Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies

"One hell of a good fighter sim..."

Normally, I avoid all flight simulators at all costs. For the Ace Combat series, however, I make an exception sometimes. Man, I'm glad I made an exception for this little jewel of a game. Despite my harsh stereotype on flight simulators, this is one of the best games I've ever played. My opinion of flight sims is greatly raised by the great title.

Gameplay 9/10
The controls for this game are pretty damn good. Takes a bit to get the hang of but once you do, it's easy as hell. You unlock new aircraft as you advance through the missions and complete certain objectives. These aircraft are bought with credits which you acquire by destroying targets in missions. There are several other variables that decide how many credits you get for a mission but I cannot remember them just now. Credits are also used to purchase new colors and weapons for your aircraft. Mission objectives usually involve either destroying a target(or targets) or defending a target. Most missions are a mix of the two but other times you will simply be required to stay alive before carrying out these main objectives. My favorite missions are the 'furrball' (large dog fight) ones. A good feature in some missions is the ability to fly off the map and re-supply at a carrier ship or air base. It repairs your aircraft, re-fills your ammunition, and allows you to change weapons. The different aircraft in the game vary much more widely than the missions do. Some aircraft are for heavy ground assault while others are for air to air combat(dog fighting). When you play through the game the first time, its a bit too easy(in my opinion). I was relived to find out that each time you beat it, you unlock a new difficulty level. The split-screen multi-player isn't too bad. You can only have dogfights with it. So stick with the single player mode. If you really suck at flying the aircraft and using the weapons, the game provides a training thing to acquaint you with the controls and get you used to everything. I suggest that anyone new to the series(or just really sucky at flight sims) to do this before the main story missions.

Story 9/10
The story line of this game surprised the hell out of me. This is the first flight simulator I have ever seen that had a halfway decent story line; and this one has a great storyline. The entire story is set on and around a large continent engulfed in war between the Erusian forces and those of the ISAF(Independent States Allied Forces). The story is narrated by a man telling of his experiences during the war when he was a boy. In the beginning, his family is killed when a jet crashed into his home during a skirmish. This causes him to become obsessed with gaining revenge on the pilot that caused it; the leader of Erusia's Yellow Squadron, Yellow 13. The story is narrated from the point of view of someone in the future while you play as the fighter pilot(call sign Mobius 1) in the present(during the war. The story continues after every mission and the scenes are done in beautiful hand drawings(not animated, still shots). Some might have liked the story to be done in CGI cinemas, but I personally like this better(mostly because all the other games use CGI). Well, that's all the story I'm gonna reveal. Don't want to spoil it do I?

Sound 9/10
The sound effects of this game are very realistic. Machine gun fire from you craft can't be heard hardly, however, when the bullets hit you or the ground, the have a lovely 'ping' noise if they hit you or a nice 'thud' noise if they hit the ground; just like real bullets sound like when they hit. The deafening roar that comes from your's and all the other jet engines sound very realistic. It's really great sounding when you kick in the afterburner; just like real engines sound(and I've heard quite a few at air shows). Explosions have a wonderfully loud 'boom' as they blow aircraft, buildings, and ships to oblivion. They radio chatter seems(as I would think) rather realistic. Your fellow squadron members yell encouragements, warnings, observations, and such things through the radio. The squadron leader gives out orders with 'military lingo' as someone else put it. You can also hear the screams of your enemies as you blow them out of the sky. The sound effects are great but the music is nice too. Different mission have different music, yet it always fits the situation. Sometimes it will be a sort of a rock music(usually during the exciting dogfight bits). Other times it will have this choir music accompanied by classical music(usually during the 'epic' parts of the game). The music during the story parts is my favorite of it all. During the story scenes, it playes this acousitc guitar accompanied by a harmonica. The music really fits the game perfectly.

Graphics 9/10
Now these are some of the best(if not THE best) graphics I have ever seen on a flight simulator. Aircraft are very detailed and very accurate in that detail. I've seen most of these aircraft in real life and I can tell you that they are dead on. All of the bombs and missiles are very detailed as well. Explosions look realistic as they engulf your foes in balls of flames. The firing of the missiles and machine guns look good too. While the aircraft and other 'vehicles' of sorts, look good, the actuall maps(which you soar over at breakneck speeds) also look pretty damn good. While flying through the mission maps you will see lushious jungles, dry deserts, busy cities, lonely ice capped mountains, and endless stretches of sea; all in the finest detail. As you look up you will see wonderfully done clouds, stars, and the sun. Looking at your own aircraft and others, you will see insignias and names painted on the sides, rudders and ailerons moving as you turn the craft, and the engines will open up as you kick in the afterburner. Its all done with amazing realism and detail. One of my favorite touches is when yours or any other aircraft makes a sharp turn, the wings will draw sharp contrails through the air. Its amazing details like that which make the graphics of this game simply stunning.

Overall 9/10
This is easily one of the best games for the PlayStation 2 console. Amazing gameplay is supported wonderfully by stunning and detailed graphics, delightful(I'm running out of adjectives) sound effects and music, and a great storyline. It has become one of my favorites for the system. The only thing that hurt this title(albiet not very much) was the semi-poor replay value. The multi-player mode of the game is somewhat lacking in as you can only do dogfighting. The single player mode is fun the first time though, but gets old after you play through two or three times(unless the added difficulty makes it better for you). Other than that, its a great game. Now, as to the buy or rent thing, I would say that anyone that is a fan of fighter sims should just buy this title. It's worth it. If you're not a big fan then I would suggest that you rent it first because it doesn't have much replay value. But, if you are a fan, and you want to unlock everything(which there is quite a lot of), buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/27/02, Updated 04/23/03