Fantastic action, great CGI movie sequences, and decent voice acting. One of my favorite combat flight sims.
I love combat flight sims, but I've never been able to find one that matches my playing style. I don't want to be bothered with watching fuel gauges or worrying about real-life physics affecting my airspeed. Few games have met this criteria over the years. This game happens to be one of them. Using its arcade-style action, Ace Combat 5 allows the player to focus on the gameplay, rather than micromanaging the aircraft. That's good for big points in my book and that alone would've made the game worth playing.
But, then they had to go ahead and add the cool CGI movies and quality voiceovers. I almost look forward to these as much as the missions themselves. The story that's being told is far deeper than I would've expected in a combat flight sim and keeps the player playing simply to find out what happens next. If Namco were to create an Ace Combat CGI movie in the theaters, I'd probably go see it. The movies in this game are that good.
Finally, we add in the impressive sound and smooth graphics. The music soundtrack is worth owning and the sound effects are wickedly realistic. An explosion sounds like an explosion. A gun sounds like a gun. If you have a speaker system that can handle it, I recommend cranking it up and immersing yourself. Add in a wide-screen, hi-def television and you'll almost feel as if you're in the game. The graphics are what you'd expect from a PS2 game. Nothing cutting edge, but easily good enough so that you may enjoy the game. The plane models in particular are fantastic.
My only gripe with this game is that a couple of the later missions can get tedious. You may have to play through the same 20-minute mission several times before getting it right. While I do appreciate the challenge, it can get annoying if I keep crashing into the same obstruction over and over again while flying through a tunnel.
Overall, this game is an instant classic. Since it is now part of the "Greatest Hits" collection, you simply cannot go wrong for $20. The missions will keep you busy for a while and when you're done with that, there are plenty of planes to unlock and ace pilots to shoot down. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to experience a great arcade combat flight sim.