Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War

"A Culmination of the Best of Previous Ace Combats"

To start off, I've been a big fan of the Ace Combat series since its inception. This is not a series that is based on the realism of Falcon or other PC flight sims, but is more akin to a 3D Afterburner, except it's become it's own type of flight sim now.

To be honest, I wanted to rate the game a 9.5. There's a little something missing in the music, but I'll cover that in a bit. Quickly, I'll go over the improvements and what Ace Combat 5 picks up from every other Ace Combat, while adding something new.

When I first saw Ace Combat 5's trailer, I thought the story was kind of really out there... As if I wasn't connecting with the world of Ace Combat 5 because everything had weird, outlandish names... Who were Yuktobanians and what the hell is Razgriz... I was worried that Ace Combat 5's much talked about return to a story-based Ace Combat (Ace Combat 3 Japanese version). I'd like to say I was wrong, and dead wrong. Yes, some things within Ace Combat 5's story border on cheesy (it IS a military story) but that is not to say that Ace Combat 5 doesn't have heart. Oh and by the way, you do have the options of Japanese language, but for my money, the American (and I believe original) actors do a much better job... Especially Kei Nagase's actress. And that connection is maintained through voices and stories harmonizing together to create a cohesive narrative.

As stated in other reviews, Ace Combat 5 took a lot of Ace Combat 4's graphics, and upped them a bit. The weather effects feel fuller, and the lighting really adds to the overall realism of the game. The design of the planes as well as some of the more fantastical vehicles feel just right. Where do we go from here, is still pretty apparent... There's still some disconnection with the realism when up close to the ground for a bombing run. Add to the that the simplicity of certain objects in certain stages. (Desert Lightning is a big example of simple structures and objects pretty much well stolen from Ace Combat 4) Still... For this generation, Ace Combat 5 can pretty much well claim to be the top of its game.

I've always felt that though Ace Combat 4 was fun, and it had a lot of great, beautiful graphics, it was lacking as Namco seemed to finish the graphics engine and just dump lazily assembled missions. A lot of them were just variations on shoot down aircraft and shoot at the ground targets.... And rack up as many points you can... It got tedious towards the end... Now I dunno if the narration is the only reason (actually, I'm pretty sure it's not) but Ace Combat 5 is pretty inventive. They did smart things like add large objects (an idea taken from Ace Combat 3) and complicated things. (Vehicles and objects that I don't want to spoil, but provide a huge challenge). On top of that, they added a nice variety of missions that aren't just based on how many planes you destroy, or just surviving a battle.... There's a lot more defending and support missions this time around...

That being said, Namco didn't just sit on their laurels. For once in a long time, I've felt the difficulty level get bumped up a lot in Ace Combat, and that can be attributed to quite a few great things. First off, your plane is quite a bit faster than in Ace Combat 4... No longer are you just a flying missile launcher in the sky... Adding to that, you can no longer automatically repair and rearm your planes (making missiles and ammo things that have to be CONSERVED). Then, they upped the damage on certain things. No longer will two missiles guarantee the destruction of an object... Sometimes you'll need 3, or 4, or 6... or more... (Something ALSO taken from Ace Combat 3) Then, there's the subweapons of each aircraft.... Bombs have uses now, and there are just many different types of useful and destructive weaponry that needs to be used on certain planes for certain missions... You can't just grab an F-14 and take out a heavy ground target mission... You've gotta take your time to choose your plane wisely... Finally... The AI has been amped up again to Ace Combat 3 standards, and beyond... Pilots will dodge your missles if you aren't at their 6, and heck, even if you are, there's no guarentee that your weapons will hit for certain, as enemy planes will change direction after you've fired your missles. So things have become tough, not impossible, which makes things FUN. I died a whole lot of times, and I was still smiling at the end of each death... It's been a while since Ace Combat has been this difficult yet fun.

I'll skip the wingmen controls though. They're ok... They add a slight dimension in that you need to use them to their full advantage (since they have their own stock of missles and their own skills) but overall, it feels a bit gimicky... Yeah, it's simplified because it's not on the PC, but I think it's enough that they provide banter over the radio. Let me put it this way... I use the wingman system sometimes, (maybe once per mission to change them to disperse) but I don't use it as much as you'd think. I think though, that the conversation system will lead to interesting things in the future... Branches within a mission might be an interesting way for Namco to go in the future.

Which finally brings me to the music. Now, I largely love the music in Ace Combat 5 except for one piece... And that of course is the title theme (which has slipped my mind right now). No, I'm not talking about that Puddle of Mudd song, but rather that theme song of Peace or whatever they producers decided to grace us with... It is made out to be an inspirational and uplifting song... However it just falls flat... Now that wouldn't be a problem usually, but the game is somehow hinged on that song at various points... It's for this reason that Ace Combat 5 falters slightly in execution... You might think I'm being nitpicky, but I want Ace Combat 5 to be a simply excellent and perfect game... Add to that, that the theme for peace appears serveral times in the game in several different reincarnations, and there you have it... A song that's flat in a game that has great music up the ying yang, making it that much more painfully obvious that the song is just mediocre at best.

So what do I say? Well... I bought Ace Combat 5 last week and have logged in roughly 18 hours so far. I don't have every plane yet (it's going to take a bit longer) and I haven't touched the Arcade Mode (which is an Ace Combat 4 afterstory, afterthought), but I've been ranting and raving about this game to everyone. It's just that good. Here's what you get... A combination of the plane selection and polish of Ace Combat 2, coupled with the story and difficulty of Ace Combat 3, with the graphics of Ace Combat 4, and add a dash of extra everything, and you've got Ace Combat 5.

If you have any need to play good games on your console, I whole heartedly recommend Ace Combat 5. Because quite literally, nothing else comes close.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/04