Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War

"What do you mean Ace Comabat 4 couldn't get any better?!"

When it came out all those (2) years ago, you thought that Namco had hit the nail on the head as far as flight simulation / arcade fun could possibly go on a PS2. You, me and several other thousand people across the globe, and every single one of us were wrong.

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, or the rather less glamorous title of 'Squadron Leader' if you live in sunny ol' Europe is the absolute epitome of how far you can take a flight game in terms of simulation with Wingmen, radio chatter, landings, takeoffs etc and mix it with the best quality of the arcade with lots of missiles, infinite machine ammo and afterburners etc and instead of lacking in both, it actually succeeds brilliantly.

Up, UP and AWAY!!!
Fan of the series are going to find themselves at home right away with the controls and the layout on-screen (most of it is the same as the last outing). However, there has been several re-vamps and additions. The pressure sensitive pad of your wonderful black slab have now been fully integrated into the game. The shoulder buttons become more responsive when adjusting throttles at low speeds and as it increases becomes harder to push down. It is not something that you notice right away, but it's proof of the amount of thought that has gone on behind the scenes to make the game better. Another new addition is you're only permitted one type of special weapon per plane. This makes the choice of aircraft you fly more challenging than simply choosing the plane and missile / bomb you want and finishing the mission with relative ease.

If you have been living under a rock and haven't seen the screenshots or movies yet then that should be the first you thing you should head to. Although the quality of the world was very good last time around, this time it has just been expanded to a phenomenal degree. There are now individual trees, mountain crevices, real 3D woodlands and not green flat textures, complex plane models for all aircraft not just your's. Need I say more? Better!

Come fly with me
Without a doubt, the most significant improvement is the Squadron Command. As the name seems to suggest you are now not a lone super-fighting, missile shooting, no stopping muted badass but a team leader. Using a CDS esqte command system using the directional buttons you can issue simple commands to your wingmen to fully utilise their role. This is much more helpful then you think and while at the end of the game your kill record should be in the 1000s while the best your wingmen can manage is about 70 you will find yourself playing a part or (if not directly relaying) on their support.

But the wingmen also seave another completely new purpose. They are key characters in an involving and exciting story. The game's plot is as much character driven as it is by the events in it and you will actully find yourself caring about what happens to your team. This is furthered by the use of full CGI cut scenes instead of arty still pictures. The story has a lot of good twists instead of the old cliched story used so many times in games and films: Baddie invades goodies, they start winning, start to get pushed back and soon the hero is sipping champagne in the enemy capital.

The concepts for missions is also huge each one with a perfect soundtrack. Namco has again bettered a complaint amongst fans that the missions got too repetitive. This time, after you compete the story, there will be several missions that you never got to do, as well as new planes and a medal system. This combined with the old get the S grades adds hugely to the playability. Add to this a brand new arcade more, elaborating on the events after the last game, but in true arcade fashion just increases the ammount of hours you are going to be spending in the game.

There's a Bandit on my ass!
So hooray for AC5 a perfect work of gaming? Actually, no.. although the game is easily the best ever, there are still some minor problems. The first being the lack of an online mode. Surely the idea of a massive every man for himself dogfight is reason enough to include it, or the idea of actully seeing your player rather then having a muted invisible man, especially when so much of the game is driven by the characters. The VS. mode carried over would also have been welcomed, but this AC is truly a one player game. These small problems however in no way detract from the enjoyment that can be had from this game that easilly will please fans of the series as well as newcomers, whereas those looking for a hardcore flight sim may have to look elsewhere.

There is no doubt that Namco have a monopoly on this genre on the PS2, but they have not taken that as an excuse to throw out a half-hearted game that people longing for a patch to this hole in the market will scoop up (ahem, Deadly Skies anyone?). Instead have made a top class game well worth waiting for, and although not completely perfect is still enough to bring joy to any fellow pilots hearts. Next stop AC6 on the PS3!

MISSILE LOCK
+ Fantastic Graphics
+ Emotional and well crafted sound
+ Enough of a mix of arcade and simulation plus a great story to boot

SPLASHED
- Online Play would have been nice
- Arcade mode could have been harder
- We would have liked to see more hidden planes

OVERALL
Although the lack of a multiplayer in all it's forms, this is still going to be the best flight combat game you are going to strap yourself into on this generation of consoles. It isn't quite perfection but it very nearly is.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/03/05