Recommended by fallentianshi as part of this list.
Note: This is a review of the Japanese version using the fan-made English patch
"My body didn't come with wings, but my mind does... and it gave me the sky"
In the not-so-distant future, war is fought not on the behalf of nations, but on the payroll of corporations. Where the very concept of the state is a relic of the past, and the only boundaries that matter are the interests of CEOs. Where human greed has trapped the world in an endless Samsara, and the only way out is to ascend the flesh that so endlessly desires. In this strange world, pilots take flight in their steel coffins, embroiled in a war between titans that's about to reach its apex.
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere is the biggest surprise I've been subject to in a long time. Before going into this, I had always thought the Ace Combat series was one of those boring realistic military simulation games for that hyper-specific niche of history buffs and WWII LARPers, but when I booted up Electrosphere, heard the sounds of Atmospheric DnB fill my ears and laid my eyes on the most Y2K-ass menu I've ever seen in my life, any preconceived notions I had were immediately shot down. The first-person diegetic UI quite literally sucked me right into the experience of Electrosphere and the massive branching story had me invested in the world, the characters, the stakes, everything right from the opening act, which is an incredibly strong start that most games wish they could achieve.
Elctrosphere's mission-based structure that marries arcade-era game design with a wildly engaging story creates an incredibly strong central gameplay loop, alternating between aerial combat missions and a plot dolled out through a wonderful multi-media combination of FMV, CGI and animation. Flying around in the air, learning to maneuver my jet in order to sweep across the land and shoot down enemy aircrafts is a thing of beauty that really gives Electrosphere a great learning curve and a drive for the player to do better, not for some score at the end, but for the sake of improvement itself, and it kept me hooked even when I would end up crashing into the side of a mountain at least once per mission.
Beyond my inability to figure out how to pilot a plane, Electrosphere is a phenomenal game and a real surprise to me. Mostly due to its botched localization in the states, Electrosphere is an oft-overlooked entry of the cyberpunk video game genre, when it really should be a landmark entry. With its engaging blend of gripping story and unique gameplay, Electrosphere was a genuine delight to play through and get enraptured in, and I'm really glad I gave this game a chance.
Note: This is a review of the Japanese version using the fan-made English patch
"My body didn't come with wings, but my mind does... and it gave me the sky"
In the not-so-distant future, war is fought not on the behalf of nations, but on the payroll of corporations. Where the very concept of the state is a relic of the past, and the only boundaries that matter are the interests of CEOs. Where human greed has trapped the world in an endless Samsara, and the only way out is to ascend the flesh that so endlessly desires. In this strange world, pilots take flight in their steel coffins, embroiled in a war between titans that's about to reach its apex.
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere is the biggest surprise I've been subject to in a long time. Before going into this, I had always thought the Ace Combat series was one of those boring realistic military simulation games for that hyper-specific niche of history buffs and WWII LARPers, but when I booted up Electrosphere, heard the sounds of Atmospheric DnB fill my ears and laid my eyes on the most Y2K-ass menu I've ever seen in my life, any preconceived notions I had were immediately shot down. The first-person diegetic UI quite literally sucked me right into the experience of Electrosphere and the massive branching story had me invested in the world, the characters, the stakes, everything right from the opening act, which is an incredibly strong start that most games wish they could achieve.
Elctrosphere's mission-based structure that marries arcade-era game design with a wildly engaging story creates an incredibly strong central gameplay loop, alternating between aerial combat missions and a plot dolled out through a wonderful multi-media combination of FMV, CGI and animation. Flying around in the air, learning to maneuver my jet in order to sweep across the land and shoot down enemy aircrafts is a thing of beauty that really gives Electrosphere a great learning curve and a drive for the player to do better, not for some score at the end, but for the sake of improvement itself, and it kept me hooked even when I would end up crashing into the side of a mountain at least once per mission.
Beyond my inability to figure out how to pilot a plane, Electrosphere is a phenomenal game and a real surprise to me. Mostly due to its botched localization in the states, Electrosphere is an oft-overlooked entry of the cyberpunk video game genre, when it really should be a landmark entry. With its engaging blend of gripping story and unique gameplay, Electrosphere was a genuine delight to play through and get enraptured in, and I'm really glad I gave this game a chance.