Your Average Ace
You’re Average Ace
The Ace Combat series is one of the more well known flight simulators out there. Taking to the idea that many publishers are doing these days, Namco has released a prequel to Ace Combat 5 which was released prior to Ace Combat Zero. Is this game a worthy prequel or has Namco just simply ran out of fresh ideas for the series? Find out in the review!
Graphics:
The graphics in Ace Combat Zero were pretty much the same as Ace Combat 5. They were done quite well and I don’t really have any complaints. They could have put in a little extra work into some of the graphics just to raise the bar a little from the previous title, Ace Combat 5. The graphics are definitely good, but it just doesn’t push the PS2 to its limit like some of the other titles being released at this time.
Gameplay:
The gameplay felt a little dry. While there were some excellent missions that were epic in nature and really put you on the edge of your seat, there were also a good number of missions that felt more like filler material. The controls are very responsive and handling your craft comes naturally after time. The AI seems improved as well. Enemies will actually use tactics to cover each other and take you down. You’re able to use your wingmen as well and order them to cover, attack, or disperse. While you’re wingmen aren’t nearly as skilled as you. They do their fair share of damage and are helpful at times. New to the series is a feature that keeps track of what type of pilot you are. If you destroy everything in your path you will be deemed a mercenary. If you destroy only enemy targets and have mercy on neutralized planes you will gain the title of knight. If you somehow find a middle ground between the two, you will be ranked a soldier. The new feature adds a bit of depth to the game and is a welcome addition to the series.
The story, like the rest of the game, felt pretty average. The radio chatter felt very lifeless. I tend to like when there is character development through the radio chatter. There was only an average amount radio chatter and it was very generic chatter from HQ. I know it seems silly to concentrate on the elements of radio chatter. But for me, there is no greater feeling than flying the skies in an epic mission with you allies and enemies chattering and shouting orders.
The game mechanics are identical to those found in Ace Combat 5. The mechanics are very fun but I just wasn’t pulled into the game because of filler missions and lifeless characters. It definitely will tide you over, but it doesn’t exceed anything but average.
There are a few epic missions that truly make the game shine; I just wish I saw more of them. The story, mechanics, and controls all felt average, nothing new and nothing truly innovative from previous titles.
Music & Sound:
The music was done really well. There are quite a few tracks that make the missions feel really intense. I thought the music was well done and very fitting. The sound effects were very life like. The effects made it really feel as if you were flying in a plane. As I complained about before, the radio chatter felt very lifeless. It seemed a lot quieter than other Ace Combat games. The radio chatter seemed very generic and I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I did the radio chatter found in Air Force Delta Strike which was released for the PS2 quite some time ago.
Aside from a few fun missions, Ace Combat Zero felt very generic to me. I didn’t get attached to the characters or story. While there is more character development than armies fighting and targets being destroyed. The material just felt rushed and more like a filler than an innovative piece of work. The gameplay and mechanics are very similar to previous Ace Combat titles and are very good. This sequel just felt very dry and lifeless though. It almost seemed that Namco just threw a side story together and called it a game. Ace Combat is a fun game but sadly it is just an average game.
Final Score: 7.3