• ID = PS0009
• STYLE = Flight Combat Sim
• DEV. = Namco Ltd.
• PUB. = Namco Hometek, Inc.
• R-DATE = Oct-22-2001
• ESRB = E / For Everyone
• PLAYERS = 1-2 players
• LIST PRICE = $49.99
  

After a giant meteor crashes into the Earth and throws the ecosystem out of whack, many countries are scrambling to feed their people and get them the resources they need. In other words, the threat of a full-scale world war is imminent.

One rebellious nation is preparing for the conflict, and has already begun attacking a neighboring country. You’re a young ace pilot hose family was killed in the war years earlier—who’s been brought in to provide counterattacks in order to keep things from escalating any further.

You’ll have several high-powered and high-tech planes to choose from, each equipped with an impressive arsenal. There are 24 missions in all, ranging from simple reconnaissance to all-out assaults.

So if you’re in the mood for the most realistic flight simulator ever to grace a console, then you should check out ACE COMBAT 4 - Shattered Skies.

Amazon.com Review
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is as close as console owners can come to owning a PC-class simulator. It still has the arcade sensibilities of previous entries in this popular series, but the graphics, number of planes (all with different flight characteristics), and story line kick this dogfighting experience into full afterburner.

Things don't start out too well. Early in the game you're saddled with what amounts to a flying brick, and are forced to fly a few boring mud-moving missions. Stick with it, though. By the end of the game, you'll have earned enough money to buy a hangar full of incredible aircraft, each with special weapons, capabilities, and shortcomings. The F-14, for example, has a slow roll rate but can engage multiple targets at long range. The A-10 is horrible in a dogfight, but is devastating down low. You'll need to familiarize yourself with all the planes, as picking the right plane for the job always spells the difference between success and failure in the later missions.

The game is nearly perfect in the audio department, with booming engine noises (taken from recordings of the planes' real-life counterparts) and constant radio chatter during missions. Graphically, it's a bit of a letdown, especially the anemic explosions. Up high, everything is picture perfect, and the plane models are gorgeous, but close to the ground the terrain melts into a pixilated mess. This is offset somewhat by the inclusion of dense urban areas and twisting canyons that are thrilling to fly through. All things considered, Shattered Skies is the best mix of simulation and arcade action ever burned onto a disc. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:
• Photorealistic terrain (at least when viewed from high altitude)
• Nonstop action backed by an engaging story
• Intense dogfights, sometimes involving dozens of planes

Cons:
• Scripted mission design doesn't give players much freedom
• Pathetic explosions
• Terrain that loses detail when viewed from a low altitude

• Start Button == pause menu
• Select Button == toggle missile/special weapon
• Circle Button == fire missile/special weapon
• X Button == fire vulcan machine gun
• Triangle Button == change target
• Square Button == display map
• Triangle Button (hold) == change target size
• Square Button (hold) == toggle between map sizes
• L1 Button == throttle down
• R1 Button == throttle up
• L1 Button (hold) == maximum deceleration
• R1 Button (hold) == maximum acceleration
• L2 Button == yaw left
• R2 Button == yaw right
• Left Analog Stick Up == pitch up
• Left Analog Stick Down == pitch down
• Left Analog Stick Left == pitch left
• Left Analog Stick Right == pitch right
• Right Analog Stick Up == adjust line of sight up
• Right Analog Stick Down == adjust line of sight down
• Right Analog Stick Left == adjust line of sight left
• Right Analog Stick Right == adjust line of sight right
• R3 Button == display rear view; adjust rear view
• D-Pad Up == level off; autopilot
• D-Pad Down == change point of view

• Start Button == display pause menu; skip takeoff/landing
• Select Button == toggle missile/special weapon
• Circle Button == fire missile/special weapon
• X Button == fire vulcan machine gun
• Triangle Button == change target
• Triangle Button (hold) == change target size
• Square Button == display map
• Square Button (hold) == toggle between maps
• L1 Button == throttle down
• L1 Button (hold) == maximum deceleration
• R1 Button == throttle up
• R1 Button (hold) == maximum acceleration
• Left Analog Stick Up == pitch up
• Left Analog Stick Down == pitch down
• Left Analog Stick Left == pitch left
• Left Analog Stick Right == pitch right
• Right Analog Stick Up == underbelly camera view
• Right Analog Stick Down == overhead camera view
• Right Analog Stick Left == right wing camera view
• Right Analog Stick Right == left wing camera view
• D-Pad Up == level off/autopilot
• D-Pad Down == change point of view
• R3 Button == display rear view; adjust rear view

Programmers Cheats:
To unlock the alternate colors for the planes there is an ace placed in each mission that you must find and shoot down. Here are the planes and locations for each mission.

1. F-5 just north of the allied airbase
2. A-10 north of the enemy airbase
3. F-16 South of the second radar station(the westernmost one)
4. Mirage 2000 Northwest of the westernmost radar jamming plane
5. MIG-29 South of the far western pumping station on the map
6. F-14 North of the northenmost group of enemies on the map
7. TND-IDS North of the solar tower
8. F-18 after refueling during the mission the ace will appear to the east of the main combat area
9. F-15C North of the center beach combat area
10. RF-01 Far upper northwest corner of the map, northwest of the sub base
11. SU-35 The ace will appear with about 90 seconds left during this mission
12. F-2 North of the stonhenge gun base
13. F-15E After clearing the radar balloons, enemy fighters will appear, the ace is in the north east
14. F-22 Ace is in the north east of the map
15. EF-2000 Ace will be in the center of the map when the mission starts(between the two southern combat zones)
16. F-117 Ace is located northwest of the westernmost combat zone(Due to stealth sometimes hard to find, head 2 grids north and 1 west)
17. F-15A Ace is located in the far northwestern corner of the map, past the city
18. S-37 The ace is located north of megalith.

The F-4 is available after completeing hard mode, the X-2 is available after completeing expert mode.

The aces are sometimes difficult to spot on radar as they don\'t show up until you get close. When you do find them they will be red on the radar instead of the usual enemy fighter colors of yellow or orange.

More Unlockables
Unlockable == How to Unlock

• Ace Difficulty == Beat the game under expert difficulty

• Acquire second color scheme == By completing each mission in normal difficulty with an S-rank you unlock the secondary color for each fighter. By shooting the aces you get the 3rd. It is not neccessary to pass the trial missions for the 2nd colors.

• Expert Difficulty == Beat the game under hard difficulty

• Get All Three X-02 == First, beat the game on Hard with \'\'S\'\' ranks in all missions for the gray X-02. Do the same on Expert for the black X-02, and the same on Ace for the white X-02.

• Secret Modes == You can get secret modes by defeating the game. Finish the game in any difficulty to aquire Special Continue, Trial missions, FMV sequences, 36 musics from the game, and be able to change the color of your aircraft

• Unlock All Aircraft == Complete the game on normal and get an S rank for every mission to unlock all the aircraft, including the X-02 Multirole fighter. This fighter is perfect for just bout any mission.

• Unlock Third Color Schemes == Each aircraft has a third color scheme as well, but these are harder to get. You have to defeat the enemy 'Aces' that are hidden throughout the missions. There is at least one Ace per mission. They're hard to find and don't show up on radar until you get.

• View the FMV opening with selected plane == You can do this with all planes and different colors. First go to the start mission and select the plane, after that you'll see the weapon menu. Exit the start mission and go to the title.

• X-02 Color Schemes == To get the first color scheme for the bonus aircraft, the X-02, get S Rankings on all missions on Hard difficulty, either in Story or Free Mission mode. For the second color, play through the game and get S Rankings on all missions on the Expert difficulty.

Hidden Planes:
SR-71:In shattered skies it is the plane that you are targeting at the begining. Also it is on the Southwest most corner in Whiskey Corridor.
XB-70:This is at the top left corner in breaking arrows.