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.

Me starting the Submarine level: HAHA YEAH FINALLY THESE TURRETS TURN ALL THE WAY AROUND THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME

Me during the Submarine level: Dizzy's narration makes this feel like a Disneyland ride! Also, I have no sense of direction anymore, which way is up?? Gettin a lil queasy here... What am I meant to be shooting???

Me finishing the Submarine level: 🤢 ah geez 🤮 oh man

Don't have a ton to say about Gears 3, it was (surprisingly) the easiest of the trilogy, and my least favorite, particularly because of its disdain for heavy weaponry. In the previous games, certain ammo crates could reload your Boomshot or your Torque Bow. But no more! Even the Mulcher got its magazine nerfed from 500 to 200. Maybe the devs realized the game was already too easy and they had to take away extended access to the big toys so you didn't just breeze through it, idk. On the plus side, the Hammerburst got an aim-down-sights view and actually felt useful this time, but in general this didn't feel as good to play as its predecessors. Onward to Judgment!