ALERT BODY DAMAGE! ALERT BODY DAMAGE! ALERT BODY DAMAGE!
For one of the first launch titles of the original Playstation, the first in the long-running series known as Ace Combat, and essentially a port of an arcade game, Air Combat is honestly a pleasant surprise. Sure, it isn't too complex nor is it the highest level of engaging flight combat. But, it does do its job. Controls are surprisingly good for what I was expecting, the soundtrack is really solid, and the run-time of about 3-4 hours keeps the game from overstaying its welcome. It has some glaring issues though such as some areas being a bit too large with not much going on, hit box detection can be inconsistent especially with large objects leading you to crash when you thought you had space, and the machine gun being virtually worthless compared to the lock-on missiles. In the end, Air Combat is a simple but fun afternoon of dogfighting that leaves me interested in how the series develops in future iterations.
For one of the first launch titles of the original Playstation, the first in the long-running series known as Ace Combat, and essentially a port of an arcade game, Air Combat is honestly a pleasant surprise. Sure, it isn't too complex nor is it the highest level of engaging flight combat. But, it does do its job. Controls are surprisingly good for what I was expecting, the soundtrack is really solid, and the run-time of about 3-4 hours keeps the game from overstaying its welcome. It has some glaring issues though such as some areas being a bit too large with not much going on, hit box detection can be inconsistent especially with large objects leading you to crash when you thought you had space, and the machine gun being virtually worthless compared to the lock-on missiles. In the end, Air Combat is a simple but fun afternoon of dogfighting that leaves me interested in how the series develops in future iterations.