Aero Elite: Combat Academy

"You won't be disappointed"

Let's break this down. I know a this game keeps getting compared to Ace Combat, so I'll try to do the same and compate it as well. I believe that both Ace Combat and Aero Elite both have huge advantages and disadvantages over the other. Let's begin.

Graphics: Everyone wants to know, how are the graphics? As good as Ace Combat? Well, that depends. In Ace Combat the environments are very nice. Replays even look almost like real footage. Here in Aero Elite the graphics are not as good as Ace Combat, but they are by no means bad at all. The detail is great. An example is the wing sweep back of the F-14. In Ace Combat the wings sweep back pretty fast, not a very good representation of the real F-14. In Aero Elite, the wings gradually move back as speed increases. This is a nice effect to have. You can fly at 550 knots, have a half sweep and do some nice banks which look really cool. The models are detailed, maybe not as bitmapped as Ace, but they don't let you down. Once again detail prevails with the wheels bucking under heavy landings and the tires actually rolling. The graphics may not be as textured as Ace, but they are by no means bad. All the planes are modeled accurately, with even the engines closing and opening depending upon throttle output and afterburner use.

Controls: This is where I feel the game suffers just a little bit. Pushing more toward the side of a simulator instead of arcade style, you'll notice straight off that the controls are nothing like Ace. In Ace you can bank 45 degrees at 750 knots and not even think of stalling. Here in the game, banking at 45 degrees at 750 knots is not only slower, but just like in real life, the plane will stall, airspeed will drop and has to be recovered coming out of the bank. Very nice if you want realism...very bad when you need to bank hard to get away from an enemy. Everything is nicely loud though on the controller. After a just a couple of missions you'll get most of the basics down and know just how hard you can bank before the plane will stall out. The one thing I do like is that the afterburners can be turned on and stayed on with one button push. No holding down the throttle like you have to do in Ace.

Sound: The sound is nice. No complaints. All the sounds sound authentic (not really sure though seeing as how i haven't heard most of these planse in real life). If you've got a sound system, make sure the bass is adjusted accordingly. You'll get into it so much that when you punch the afterburners you'll want to hear the deep rumble kick in. The music is nice too. There are a few cheezy arcade style songs, but some of them will actually get you to bob your head when playing the game.

Gameplay: By far this game is much more realistic than Ace. For startes on land bases, after finishing scramble missions you can choose to end the game or land the plane. But unlike Ace, you fly back to the base and set up for the approach yourself...no crossing the line and then you're just there. If you fly 3 miles out, you have to fly the 3 miles back in. This also holds true for the carrier landings. If you thought Ace carrier landings were tough, wait till you try this. This one of my favorite parts of the game. Landings are so much more realstic and learning to land on the carrier the correct way could be the only game play you ever do and you'd still be satisfied. Enemies are tough and provide a real challenge. Regular style aracade missions are availabe to play, as well as an advance training portion of the game where you'll learn landing, takeoff, combat, how to fly helicopters and how to fly vtol aircraft (Harrier). The assortment of aircraft is incredibly large, 60+. This is also the reason for the slight down grade in graphics from Ace. They also throw in the Scramble Missions which require you to taxi from the hanger, out to runway, takeoff, intercept an aircraft (or accomplish an objective) and then return home. These are a lot of fun. Overall this game is a lot of fun. If your trying to decide b/w Ace and Aero, I'd say go to a Gamestop or Funcoland and ask to demo both. Both have likes and dislikes. If you can afford it, I'd recommend both. I've got both and I'm extremely happy with both of them.

Sidenote: This game was incredibly hard to find, the demand looks like it's pretty big. If you're having a hard time finding it, try CompUSA.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/03, Updated 03/23/03