In somewhat sad news, the servers for the amazing game Armored Core Verdict Day have finally shutdown.
Released back in 2013, Verdict Day was the last Armored Core game we had to play until Armored Core VI came along last year.
Verdict Day was also a very different kind of Armored Core game, not least for its technical controls but also its extensive online multiplayer setup.
It’s also one of my all-time favorite Armored Core games, along with Silent Line and Master of Arena.
Taking cues from the excellent though underappreciated Chrome Hounds, Verdict Day had a large worldwide conflict that was enacted online between a bunch of factions.
Teams of players would join a faction and wage war until they were all wiped out or were victorious. You also had big set piece encounters against bosses, with the below video being an excellent example of this (I’m number 78 in case you are curious).
Much like the excellent online setup in Armored Core V, Verdict Day also used a commander that could guide teams across a map and give them tactical advice.
I had a huge amount of fun playing Verdict Day and the fifth generation of Armored Core games also helped me get through some pretty dark times personally. Not least because the games were so good, but also because I met and played with so many great people, who are still friends to this day.
While the fifth generation didn’t sit well with a few people outside of Japan, they were some of the most popular games in the franchise. This being impressive considering that games like Verdict Day received practically no promotion outside of Japan. Something that was finally corrected with the recent release of Armored Core VI.
To commemorate the closing down of the Verdict Day servers, lots of fans booted up the game and played until it was all shutdown, sharing their feelings online for the passing of another great game into the nostalgic ether.
I’m definitely glad that the Armored Core series is back and arguably more popular than ever, but Verdict Day still has a special place in my heart and I’m sad that a part of it is now gone.
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