|  Not the best, but still great. , November 20, 2004
Reviewer: Capt. Steve (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
As a real-life pilot and self admitted video game nerd, I have say that Ace Combat 4 changed my life. It literally altered my whole life. I had to dedicate a minimum of one hour a day (this is with school and work) for several months to this game. You can imagine how much torture it was waiting for 5 to come out. And it was good 4 years! Well, its finally here. First things first, I think Namco saw the success of AC4 and didn't change the formula too much for AC5. This is good and bad. The good should be fairly obvious to you. The bad: it seems like this game is only 50 or 60% new material.
Basically the graphics, controls, sounds, and environments make this game super-fun and very replayable. However, the story isn't quite as cool as AC4. They replaced the great still art with cheesy looking CG. And answering my wingmen's questions during combat is not enjoyable either. You can't re-arm during missions anymore. This would be ok if they didn't give you seemingly near-impossible objectives in some of the missions.
In summary, AC5 could not eclipse the brilliance of AC4. But if you are a fan of AC4, then AC5 is certainly worth $40-50 purchase price because it should provide countless hours of entertainment (without effecting your social life of course).
Great game, but have I played this before? , October 27, 2004
Reviewer: Jeffrey S. Stanley "Viper_29" (Houston) - See all my reviews Okay, this is a awesome game. It has wonderful graphics, the airplane details are superbly represented, and the sound is really good. One of the signature differences between this new title and the previous Ace Combat 4 is the addition of the CGI cutscene movies, whereas the Ace Combat 4 used the storyboard type representation. If you have played Ace Combat 4, this game is easy enough to pick up and jump right in to the action.
Minor changes have been made to controls to allow for the "wingman" control scheme with the D-pad. This enables you to direct you wingmen to either cover, attack, disperse and use their special weapons on a target. You can also use the dpad for the standard yes no reply to questions that your wingmen will ask you throughout the game. It does add a nice touch of realism to the game with all the chatter you hear over the radio.
Now, since it has been 3 years since Ace Combat 4, I must say that I really did expect more in the way of advancements, but it truely feels like the same gamestyle, typical storyline, and overall general feel. Of course that is not berateing this game one iota. The graphics are much sharper, the land elevation scenery is much more detailed with trees and brushes now visible. The buildings are also nicely detailed with a higher polygon count. Perhaps the best change made for me is the missile animation you now see when you launch a missile. The missile stream is now much more realistic with the way it curves and actually winds through the air.
If you enjoyed Ace Combat 4, you won't regret buying this game. If you never played Ace Combat 4, then you will truely love this game moreso than the typical veteran Ace Combat player. Great visuals, good storyline and good sound design make this a winner in anyone's book.
Just to mention that you can either play the campaign mode or arcade mode. Arcade mode will have you reprise your role as Morphius from the Ace Combat 4 game. The campaign will carry you in the role of flight leader and allow you to fight with and control your wingmen. Enjoy.
 Great Graphics Do Not a Great Game Make... , October 29, 2004
Reviewer: B. Cross "Prowler Bassman" (Clarksburg, WV) - See all my reviews CONCEPT: Your home country of Osea is under attack by an invading nation. Lead a handful of fighter pilots on a variety of missions in a variety of planes to repel the invaders.
GRAPHICS: WOW. Photo-realistc aircraft and terrain make this game absolutely beautiful. Realistic weather and altitude effects add to the mix to provide an absolutely stunning visual experience.
SOUND: Aircraft engine and weapon sound effects were great, as were the sound of targets being destroyed. You see the explosion, THEN you hear it. Very nice... Now, the game sound is another point that I don't like. The radio chatter, although nice at first, gets VERY annoying, VERY fast. You hear ground forces arguing about who is better, and your fellow pilots also complain about some of the most inane stuff imaginable, all during the heat of battle. However, the catch is that the radio chatter sometimes provides key mission updates. Radio or no radio? That is the question...
CONTROL: Nice and tight, just like Ace Combat 4. Although now, you use the D-pad to issue wingman orders. Nothing much new to report as far as controls are concerned.
WHAT'S NEW: Now, you can issue wingman orders, and decide what fighters the three other pilots in your squadron fly. You can have some in air-superiority fighters, while others buzz the deck in ground attackers. It's all up to you.
OVERALL: I had this game for about 2 days before I took it back. I got so SICK of the lame dialogue, and the silly "Can't we all just get along?" message that was so pervasive throughout this game. Don't get me wrong, I think that real war is terrible, and should be avoided, especially if it isn't necessary (current world events...), but a game with "Combat" in it's title shouldn't be so d**n preachy!!! Also, there is very little variety to the combat. Some missions are air-to-air, others are air-to-ground, and others are a mix. But after a while the idea of "Fly around, do some rolls and loops, shoot down some fighters, take out some tanks, end of mission" gets OLD. Anyway, fans of the "Ace Combat" series will dig this one, I guess I just lost interest. |
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