So, a few days ago, Namco Bandai announced a new Ace Combat ga-
Someone: Umm…what’s Ace Combat anyway?
Uhh…right. I guess I need to explain this. And here’s the second Nostalgia Shift of this blog.
About the Game/ Series:
Ace Combat is a flight simulator different from others like it. Instead of opting for realism, Ace Combat decides to put the player straight into the action with real-life planes of your choice. As a result, players don’t have to worry about things such as fuel, planes carry way more ammo for missiles and guns than what real-life carries for them, and you can fly into spots that real pilots wouldn’t dare try. The games scores you points for blowing up enemy planes and ground targets, giving you an overall score and rank. In these games, you are a pilot of a country or organization against a superior enemy force equipped with loads of planes, ground forces, and even superweapons. The overarcing plot in the series turns into a world of geo-politics with every game having some part in the making. And for the music-minded, the series also features, in my opinion, some of the best video-game music ever.
History:
In 1992, Namco (who made Pac-Man, Tekken, and Time Crisis and still an independent company during that time) released an arcade game by the name of Ace Combat, released to the US and Europe under the name Air Combat. In 1995, a Playstation version of the game came out.
The plot is that in an unidentified country, a terrorist group manages to overthrow the government and do massive damage to its military forces. As a result, an air force of mercenary pilots are assembled to take on the terrorist group. The groundwork of the series started here. It also featured a rudimentary versus mode, something that other games in the series would use.
In 1997, Namco decided to release Ace Combat 2 for the Playstation.
The sequel featured a number of improvements which have shown in later games: enhanced graphics, super planes that the player can use for themselves, named enemy aces that you could shoot down for alternate plane colors, wingman control (although limited), and a branching system that leads to secret missions. This game also showed for the first time the “Strangereal World” : a world with a different landscape, but with similar political systems and technology.
The plot is that an asteroid, called Ulysses is found heading towards the world. The continent of Usea has its leaders go to a conference in order to determine how best to deal with the asteroid threat. Meanwhile, a separatist group of the military start a silent coup d’etat, capturing positions across the continent. In response, military brass sends out the Special Tactical Fighter Squardron (STFS) named “Scarface” to deal with the threat. Not only do the rebels have superweapons of their own, but they have their own ace squadron, the Z.O.E. You play as Scarface 1 during these events.
2 years later, in 1999, Namco released Ace Combat 3, the last game in the series for the PS1 and the one that solidified the whole story line. Chronologically, it is the latest game, beginning in 2040. The game featured futuristic planes, multiple endings through a branching storyline, and both anime-styled and CG cutscenes.
In this game, corporations have become superpowers, with two of them threatening to make a global war: General Resource LTD. and Neucom Inc. In an attempt to stop the incoming war, the Universal Peace Enforcement Organization (UPEO) deploys to stop the two companies. You play as a pilot named “Nemo” as you deal with the three sides.
Unfortunately, this is also considered the “black sheep” of the series, due to the localization for the US and European market. The localization teams axed the multiple storyline parts, a lot of cutscenes, and stages. As a result, the game was not well-recieved. Even today, the Japanese version is the sought-after version of this game.
Namco stopped making Ace Combat games for 2 years before launching in 2001 with Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies for the then-newly made Playstation 2.
As well as having improved graphics thanks to the Ps2, the story in this game is different in that instead of the story being about the player and their actions, it focuses on a person, in this case a boy, who is affected by the situation the player creates.
The plot is that the Ulysses asteroid explained in Ace Combat 2 manages to ruin a huge part of the world. The country of Erusea uses the event as an excuse to invade the whole continent of Usea in 2004, pushing the forces of the Independent States to its last legs. You are Mobius 1, implied to be the only fighter in 1 whole wing, as you lead the Independent States Allied Forces to victory.
This is the first game I personally played, and I fell in love with its semi-realism and the fact that I can be this badass pilot that’s pushing allied forces to victory. Plus, some of the levels were really intense to play, especially with the music.
After the success of Ace Combat 4, the series was followed by Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
Several additions included better control of wingmen, an actual arcade mode, and the on;y one in the series to use a “family” system of aircraft: as you use a certain plane, you gain experience and unlock variants of the plane you’re using.
The story revolves around a squadron based off Sand Island in the country of Osea called Wardog as Osea is engaged in a war with the country of Yuktobania. You play as a pilot with the callsign “Blaze”. Over time, the story switches to the consequences of a war 15 years before called the Belkan War as well as the fictional myth of Razgriz, a demon who terrorized the earth and died to become a hero when reborn.
As the second game I played, I liked the story being on your own wingmen and the twists. What I didn’t like was the fact that you had to use a plane for a long time in order to unlock its variants.
The series went out of the Playstation for a while to show its first handheld title, Ace Combat Advance.
Due to the limitations of the Game Boy Advance, the game is shown as a top down shooter. The plot, set before Electrosphere is that General Resource Ltd. has begun to expand their superiority to the world’s nations, with the help of their Air Strike Force. You play as a pilot in command of the United Air Defense and have to stop the company. This is also considered a “black sheep” to the whole series although it is admittedly a bad game in its own right.
After that, the series returned back to show one last game on the PS2 and the first Ace Combat game under the merger of Namco and fellow company Bandai: Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.
Set in the Belkan War of 1995, a major plot point in Ace Combat 5, it explains the war in detail and what happened. You play as Cipher, a mercenary of the Ustio Air Force, teamed up with another mercenary known as Solo Wing Pixy as you fight in this war. A lot of the story is influenced by Arthurian legend.
A lot of changes included showing numerous rival squadrons that fight you, unlike the other games where one squadron was the main rival, the only one to use a ‘honor’ system labeling you as either a knight, soldier, or mercenary depending on your actions (and determining which squadrons you face), and cutscenes where actors are used instead of being drawn in.
I say that Zero was one of the best games of the series around, and the fact that your actions influence later events were a nice touch. Plus, it has, in my opinion, some of the best songs in video game history.
The series went out of the consoles for a while, opting to go into the handheld market once again with Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception for the PSP.
This game featured things such as the target viewer, which let you see what you were targeting, and the ability to tune certain planes with parts in order to adjust their abilities. It also takes the multi-branching part one step further to make missions that you did not play have an effect on the following missions and can make them easier or harder.
The year is 2020, and the country of Leasath attacks the Federal Republic of Aurelia. The Aurelian military is all but crushed, and as Grypuhs 1 of the Aurelian Air Force, you lead the counterattack with whatever forces are left.
X really brought the series to the handheld console, and despite the limitations of the PSP, managed to be as good as some of its console brothers. And it still has cool music.
The series went back to the consoles after a 1-year hiatus, and went to the current generation of consoles with Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. Usually on the Playstation, many were surprised when it was announced that it would feature as an exclusive-only title for the Xbox 360, making this the first game to be featured on a console other than the Playstation.
The graphics were improved significantly, to the point where in the right conditions, screenshots of the game could look like real aircraft flying. Two major game change are the dynamic mission system in that there are several paths to go through in a mission and the allied support system where after a certain number of destroyed enemies, the player can call on other squadrons, tank crews, and ships to provide additional firepower or protection from enemies. Being on the Xbox 360, it also is the first game in the series to provide online multiplayer as well as DLC.
The plot revolves on the continent of Anea, where the Ulysses asteroid did a lot of damage. The Republic of Emmeria doesn’t suffer as much as its neighbor, the Federation of Estovakia, which falls into civil war over the few resources it has left. In 2015, the newly established military government invades the Republic. As Talisman of the Garuda Team, you and your partner, Shamrock, as well as the remaining forces, go on to stop the Estovakian tide and take back Emmeria.
I thought the story was weaker compared to the other games, but the action and was still as good. As for the DLC, a lot of it are skins of the planes that boost up stats. Some are free, but others are costly, but there are packs to help alleviate the price offset. A lot of the skins reference other games of the series, but the most striking of the DLC (and some of the most expensive, at 5 dollars a skin) are plane skins with the characters of one of Namco’s popular-but-unheard-of-in-the-States titles: the idol-making simulator the iDOLM@STER, complete with missile trails of their main color. And surprisingly, the skins make the aircraft perform better. Apparently, putting anime characters on your planes is a good thing, and the Emmerian Air Force doesn’t mind. And it’s embarrassing, if put into the shoes of an Estovakian pilot, to be shot down by a guy who has a girly plane.
The world is all one!...after I go to town with the F-15E. And with " 72"...err...Chihaya Kisaragi.
You would also be surprised at what the Japanese can do with these skins, time, and video editing.
The series went out of the market for a while until 2009, when Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion came in for the iPhone.
This used the iPhone’s motion sensors to play the game, although gameplay-wise, it is the same as previous games. It is also the most recent game to be released at this time.
The plot takes place during the events in Ace Combat X, and you play as Falco 1, a minor character in X, as part of the Aurelian offensive.
The Future:
At this time, there are two games coming out: Ace Combat X2: Joint Assault for the PSP, and Ace Combat: Assault Horizon for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Unlike the games before it, both games take place in our world, in places such as Tokyo, Paris, and Miami.
Joint Assault takes place in our time, after a global financial crisis has passed. A terrorist group called Valahia is the main antagonist, complete with superweapons, and you can play as one of four pilots in the series, with their own voices, a first in the series, under Antares Squadron in the service of the PMC Martinez Security.
A major part of the gameplay is the Joint Assault system where, with people online or by yourself, everyone is split up to do different tasks. Completion of those tasks can make the other parts easier for everyone else. As well as having planes of our time and some futuristic planes, players can use vintage World War II planes for the first time.
And just a few days ago, Namco Bandai showed a trailer of Assault Horizon, the first game in the series to go multi-platform. Gameplay includes quick-time events, the ability to fly helicopters, destructive environments, and turret gunner sequences. There is not much concerning story, but it does take place in the real world most likely in the Middle East, and in Miami, and there is mention of a Colonel Markov, who has his callsign “Akula” for the shark design on his nose.
Whether these two games are as good as the ones that came before them, only time will tell.
Overall:
These games are solid flight sims in their own right, with great music, dramatic and deep plots, and a simple game mechanic that is addicting to play. If you wish to play flight sims without having to deal with realism, have some fun, or just play something else, try one of these games out, especially the PS2 versions and 6 if you have an Xbox 360.
