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PS2 | Simulation | Ace Combat 5

Boxart for Ace Combat 5
Ace Combat 5 192 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.5
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 4.5
  • FUN FACTOR 4.0
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.8
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.1

Review: Ace Combat 5

Review by FOUREYEDDRAGON | 11/04/2004 | 16:57:55 PM PST

Make sure your seat is in the upright position because Ace Combat 5 still has the thrust to sweep you off your feet.

After three years of waiting, the fifth installment in the classic aerial combat shooter series finally takes to the skies. Ace Combat 5 certainly maintains its air superiority over other (and the few) flying games, but you can't help wonder if you flew on this airline already.

War, Self-Reflection, Blah, Blah, Blah

So why take so darn long to develop the next Ace Combat? As a departure from the usual short cinematic cut scenes that tell the story, Namco has decided to not only tell this tale of heroism in-between missions with...well, cinematic cut scenes, but it also interjects the story of war, terrorism, and morality during in-flight sessions.

Through continuous radio chatter, your wingmen begin to develop distinct personalities--criticizing an order, yelling at new pilots, and bragging about their kills. You can even jump into conversations, albeit yes/no answers, but depending on what you choose, you'll receive different comments. While it may seem cheesy at first, listening to all of the talking actually slowly brings you closer to your teammates, and gives more depth to the entire story.

Of course, the story isn't the only feature that's been improved upon during the three-year hiatus. Visually, the planes look absolutely gorgeous and seem to reflect their real-life counterparts with amazing accuracy. Missile launches and exploding enemies make the ride even more enjoyable. Ground environments are finally lush with organic life and not totally barren like in previous Ace Combat games, too.

Just Following Orders

New to this Ace Combat is the ability to issue orders in real-time to your wingmen. You can tell them to cover your six, attack a cluster of targets at once, or engage the enemy on their own. The commands, however, are limited. For instance, you can't order your comrades to attack just the ground targets or just the attacking planes. Still, having the ability to command the wingmen makes your flight more interesting and the missions more challenging.

If you need a break from the story, there's an Arcade mode where the emphasis is solely dogfighting. Your success is determined on the number of planes shot down in an allotted time. This is the best option for those who crave a fast, arcade airplane shooter experience.

This experience, though, can feel like d?j? vu. Despite all the additions and improvements, Ace Combat 5 still feels like an Ace Combat game. Take away the story line, and the core of the game is to literally just blow things up, in the air and on the ground using simple flight controls. For rookies to the series, that shouldn't matter, but for veterans, it'll feel like the same gameplay found in all previous Ace Combat games--and that's not necessarily a bad thing considering this is a shooter that's still worthy of sitting in first class.