This has been an easy game to replay over the last year or so- it’s like two hours long, there’s a ton of variation thanks to the combination of the different Ace styles and the flexible approach to missions, it’s thematically and narratively dense- and yet I can’t seem to write anything cogent on it, even after multiple playthroughs. So, forgive me if this is scattershot; wanted to get something (anything!) down that might help me make sense of this.
—
I don’t know if anything that’s got this many weapons manufacturers in the intro can be considered truly anti-war, but I like the way the game’s philosophy comes out in the scoring system, Metal Gear style. You’re given a subtle nudge to engage in dogfights thanks to fact that enemy pilots are worth far more than some defenseless blip on the map- especially apparent in the few score attack missions where you can hit the threshold far more quickly by engaging enemy formations than picking apart a hapless armored column. Also keenly felt in the few times where you can select which operation to participate in- select an Air-to-ground mission has the Belkan forces betrayed by their own CO’s and making last stands with aging equipment, but take on the air-to-air missions and fights become much more evenly-matched, your opponents still able put up an intense fight- and sometimes they’re even able to walk away. In a game so critical of the bureaucratic and corrupt intentions of warmongering nations, I think it sees a lot of truth in these showdowns; philosophies and worldviews tested, but in ways that don't threaten to consume the rest of the world. (obvious exception being the threat of nuclear annihilation in the finale) And, more broadly, the emphasis on dogfighting is one more example of the strange harmony between the Arthurian imagery and the world of air warfare- cutting through the sky to seek out other Knights to ransom off.
There’s some more mundane structural stuff I’m also really keen on; with so many games centered on player choice I find I just end up making the same choices on each playthrough- committed to a particular alignment from minute one, but there are a lot of decisions to make regardless of your chosen style, with the usual array of open-ended maps and planes to customize, alongside the previously mentioned operations that have you tackling entirely different objectives. For as much as Zero is tackling narratively, it never shies away from the legacy of its arcade roots, and that might be part of the reason the game moves along with such an expert pace.
If there is one issue with it, it’s that the different Ace styles feel somewhat disconnected from their intent when actually playing; I gravitate towards the Knight style, but that’s partially because the act of sparing neutral targets demands so little from you. In practice it feels like it embodies the sort of pragmatism that the Soldier style is meant represent, and playing as a “Soldier” seems positively sociopathic as you have to keep a mental check of how many neutral targets you’ve killed and how many you need to spare- but maybe that’s the nature of stepping into a worldview that seems far outside my own.
Anyway, I could keep going, still feel like there’s so much here; give it another playthrough or two I’ll find something totally different to hone in on. In the meantime, I can’t recommend it enough.
—
I was never able to find out what kind of a person he really was. But whenever they talked about him, they always had a slight smile on their faces.
That, perhaps, may be my answer.
—
I don’t know if anything that’s got this many weapons manufacturers in the intro can be considered truly anti-war, but I like the way the game’s philosophy comes out in the scoring system, Metal Gear style. You’re given a subtle nudge to engage in dogfights thanks to fact that enemy pilots are worth far more than some defenseless blip on the map- especially apparent in the few score attack missions where you can hit the threshold far more quickly by engaging enemy formations than picking apart a hapless armored column. Also keenly felt in the few times where you can select which operation to participate in- select an Air-to-ground mission has the Belkan forces betrayed by their own CO’s and making last stands with aging equipment, but take on the air-to-air missions and fights become much more evenly-matched, your opponents still able put up an intense fight- and sometimes they’re even able to walk away. In a game so critical of the bureaucratic and corrupt intentions of warmongering nations, I think it sees a lot of truth in these showdowns; philosophies and worldviews tested, but in ways that don't threaten to consume the rest of the world. (obvious exception being the threat of nuclear annihilation in the finale) And, more broadly, the emphasis on dogfighting is one more example of the strange harmony between the Arthurian imagery and the world of air warfare- cutting through the sky to seek out other Knights to ransom off.
There’s some more mundane structural stuff I’m also really keen on; with so many games centered on player choice I find I just end up making the same choices on each playthrough- committed to a particular alignment from minute one, but there are a lot of decisions to make regardless of your chosen style, with the usual array of open-ended maps and planes to customize, alongside the previously mentioned operations that have you tackling entirely different objectives. For as much as Zero is tackling narratively, it never shies away from the legacy of its arcade roots, and that might be part of the reason the game moves along with such an expert pace.
If there is one issue with it, it’s that the different Ace styles feel somewhat disconnected from their intent when actually playing; I gravitate towards the Knight style, but that’s partially because the act of sparing neutral targets demands so little from you. In practice it feels like it embodies the sort of pragmatism that the Soldier style is meant represent, and playing as a “Soldier” seems positively sociopathic as you have to keep a mental check of how many neutral targets you’ve killed and how many you need to spare- but maybe that’s the nature of stepping into a worldview that seems far outside my own.
Anyway, I could keep going, still feel like there’s so much here; give it another playthrough or two I’ll find something totally different to hone in on. In the meantime, I can’t recommend it enough.
—
I was never able to find out what kind of a person he really was. But whenever they talked about him, they always had a slight smile on their faces.
That, perhaps, may be my answer.
This review contains spoilers
This Review is entirely biased by a very personal impact that I have been meaning to put into words, so this review more then anything, is a love letter to this game.
Its 2021, and I am down on my luck, college drop out, father passed away, and fired from work. I am on the edge of falling back in to bad habits, and dropping any of my wishes to move out of my at the time shitty home.
I am spending Christmas alone again, my father died a few years back, who I used to spend it with, and I never really got along with family besides the old man. As a kid, each night before I went to sleep, he told me the stories of King Arthur, a story I somewhat misguidedly looked up to, wanting to be like the king, not understanding the ramifications of it.
Either way, I follow that ideal; being a leader, building a community, and not really thinking about the deep responsibility of being a figure people need to be able to rely on or that people will come to hate you for being such a person.
Anyway; I am spending Christmas alone, I buy ace combat 7 to kill time; fell in love in an instant, and ended up getting the rest of the games. After playing through 4 and 5, I finally got to Zero; and I never expected the game to change me the way it did. I was now at the same point in life, but my ''friends'' of the time had left me cause they had their own issues. My whole leadership fantasy had fallen apart, and I failed to see the value in the people who were still around me.
And in comes a game about a pilot who falls into the role of King Arthur, the figure I had been chasing to be like for the years since my father died, thinking it would fix me; that it would fulfill and replace the grief I had, the anger I had for my shitty childhood, and more.
I didn't really have a idea as to why I was here, why I survived living on the streets, why I survived abuse, why I even fought; I was lost. But Ace Combat was for a good while something that just, kept my mind of it all; and then finally, with my heart at ease, Ace Combat Zero directly confronted the destructive path I found myself on.
I time and time again did actions, based on others their dreams and ideals, but never my own; Cipher does the same. Cipher just follows the needs of the allied forces; aimlessly, a weapon pointed at others, with no one really caring for who they are, what their dreams or ideals are. Besides Pixy, but even then; you continue your path of violence. No matter what you tell yourself; you're just a merc, a soldier, or doing this for the cause as a knight; the point stands, you arent fighting for yourself. You never stop to ask what world you are protecting.
And then your buddy leaves you for those actions; he lost faith in you, and the world as a whole, and begrudgingly leaves you in the dust. Ace Combat Zero from here on, after Pixy leaves, takes on a new tone; the reason you are doing things becomes less and less clear, as the enemy has already given up, and now you're fighting the faction your friend went of to; cause you just cant end this cycle of following whatever order you're given.
But the comfort of just following orders, putting down enemy after enemy whilst being praised for it is now twisted on you. You're seen as a monster, one of you're own making. And you're confronted with doubt.
And then there is the final confrontation.
Pixy, you former ally; asks, ''found your reason to fight yet?'' and it all dawned on me then and there; I hadn't. I had never thought for a second what *I* wanted, stuck in just this idea of surviving, and scrapping by. And now, the game asks me to defend the world; and for what? Pixy himself asks you what this world even has to offer besides pain. But there I began thinking, why would I want to stop v2? Why do I want to refuse the idea of being on the same coin as Pixy? And it all dawned on me that I didn't want to be a hero, or some big leader who was going to amount to something larger then life.
I just wanted to live; that, was my reason to fight. I had come this far, and I did not want my life to end in the shitty situation I was in, and neither did I want that for Cipher, a silent protagonist who I had found myself projecting on a little too much.
So I defeat Pixy, I am now looking over a peaceful horizon; but I didn't really know at that second what I wanted to do; how I was going to fix it. But then Pixy talked about trust. "The world won't change unless we trust people. Trust is vital for a peaceful world-- I may not find what I'm looking for, but I still wanna try."
And it all clicked. I hadn't found my ability yet to trust people again, or to dare to go into the unknown to try look for a better life. I was scared to improve, thinking I would lose myself.
And then in the end, Pixy asked ''Still alive?'' as I am already crying, and I realised how far I had come; how strong I really was for the things I went through and still was able to stand and talk about them. In the end, Cipher vanishes from history. And a year later, I did the same.
I went to the other side of the country, and began living life on my own terms. I have never been happier; I am finally forming into the person I wanted to be. Not a false dream, but for once just living in the real world. I survived. And perhaps that is my answer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atlpj7AGXU&ab_channel=AceCombatFan
Its 2021, and I am down on my luck, college drop out, father passed away, and fired from work. I am on the edge of falling back in to bad habits, and dropping any of my wishes to move out of my at the time shitty home.
I am spending Christmas alone again, my father died a few years back, who I used to spend it with, and I never really got along with family besides the old man. As a kid, each night before I went to sleep, he told me the stories of King Arthur, a story I somewhat misguidedly looked up to, wanting to be like the king, not understanding the ramifications of it.
Either way, I follow that ideal; being a leader, building a community, and not really thinking about the deep responsibility of being a figure people need to be able to rely on or that people will come to hate you for being such a person.
Anyway; I am spending Christmas alone, I buy ace combat 7 to kill time; fell in love in an instant, and ended up getting the rest of the games. After playing through 4 and 5, I finally got to Zero; and I never expected the game to change me the way it did. I was now at the same point in life, but my ''friends'' of the time had left me cause they had their own issues. My whole leadership fantasy had fallen apart, and I failed to see the value in the people who were still around me.
And in comes a game about a pilot who falls into the role of King Arthur, the figure I had been chasing to be like for the years since my father died, thinking it would fix me; that it would fulfill and replace the grief I had, the anger I had for my shitty childhood, and more.
I didn't really have a idea as to why I was here, why I survived living on the streets, why I survived abuse, why I even fought; I was lost. But Ace Combat was for a good while something that just, kept my mind of it all; and then finally, with my heart at ease, Ace Combat Zero directly confronted the destructive path I found myself on.
I time and time again did actions, based on others their dreams and ideals, but never my own; Cipher does the same. Cipher just follows the needs of the allied forces; aimlessly, a weapon pointed at others, with no one really caring for who they are, what their dreams or ideals are. Besides Pixy, but even then; you continue your path of violence. No matter what you tell yourself; you're just a merc, a soldier, or doing this for the cause as a knight; the point stands, you arent fighting for yourself. You never stop to ask what world you are protecting.
And then your buddy leaves you for those actions; he lost faith in you, and the world as a whole, and begrudgingly leaves you in the dust. Ace Combat Zero from here on, after Pixy leaves, takes on a new tone; the reason you are doing things becomes less and less clear, as the enemy has already given up, and now you're fighting the faction your friend went of to; cause you just cant end this cycle of following whatever order you're given.
But the comfort of just following orders, putting down enemy after enemy whilst being praised for it is now twisted on you. You're seen as a monster, one of you're own making. And you're confronted with doubt.
And then there is the final confrontation.
Pixy, you former ally; asks, ''found your reason to fight yet?'' and it all dawned on me then and there; I hadn't. I had never thought for a second what *I* wanted, stuck in just this idea of surviving, and scrapping by. And now, the game asks me to defend the world; and for what? Pixy himself asks you what this world even has to offer besides pain. But there I began thinking, why would I want to stop v2? Why do I want to refuse the idea of being on the same coin as Pixy? And it all dawned on me that I didn't want to be a hero, or some big leader who was going to amount to something larger then life.
I just wanted to live; that, was my reason to fight. I had come this far, and I did not want my life to end in the shitty situation I was in, and neither did I want that for Cipher, a silent protagonist who I had found myself projecting on a little too much.
So I defeat Pixy, I am now looking over a peaceful horizon; but I didn't really know at that second what I wanted to do; how I was going to fix it. But then Pixy talked about trust. "The world won't change unless we trust people. Trust is vital for a peaceful world-- I may not find what I'm looking for, but I still wanna try."
And it all clicked. I hadn't found my ability yet to trust people again, or to dare to go into the unknown to try look for a better life. I was scared to improve, thinking I would lose myself.
And then in the end, Pixy asked ''Still alive?'' as I am already crying, and I realised how far I had come; how strong I really was for the things I went through and still was able to stand and talk about them. In the end, Cipher vanishes from history. And a year later, I did the same.
I went to the other side of the country, and began living life on my own terms. I have never been happier; I am finally forming into the person I wanted to be. Not a false dream, but for once just living in the real world. I survived. And perhaps that is my answer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atlpj7AGXU&ab_channel=AceCombatFan
All the things he said
All the things he said
Running through my head
Running through my head
Running through my head
All the things he said
All the things he said
Running through my head
Running through my head
All the things he said (all the things he said)
This is not enough (enough, enough, enough)
This is not enough
Buddy
All the things he said
Running through my head
Running through my head
Running through my head
All the things he said
All the things he said
Running through my head
Running through my head
All the things he said (all the things he said)
This is not enough (enough, enough, enough)
This is not enough
Buddy
It's very anti-war, it wants to make sure you know it's anti-war, but not in the same way that Ace Combat 5 hits you over the head with it like a blunt instrument. It has more interest in showing the (unfortunately mostly faceless) individual personal conclusions to being faced with fascism and war atrocity. PJ's naive belief that the government cares about the average person, alongside desperate right-wing fascism turned into manipulation of trauma-addled war veterans. It's trying to say a lot, it REALLY comes close to fucking this up, but I think you can read it in a way that isn't too misguided.
This game really gets into the hypocrisy and morality of war, the idea that there is a such thing as a "gentleman's war", the validity of buying into war for "noble reasons", the inherent bloodthirst and dehumanization caused by borders - your side is all evil, even the civilians, so get fucked, etc. It doesn't matter anyway, to participate willingly in a war is buying into it, regardless of whether you're a supposed "knight" or an indiscriminate slaughterer.
Mission 11: The Inferno -> Mission 12: The Stage of Apocalypse is eternal.
Emulated via PCSX2 on Linux.
This game really gets into the hypocrisy and morality of war, the idea that there is a such thing as a "gentleman's war", the validity of buying into war for "noble reasons", the inherent bloodthirst and dehumanization caused by borders - your side is all evil, even the civilians, so get fucked, etc. It doesn't matter anyway, to participate willingly in a war is buying into it, regardless of whether you're a supposed "knight" or an indiscriminate slaughterer.
Mission 11: The Inferno -> Mission 12: The Stage of Apocalypse is eternal.
Emulated via PCSX2 on Linux.
i have never been more aggravated in my life then i have playing Mission 17 but the final boss fight went hard so it makes up for it
Yo buddy, you still alive?
the greatest mecha anime of all time
Holy shit. Holy shit!
After all of Ace Combat's missteps (to me) moving into realism and abandoning the arcade-y nature, this is the one that hit! 04 was too stuck in poeticism to phase me, and Unsung War was dull gameplay moment after dull gameplay moment coating a pretty damn good tale.
I'm not sure exactly what it is immediately, or at least I didn't for a while. The map design felt more varied, and not to mention more important compared to Unsung War's rather bland flat landscapes, but I don't think anything has really changed about the core gameplay? Something about the gameplay just feels so damn GOOD, though. I managed so many risky maneuvers once I got the hang of planes again, and even then 1/7 of them ended in an immediate mission failure, the ones that worked got an out loud "FUCK YES!!!!" from me.
The only real gameplay feature difference, and what I pin on this one winning me over, is the ability to choose your wingman's weaponry. A lot of this game's plot hinges and you forging a connection with this wingman through the FMV cutscenes and your brief gameplay interactions. They're smart enough to know you're in danger, and they'll turn around and try to fire their rockets into an enemy before they can do it to you. This guy saves your life more than once, never once a scripted moment, it all feels like the natural course of things.
You can probably guess how the game ends from that alone, I bet. All of this is wrapped in this narrative (as bizarre and unspecific as the prior games) about putting down a rebellion you have only vague context for. All of it culminates in a victory, only for a nationalist uprising to pop up and prompt the ending sequence of missions, all played straight into each other with no saving in-between. Remember those FMV cutscenes I mentioned? They're silly, but once you've played enough, they just 'make sense'. And those last missions are gonna hurt.
The ending of this game got to me in a weird way, too. After getting my taste of the final sequence's music, a huge step up from 04 and 5 by the way- it combines the modern war film instrumentation with the experimental silly-type sounds of the third game- I prepared a short playlist of music to listen to along the way. I put it on shuffle. Somehow, it was timed perfectly.
The final boss is in three phases. First, I heard the live version of Big Cat by Wild Beasts. One of my favorite songs as of recent, it's slow, calm, but overtly serious tone, broken up by these rare guitar riffs that overpower the rest of the song, really took me some places emotionally. All while the boss is throwing out these requests for you to shoot them down, once and for all, if you're so clever.
For the second phase, it began playing Mark On You by The Mountain Goats. A song very much so about what was happening, narratively, but the weakest ironically in it's connection to what was happening. This was the only point in the fight my opponent was able to land a shot on me- their weapon shifts to a bomb cannon that leaves mid-air danger zones that 'throw' you off whenever you reach them. As if by perfect timing, the song ends right as the cutscene before the final, and longest phase.
And finally, Steven's Last Night in Town by Ben Folds Five. Overly jaunty as the stakes were increasing and the game got more intense, something I've never had happen occurred, at least never as perfect as this. The song began to sync to my opponent's actions. At moments where the lyrics broke for an instrumental pause, that was when the enemy plane turned around and went in for a head-first strike. Every time, I managed to avoid getting hit, but only half of my attempts led to my opponent being hit. There's this occasional- I don't know music, is it like a brass hit? But every time that happened, that preceded the in-game dialogue, or a noticeable deacceleration/acceleration that would change the pace of combat.
I was very emotionally moved by this completely unintentional event. This is the shit Wong Kar-wai makes movies about.
After all of Ace Combat's missteps (to me) moving into realism and abandoning the arcade-y nature, this is the one that hit! 04 was too stuck in poeticism to phase me, and Unsung War was dull gameplay moment after dull gameplay moment coating a pretty damn good tale.
I'm not sure exactly what it is immediately, or at least I didn't for a while. The map design felt more varied, and not to mention more important compared to Unsung War's rather bland flat landscapes, but I don't think anything has really changed about the core gameplay? Something about the gameplay just feels so damn GOOD, though. I managed so many risky maneuvers once I got the hang of planes again, and even then 1/7 of them ended in an immediate mission failure, the ones that worked got an out loud "FUCK YES!!!!" from me.
The only real gameplay feature difference, and what I pin on this one winning me over, is the ability to choose your wingman's weaponry. A lot of this game's plot hinges and you forging a connection with this wingman through the FMV cutscenes and your brief gameplay interactions. They're smart enough to know you're in danger, and they'll turn around and try to fire their rockets into an enemy before they can do it to you. This guy saves your life more than once, never once a scripted moment, it all feels like the natural course of things.
You can probably guess how the game ends from that alone, I bet. All of this is wrapped in this narrative (as bizarre and unspecific as the prior games) about putting down a rebellion you have only vague context for. All of it culminates in a victory, only for a nationalist uprising to pop up and prompt the ending sequence of missions, all played straight into each other with no saving in-between. Remember those FMV cutscenes I mentioned? They're silly, but once you've played enough, they just 'make sense'. And those last missions are gonna hurt.
The ending of this game got to me in a weird way, too. After getting my taste of the final sequence's music, a huge step up from 04 and 5 by the way- it combines the modern war film instrumentation with the experimental silly-type sounds of the third game- I prepared a short playlist of music to listen to along the way. I put it on shuffle. Somehow, it was timed perfectly.
The final boss is in three phases. First, I heard the live version of Big Cat by Wild Beasts. One of my favorite songs as of recent, it's slow, calm, but overtly serious tone, broken up by these rare guitar riffs that overpower the rest of the song, really took me some places emotionally. All while the boss is throwing out these requests for you to shoot them down, once and for all, if you're so clever.
For the second phase, it began playing Mark On You by The Mountain Goats. A song very much so about what was happening, narratively, but the weakest ironically in it's connection to what was happening. This was the only point in the fight my opponent was able to land a shot on me- their weapon shifts to a bomb cannon that leaves mid-air danger zones that 'throw' you off whenever you reach them. As if by perfect timing, the song ends right as the cutscene before the final, and longest phase.
And finally, Steven's Last Night in Town by Ben Folds Five. Overly jaunty as the stakes were increasing and the game got more intense, something I've never had happen occurred, at least never as perfect as this. The song began to sync to my opponent's actions. At moments where the lyrics broke for an instrumental pause, that was when the enemy plane turned around and went in for a head-first strike. Every time, I managed to avoid getting hit, but only half of my attempts led to my opponent being hit. There's this occasional- I don't know music, is it like a brass hit? But every time that happened, that preceded the in-game dialogue, or a noticeable deacceleration/acceleration that would change the pace of combat.
I was very emotionally moved by this completely unintentional event. This is the shit Wong Kar-wai makes movies about.
Many say that it is peak ace combat, they are wrong, it is peak video games, a very good war story full of memorable moments with incredible gameplay and a spectacular final arc.
My first experience with any game in this series, it went far above my expectations, there was a learning curve getting used to the controls of a more realistic flight game, but once I had it figured out it felt amazing to play.
The presentation and story were great, they went above expectations with this too, I was not expecting so much world building and background for the fictional setting and the acting was mostly good.
What stood out to me was the variety of play-styles and morality system that leads to having many different strategies to play the game.
I quickly realized I like using Air-to-ground and flying as low as possible while taking out targets with just the standard gun, it was thrilling breaking away at the last moment or flying through cluttered environments while dodging missiles. Looks amazing for a PS2 game.
The air combat was good to, the ai had variety between enemies, the bosses were all interesting and had to be taken on in different ways.
I have one complaint, it takes awhile to get into missions, you have to usually fly into the map for a minute and wait for all the pilot banter, and if you lose you have to wait through it all again, I got tired of certain lines that get repeated very time I had to start over.
I enjoyed this the whole way through, and I will definitely play through again to try harder difficulties and different routes and ships, this is a new favorite and I plan on trying a few others in this series. Highly recommended for a flight-combat type game.
The presentation and story were great, they went above expectations with this too, I was not expecting so much world building and background for the fictional setting and the acting was mostly good.
What stood out to me was the variety of play-styles and morality system that leads to having many different strategies to play the game.
I quickly realized I like using Air-to-ground and flying as low as possible while taking out targets with just the standard gun, it was thrilling breaking away at the last moment or flying through cluttered environments while dodging missiles. Looks amazing for a PS2 game.
The air combat was good to, the ai had variety between enemies, the bosses were all interesting and had to be taken on in different ways.
I have one complaint, it takes awhile to get into missions, you have to usually fly into the map for a minute and wait for all the pilot banter, and if you lose you have to wait through it all again, I got tired of certain lines that get repeated very time I had to start over.
I enjoyed this the whole way through, and I will definitely play through again to try harder difficulties and different routes and ships, this is a new favorite and I plan on trying a few others in this series. Highly recommended for a flight-combat type game.
Yo, Buddy. Still alive?
very anti war
anyway EAT THESE XMAA-ROCKETS FROM MY Su-27 YOU PUSSY
YEAAHHH
I LOVE BLOWING UP PEOPLE IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PLANES
anyway EAT THESE XMAA-ROCKETS FROM MY Su-27 YOU PUSSY
YEAAHHH
I LOVE BLOWING UP PEOPLE IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR PLANES
didn't think you can make one of the few vidya games working moral systems in a plane game
Mission 18, the events after and The music in that mission raised this game by a star
Came into this game expecting just planes and left with tons of commentary on war and nations. Seriously crazy to me how many good characters there are in this game.
All it takes is a remaster on easy-to-access consoles for this game to become the kind of masterpiece that everyone obnoxious who wants to be cool and interesting keeps talking about relentlessly, like Pathologic or NieR. If you can somehow manage to find a copy of the game or emulate it before then, you'll be able to be smug about it if it eventually does get real big, which is the best reason you could have for playing a game.
Absolutely best of all time shit firing on every single front - music rips, story is a solemn discussion about war presented in the superior cutscene style of the FMV, it has one of the greatest final bosses to grace the medium, and the gameplay is the silky smooth arcade goodness that Ace Combat is alone in using.
Absolutely best of all time shit firing on every single front - music rips, story is a solemn discussion about war presented in the superior cutscene style of the FMV, it has one of the greatest final bosses to grace the medium, and the gameplay is the silky smooth arcade goodness that Ace Combat is alone in using.
Hard to put into words because it's mostly just radio chatter and flamenco guitars playing in harmony with the rumble of your flightstick and battle-instincts to produce some of the sickest rushes known to man. On paper, this is just the usual Ace Combat fare, and dogfighting games don't usually stir much in me - I'm an untrained pilot who normally spends his airtime banking wide to link up remote arrows in green circles, but something about this game sustains itself the whole way through. There's just... something about the novelty of its presentation that sits right within you and helps you believe your legend of the Demon Lord.
Despite being a short game, I ended up savouring The Belkan War over the course of a month, playing it in short bursts after work with my cat in my lap (he liked the afterburner feedback on his belly) and a wee glass of whisky to the side. Clad in my big wooly winter cardigan, my gf started affectionately referring to these private flights as my "grandpa time" and it got me thinking about how my own grandpa was sent through force of law to fruitlessly protect the Suez in the dying days of Britain's borders and how my great-grandpa barely surviving a rolling tank at the Battle of Monte Casino in World War II was all the difference between my own life and the lives of countless others existing now. How lucky I am, despite it all, to live in a time when I can just kick back in my office chair and simulate war rather than live through it. Better to be anti-war through ideas and fictions than be anti-war through lived experience.
It seems the grandchildren of those who survived the initial impact of the V2 project have a long-standing fascination with fictious, almost sensational versions of nuclear armaggedon. Inevitable that a Japanese PS2 war game based on a real-life conflict (and real-life weapons (did anyone at BAE Weapon Systems actually play/approve this?!)) would eventually give way to sci-fi lasers on spaceship bombers and a fucking Belarussian Death Star, but I'm unsure why it always ends this way - I'm no sociologist or historian, so I'd love someone articulate to explain why it's such a recurring trope, especially in this specific kind of 2000s art. Perhaps it's an intersection of Ultraman and Mazinger and Macross with The Dam Busters and Star Wars and The Bridges at Toki-Ri, a fantasy that our noble Arthurian heroes from childhood could avert atomic annihilation - and who can deny the pure passion of that ideal? F-15 Eagles soar in the romantic heart of every young boy... I will be thinking about Pixy's final introduction for a long time.
Speechless that Naoto Maeda went on to become a project middle-manager for mobile games after this, a game that rivals Metal Gear Solid 3 in the pantheon of alt-war/anti-war digital fiction. Hey buddy, you still alive? I hope to see you on the battlefield again one day...
Despite being a short game, I ended up savouring The Belkan War over the course of a month, playing it in short bursts after work with my cat in my lap (he liked the afterburner feedback on his belly) and a wee glass of whisky to the side. Clad in my big wooly winter cardigan, my gf started affectionately referring to these private flights as my "grandpa time" and it got me thinking about how my own grandpa was sent through force of law to fruitlessly protect the Suez in the dying days of Britain's borders and how my great-grandpa barely surviving a rolling tank at the Battle of Monte Casino in World War II was all the difference between my own life and the lives of countless others existing now. How lucky I am, despite it all, to live in a time when I can just kick back in my office chair and simulate war rather than live through it. Better to be anti-war through ideas and fictions than be anti-war through lived experience.
It seems the grandchildren of those who survived the initial impact of the V2 project have a long-standing fascination with fictious, almost sensational versions of nuclear armaggedon. Inevitable that a Japanese PS2 war game based on a real-life conflict (and real-life weapons (did anyone at BAE Weapon Systems actually play/approve this?!)) would eventually give way to sci-fi lasers on spaceship bombers and a fucking Belarussian Death Star, but I'm unsure why it always ends this way - I'm no sociologist or historian, so I'd love someone articulate to explain why it's such a recurring trope, especially in this specific kind of 2000s art. Perhaps it's an intersection of Ultraman and Mazinger and Macross with The Dam Busters and Star Wars and The Bridges at Toki-Ri, a fantasy that our noble Arthurian heroes from childhood could avert atomic annihilation - and who can deny the pure passion of that ideal? F-15 Eagles soar in the romantic heart of every young boy... I will be thinking about Pixy's final introduction for a long time.
Speechless that Naoto Maeda went on to become a project middle-manager for mobile games after this, a game that rivals Metal Gear Solid 3 in the pantheon of alt-war/anti-war digital fiction. Hey buddy, you still alive? I hope to see you on the battlefield again one day...
"It's pretty ironic, Buddy.A couple of dogs like us fightin' the last battle.
It's not over, Buddy. This is where it all starts.You know what I'm talkin' about, right?
There's only one way, Buddy. You've gotta fight for what you believe in."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80XAJKqRU9k
It's not over, Buddy. This is where it all starts.You know what I'm talkin' about, right?
There's only one way, Buddy. You've gotta fight for what you believe in."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80XAJKqRU9k
knights at the round table, and the unseen, unheard figures and machinations animating their movements and dismantling their legend. it's ironic that the arthurian myth lens that frames the narrative means that the game is necessarily skewed towards fable and folklore in a way that AC5 had already attempted to, but 0 provides far more fertile ground - there's a wealth of generative potential buried here, i think, in a way that's proven difficult to write about but is central to the text (particularly as it relates to codes of honor and wartime engagement but im not deluded enough to pretend i know much beyond the bare essentials of arthurian legend). but there's a lot of moving parts here, so personally i think its greatest success is reconfiguring AC3s framework (emphasis on simulation, expertly grounding its thematic heft on a silent protagonist (cipher lol) piloting aerial death machines) through the lens of 90s post soviet armed conflict and trying to better understand a period marked by great political uncertainty and loss of life. however in doing so 0s concerns feel far more individually oriented and i think politics are felt here largely as a specter orchestrating every sortie; pilots try to exercise autonomy here because they've had the skies bequeathed to them but it's like its instead their prison. there's a sense that even as the documentarian/archivist narrator conducts interview after interview attempting to ascertain some kind of truth on the belkan war (disseminated through glorious FMVs) it's futile to totally encapsulate and it matters less than the surprisingly well-realized individuals caught up in the conflict, the truths they extracted from the war and how they've continued to live outside of war. anyways. tricky game. complicated and cynical and messy in ways i appreciated. obsessively dedicated to its premise in the best possible way. spanish flamenco guitars. my fave of the games ive played this year
also the 'morality' system (if you can call it that, im still not convinced) isn't corny it's part and parcel of what the game is attempting to say and i appreciated its passivity and complete lack of judgment. one of the top five final bosses of all time but that goes without saying
also the 'morality' system (if you can call it that, im still not convinced) isn't corny it's part and parcel of what the game is attempting to say and i appreciated its passivity and complete lack of judgment. one of the top five final bosses of all time but that goes without saying
The Devil May Cry 3 of plane games. The Metal Gear Solid (PS1) of plane games. The Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) of plane games. Don't ask me what the fuck I mean.
Yo buddy... You still alive?
The incredibly tight and well-constructed EP to AC5’s bloated double album, Ace Combat Zero is a surprising accomplishment, perhaps the best game developed by a b-team I have ever played. It does feel like they configured Zero to avoid many of 5’s gameplay issues; ammo is no longer an issue, infinitely respawning enemies are essentially gone, the return line from AC04 returns, and the unlock system (though not perfect, even after 3 full runs in the 3 styles up to Ace, I wasn’t able to buy every plane), is much closer to 04’s less grindy mission unlock system than 5’s experience based version.
Gameplay-wise, it’s absolutely an improvement over the last game. Boresight is a good addition to the game, allowing you to cycle through targets more easily, and your wingman’s AI has been buffed, especially once set to use special weapons and disperse. Of the four games I’ve played they were the most aggressive and willing to finish off targets, and there were multiple times where I saw them steal my kills. While the flight model is more responsive and less of an interesting challenge than 4, it’s made up for by its enemies, which are far more dangerous and fun to fight than in the previous game. While its missions are closer to 04’s standard score attack missions, in comparison to 5 there are no outright gimmicky stinkers, while still not being afraid to mix it up.
What it lacks in campaign length (a full playthrough can easily be done in a cool 2-3 hours), it more than makes up for with the replayability of its fascinating Ace Style system. I think what makes this system even more interesting is that it’s less of an outright “morality system” and more a deconstruction of how wars are fought. Whether you choose to fight the game like a chivalrous knight or as a destructive demon salting Belka’s earth, ultimately, the terrible events of the game still occur all the same; war is still horrific regardless of how “clean” its combatants fight it.
It honestly shocks me that they were able to license out these planes from the MIC, given some of the messaging here, did they just uncritically give out the rights to their planes without looking at the actual story? The game in part feels inspired by the brutal Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, including the controversial involvement of foreign forces, and there’s a mission that’s a direct parallel to the firebombing of Dresden/Tokyo in WW2 committed by your allies, which has an impact on your wingmen. Multiple characters speak out about how these conflicts are dictated by unaffected politicians who aren’t putting their lives on the line and who are only interested in redrawing the borders of their countries to their favor, no matter how destructive the war becomes. These pilots at times come into conflict with more naïve pilots like PJ, convinced that they’re “pursuing peace” through war. This dichotomy almost feels like a counter to AC5’s protagonistic Razgriz Squadron who simultaneously dislike dogfighting and “are fighting for peace” while raining hell from above, which is a viewpoint that never goes challenged in 5. Generally, the war gets far grayer as you turn the tides in your favor and it stretches further and further, despite promises that the war will be over soon. It becomes a shift from an initial defense against an invading army (led by a newly elected authoritarian Belka, whose conditions were in part caused by the allied Osea’s efforts to destabilize their economy) to something far more imperialistic and “vengeful” as it were, long after you’ve liberated Ustio.
The biggest thing Ace Style impacts is the kinds of ace squadrons you fight, many of whom are a reflection of your fighting style which in turn influences how they view you. The documentary-styled presentation and its interviews with your former enemy aces boost the game’s campaign, though some of the ADR can be a bit funky. It’s interesting to see how these former foes respect and fear your power, seeing how the war and their encounters with you affected their outlooks and lives. This game is one of the better uses of a silent protagonist I’ve seen, portraying your ace as a then-undocumented, but critical part of the war whose legacy among those he downed is influenced by how fair you fight in your playthroughs. The music is also my favorite of the 4 AC games I’ve played, accentuated by its unique flamenco motifs, which match up extremely well with the dance-like dogfights you have with your enemies. The parallels to Arthurian legend are also very nice and help the game's unique atmosphere.
I was hesitant on giving this a perfect score given its length and some of its less consistent elements (some more characterization among your wingmen would’ve benefitted the game’s story more), but I realized it compares on par to all my 5s, especially in gameplay and thus I couldn’t justify not giving it one. There’s something so thrilling in lining up your speed, angle, and timing to nail a target. It’s a shame it didn’t receive the accolades it likely deserved when it released given it was overlooked due to most people seeing it as glorified DLC to 5, despite in my opinion being better in every aspect.
For the first time (at least for me), it feels like an Ace Combat game has finally hit its trifecta of story/thematics, presentation, and gameplay immaculately. Playing the final boss sequence with its intense atmosphere and portrayal, the iconic “Zero” scoring it, and really the whole game in general with my brother watching was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had playing a game.
Gameplay-wise, it’s absolutely an improvement over the last game. Boresight is a good addition to the game, allowing you to cycle through targets more easily, and your wingman’s AI has been buffed, especially once set to use special weapons and disperse. Of the four games I’ve played they were the most aggressive and willing to finish off targets, and there were multiple times where I saw them steal my kills. While the flight model is more responsive and less of an interesting challenge than 4, it’s made up for by its enemies, which are far more dangerous and fun to fight than in the previous game. While its missions are closer to 04’s standard score attack missions, in comparison to 5 there are no outright gimmicky stinkers, while still not being afraid to mix it up.
What it lacks in campaign length (a full playthrough can easily be done in a cool 2-3 hours), it more than makes up for with the replayability of its fascinating Ace Style system. I think what makes this system even more interesting is that it’s less of an outright “morality system” and more a deconstruction of how wars are fought. Whether you choose to fight the game like a chivalrous knight or as a destructive demon salting Belka’s earth, ultimately, the terrible events of the game still occur all the same; war is still horrific regardless of how “clean” its combatants fight it.
It honestly shocks me that they were able to license out these planes from the MIC, given some of the messaging here, did they just uncritically give out the rights to their planes without looking at the actual story? The game in part feels inspired by the brutal Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, including the controversial involvement of foreign forces, and there’s a mission that’s a direct parallel to the firebombing of Dresden/Tokyo in WW2 committed by your allies, which has an impact on your wingmen. Multiple characters speak out about how these conflicts are dictated by unaffected politicians who aren’t putting their lives on the line and who are only interested in redrawing the borders of their countries to their favor, no matter how destructive the war becomes. These pilots at times come into conflict with more naïve pilots like PJ, convinced that they’re “pursuing peace” through war. This dichotomy almost feels like a counter to AC5’s protagonistic Razgriz Squadron who simultaneously dislike dogfighting and “are fighting for peace” while raining hell from above, which is a viewpoint that never goes challenged in 5. Generally, the war gets far grayer as you turn the tides in your favor and it stretches further and further, despite promises that the war will be over soon. It becomes a shift from an initial defense against an invading army (led by a newly elected authoritarian Belka, whose conditions were in part caused by the allied Osea’s efforts to destabilize their economy) to something far more imperialistic and “vengeful” as it were, long after you’ve liberated Ustio.
The biggest thing Ace Style impacts is the kinds of ace squadrons you fight, many of whom are a reflection of your fighting style which in turn influences how they view you. The documentary-styled presentation and its interviews with your former enemy aces boost the game’s campaign, though some of the ADR can be a bit funky. It’s interesting to see how these former foes respect and fear your power, seeing how the war and their encounters with you affected their outlooks and lives. This game is one of the better uses of a silent protagonist I’ve seen, portraying your ace as a then-undocumented, but critical part of the war whose legacy among those he downed is influenced by how fair you fight in your playthroughs. The music is also my favorite of the 4 AC games I’ve played, accentuated by its unique flamenco motifs, which match up extremely well with the dance-like dogfights you have with your enemies. The parallels to Arthurian legend are also very nice and help the game's unique atmosphere.
I was hesitant on giving this a perfect score given its length and some of its less consistent elements (some more characterization among your wingmen would’ve benefitted the game’s story more), but I realized it compares on par to all my 5s, especially in gameplay and thus I couldn’t justify not giving it one. There’s something so thrilling in lining up your speed, angle, and timing to nail a target. It’s a shame it didn’t receive the accolades it likely deserved when it released given it was overlooked due to most people seeing it as glorified DLC to 5, despite in my opinion being better in every aspect.
For the first time (at least for me), it feels like an Ace Combat game has finally hit its trifecta of story/thematics, presentation, and gameplay immaculately. Playing the final boss sequence with its intense atmosphere and portrayal, the iconic “Zero” scoring it, and really the whole game in general with my brother watching was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had playing a game.
yes i do watch max0r's epic ace combat "inaccurately explained" series with pure delight, "hey buddy still alive, PEPSİMANNNNN, ONLY THING I KNOW FOR REAL, WTF BOOM!, THAT'S WHAT V2 IS FOR! HAHA!", cannot wait to base my personality around the main character of the next max0r video! btw i never really played the series but i looove posting memes about it on Social Media! You wanna see my Topster about best video games of all time? (ace combat zero, metal gear rising, yakuza zero, ridge racer type 4, final fantasy xiv:shadowbringers)
Loved the documentary style for the cutscenes, music, and especially the last couple of missions. The final level along with the credits (yep that's right I stuck along with the credits) were done so beautifully. Truly shows the art of war. I also think the progression was done a bit better than the previous game, like it gets straight to the point. This entry was simply awesome, I think it makes AC5 more special because of how AC5 keeps reminding us of this war, so in a way it makes that game more sense.
Play style: Mercenary, because I like money.
Play style: Mercenary, because I like money.
This is a masterpiece. The last of the golden era of Ace Combat. It has aged really well and my love for this game hasn't changed throughout the years after numerous replays.
It has peak PS2 era graphics that will look good years from now. It has top notch flight shooter gameplay with lots of variety and replayability in the missions and aircraft with incredible moments to moments that always give me chills.
It's story is well written which tells a great anti war message without being preachy or taking out the fun. It is presented really well with documentary style FMVs.
It also has solid voice acting and some of the best music in gaming.
All of these then come really well together once you encounter one of the best final bosses.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and play this game (as well as 4 and 5) if you haven't already.
It has peak PS2 era graphics that will look good years from now. It has top notch flight shooter gameplay with lots of variety and replayability in the missions and aircraft with incredible moments to moments that always give me chills.
It's story is well written which tells a great anti war message without being preachy or taking out the fun. It is presented really well with documentary style FMVs.
It also has solid voice acting and some of the best music in gaming.
All of these then come really well together once you encounter one of the best final bosses.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and play this game (as well as 4 and 5) if you haven't already.
i have never felt more emotion than when i first played through the final mission of this game. if i can ever create something that could inspire the feeling i got while playing that mission to someone else, i can die happy.
SPANISH GUITAR INTENSIFIES
That is the most intense 1v1 final fight i've ever played
every single little detail of this game could only have been devised by a brain the size of jupiter
My favorite from PS2. It scales back a lot of the problems I had with AC5 being a smaller but more concisive game. The plot didn't reach the heights of AC4 but it is the better game and I really enjoyed the last twist and final boss. The cutscenes are somewhat of a highlight too, many of them pretty memorable and the styles are a pretty nice addition.
It just feels better to have only one team partner to equip too.
It just feels better to have only one team partner to equip too.