black

Short answer – no. But this topic is more complicated than just a short answer. The reason is – hardware PSP is of the last generation of the devices that are relatively easy to emulate. The reason is simplicity of its hardware. GPU of PSP has a fixed function pipeline. Easiest way to explain what … Read more