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A thorough playtest of Namco’s latest in the near ten-year-old series seemed in order a few weeks ago. Never one to disappoint, Pro-G picked up a US copy and thrashed it within an inch of its afterburners. And it’s promising.
Veterans of the Ace Combat series will pretty much know what to expect, and as such will already have their pre-orders in, but the rest of you, rookies to this particular theatre of war, will want to know how the battle is shaping up, right?
*I really, really need to stop doing these awful war/conflict puns. They’re making me lose my will to live.*
Ah, that’s better.
Ace Combat (and Air Combat, if we want to act like we know everything) has never been a flight simulator. Don’t let the looks put you off. An arcade experience at heart, with simple-yet-satisfying ‘lock on, fire, kill’ mechanics, as opposed to the ‘fire-from-five-miles-away-and-forget’ nature of sims. Edge of your seat dogfights are the name of the game here and in a great deal of melees you’ll be able to look into the eyes of the enemy before you take him out. Proud of the simple style, Namco have never felt the need to change much – bar the introduction of special weapons, which add an extra strategic element to proceedings.
Things do have a lot to live up to story-wise when compared to 2002’s offering, Distant Thunder, which enveloped the player in a beautifully illustrated and well-told tale, with many twists and turns. Fortunately, the narrative does that of its predecessor proud, and though the wonderfully drawn scenes of old are gone, they have been replaced by some top-notch rendered cut-scenes. They set the scene thus: in the near future two fictional nations in a world not unlike our own have gone to war, after many a year of peace. No-one knows why, and as the makeshift Captain of one squadron you aren’t expected to ask any questions. Needless to say, you don’t need to ask; as the 20+ missions progress each facet of the tale is drip-fed to the player. Conspiracy, death and surprises at every turn are in full supply, though we wouldn’t expect any less these days.
The Ace Combat series has always been a looker and this is no exception. Models are stunningly realistic and views from up top are breathtaking. Take a look at a mission replay and you really could mistake it for video footage. Moving close to the ground reveals some ugly textures, but that doesn’t matter. The game is played high in the sky, and from there the game looks great.
Ace Combat 5 looks to be a welcome addition to the much overlooked series, and unless a disaster of biblical proportions occurs between the transition from NTSC to PAL, we should be singing its praises come February. Keep ’em peeled for the review.
