Post by jamradar on Jun 18, 2009 7:00:51 GMT -5
Ace Combat Series for the Playstation 2
Story
Ace Combat 4
The story is told from the point of view of a young boy as his town is swept up into the flames of war. The cutscenes are of still animation shots with the boy's own narration of how life was in a town under enemy occupation.
You play as Mobius 1, a fighter pilot trying to push back this invading enemy force. As you advance further into the story, rumors of your skills begin to spread, and eventually the boy's story and your actions will to cross. The story also gives a bit of insight into the opposing forces, giving a specific enemy squadron some character, rather than "the evil people".
The one thing I really like about this series is that your character, the silent pilot, will gain fame as you progress in the story. It makes you feel like you've actually accomplished something and made a difference in-game. You'll LOVE the enemy radio chatter when they see you later on in the game, they literally begin to panic.
Ace Combat 5
A sequel to 4 (in terms of timeline), this story takes place in a different in-game country. You're a rookie pilot in a small fighter squadron, due to circumstances of losing your captain, you are thrown into a war as the captain of your 4 man squadron. In the course of the war, your squadron becomes both highly admired and highly feared on both sides. Your squadron is later nicknamed the Demons of Razgriz (an in-game mythological demon).
However, as the story progresses, your group begin to find deep conspiracies in the war, yadda yadda, insert unoriginal plot devise. Like AC4, your accomplishments are seen in the game as enemies openingly fear you. You can also interact with your fellow wingmen when answering their questions, but it doesn't really affect anything story wise.
I felt the story is divided into two parts, with a certain plot event in the middle to mark that transition. Let's just say your name turns into the "Ghosts of Razgriz". You, at that point, become a badass captain in a badass squadron, Hell yea!
Ace Combat Zero
Zero takes place before Ace combat 5's timeline, it's actually about the major war that's a prelude to 5's setting.
You're a mercenary fighter along with your wingman, Solo Wing Pixie. The two of you are employed to defend a small country that's caught in the middle of this large war.
The story is very unique, as it's actually told by ace pilots you shoot down over the course of the game. It's structured like an interview documentary about your player character, Cypher. Depending on what you do in-game, you get different interviews with different pilots. I actually found this to be really really interesting. Each of those pilots telling their story of how they encountered and fought with you.
The overall story of the game, however, felt a bit bare boned.
Gameplay
Ace Combat 4
The gameplay to ace combat games lean towards the arcade-ish flight sim (not too realistic in terms of physics and weapons). You can play in first person view, cockpit view, or 3rd person view. The controls take a bit to get used to, but after an hour or so, it'll be 2nd nature.
The game is organized into missions and objectives. Most of the missions are a bit tedious; usually shoot down target objective, win mission. There are, however, some variation of missions.
Your given a wide variety of real-life fighter jets and some different air-to-ground/air-to-air missiles selections, most of them are unlocked as you progress through the game. You'll need money to buy these fighter jets, which will come from completing missions. Most planes will branch out into different variations (i.e. leveling up a plane), you'll need to rack up kills with them to unlock different variations later on.
Ace Combat 5
The gameplay is nearly the same as Ace Combat 4. A few new planes are added. The one big new addition is commands for your 3 wingmen (they can't be shot down), using the directional pad for simple commands such as;
"Attack" for aggression.
"Cover" to fly in formation and to cover your ass from enemies.
"Special Weapons" for them to use their special missiles/bombs.
"Separate" to split up and fight enemies separately.
I also felt the "realism" of the game engine has been dumbed down a little, most of the mid-range/higher-range planes all felt the same.
Ace Combat Zero
Same thing as 4 and 5. It has the squadron commands, but you only have 1 wingman. The gameplay is a LOT MORE intense than the previous two games. Zero introduces a lot of enemy ace fighters, these guys will actually dodge your missiles a lot more than regular enemies, and they carry some pretty nasty stuff as well.
The game also features 3 different paths you can chose to take, based on what you do in missions;
Mercenary path (Destroy all targets AND wounded planes)
Soldier path (Destroy mission critical targets)
Knight parh (Destroy mission critical targets BUT let wounded planes escape)
Each path has their own set of cutscenes and character interviews, their opinions and what they say of you are different, so replay value is pretty good if you want to watch all the cutscenes.
Graphics
Ace Combat 4
The graphics are okay for a PS2 game. It is a fighter sim, so most of the detail will be put into the fighter jets themselves, which looks pretty good. The ground looks a bit flat and underwhelming if you get too close up, but if you keep to the air, it shouldn't bother you. The cutscenes are animation still shots with narration. Nothing too outstanding in the graphics department
Ace Combat 5
The in-game graphics are a little bit more polished than 4. The cutscenes are now 3D rendered animation, but pretty average animation graphics.
Ace Combat Zero
In-game graphics look like 5. The cutscenes are actually of live actors and actress, done with a filter "effect" and themed color atmosphere to each character. I really enjoyed these cutscenes.
Sound
Ace Combat 4
The sound effects of the missiles and explosions in the game don't really stand out much, nor does the voice acting, all average. The one thing I can ALWAYS count on in an Ace Combat game is the musical score. The Warsaw Philharmonic is used to score this game, giving that grand epic feel as you play the game. The climax of the final mission is coupled with stuff you hear in movies.
Ace Combat 5
Same as Ace Combat 4 in terms of sound effects and such. Some of your teammates whine a lot, but their voice acting is acceptable. The music once again takes center stage, trust me when I say this; the epic proportions of what you're doing in the final mission backed with the full orchestra, it really makes it feel like you're saving the world.
Ace Combat Zero
The voices are actually well-done, the music has a bit of spanish themes mixed into it. The peak of the musical score is also in the final mission, given the situation of the final mission, the music really drives and pumps you for the fight.
Extras
Ace Combat 4
new game+ (where you keep all your money and aircraft)
Ace Combat 5
new game+, Japanese voice. A small arcade mission addition where you play as Mobius 1 one from Ace combat 4.
Ace Combat Zero
new game +, replay value.
Word on the Street
Ace Combat 4
4 is usually the most liked of the PS2 ace combat series, for it's story and "badass-ness" of your unseen player character.
Ace Combat 5
Many people didn't like how whiny your squad members were, especially how preachy they were on war.
Ace Combat Zero
Zero has the most intense dogfights.
Verdict:
Ace Combat 4
Amazing music, massive ego stroking, good story, average-to-tedious everything else.
Ace Combat 5
Amazing music, massive MASSIVE ego stroking, average story, average-to-tedious everything else.
Ace Combat Zero
Amazing music, intense dogfighting, below-average story.
Story
Ace Combat 4
The story is told from the point of view of a young boy as his town is swept up into the flames of war. The cutscenes are of still animation shots with the boy's own narration of how life was in a town under enemy occupation.
You play as Mobius 1, a fighter pilot trying to push back this invading enemy force. As you advance further into the story, rumors of your skills begin to spread, and eventually the boy's story and your actions will to cross. The story also gives a bit of insight into the opposing forces, giving a specific enemy squadron some character, rather than "the evil people".
The one thing I really like about this series is that your character, the silent pilot, will gain fame as you progress in the story. It makes you feel like you've actually accomplished something and made a difference in-game. You'll LOVE the enemy radio chatter when they see you later on in the game, they literally begin to panic.
Ace Combat 5
A sequel to 4 (in terms of timeline), this story takes place in a different in-game country. You're a rookie pilot in a small fighter squadron, due to circumstances of losing your captain, you are thrown into a war as the captain of your 4 man squadron. In the course of the war, your squadron becomes both highly admired and highly feared on both sides. Your squadron is later nicknamed the Demons of Razgriz (an in-game mythological demon).
However, as the story progresses, your group begin to find deep conspiracies in the war, yadda yadda, insert unoriginal plot devise. Like AC4, your accomplishments are seen in the game as enemies openingly fear you. You can also interact with your fellow wingmen when answering their questions, but it doesn't really affect anything story wise.
I felt the story is divided into two parts, with a certain plot event in the middle to mark that transition. Let's just say your name turns into the "Ghosts of Razgriz". You, at that point, become a badass captain in a badass squadron, Hell yea!
Ace Combat Zero
Zero takes place before Ace combat 5's timeline, it's actually about the major war that's a prelude to 5's setting.
You're a mercenary fighter along with your wingman, Solo Wing Pixie. The two of you are employed to defend a small country that's caught in the middle of this large war.
The story is very unique, as it's actually told by ace pilots you shoot down over the course of the game. It's structured like an interview documentary about your player character, Cypher. Depending on what you do in-game, you get different interviews with different pilots. I actually found this to be really really interesting. Each of those pilots telling their story of how they encountered and fought with you.
The overall story of the game, however, felt a bit bare boned.
Gameplay
Ace Combat 4
The gameplay to ace combat games lean towards the arcade-ish flight sim (not too realistic in terms of physics and weapons). You can play in first person view, cockpit view, or 3rd person view. The controls take a bit to get used to, but after an hour or so, it'll be 2nd nature.
The game is organized into missions and objectives. Most of the missions are a bit tedious; usually shoot down target objective, win mission. There are, however, some variation of missions.
Your given a wide variety of real-life fighter jets and some different air-to-ground/air-to-air missiles selections, most of them are unlocked as you progress through the game. You'll need money to buy these fighter jets, which will come from completing missions. Most planes will branch out into different variations (i.e. leveling up a plane), you'll need to rack up kills with them to unlock different variations later on.
Ace Combat 5
The gameplay is nearly the same as Ace Combat 4. A few new planes are added. The one big new addition is commands for your 3 wingmen (they can't be shot down), using the directional pad for simple commands such as;
"Attack" for aggression.
"Cover" to fly in formation and to cover your ass from enemies.
"Special Weapons" for them to use their special missiles/bombs.
"Separate" to split up and fight enemies separately.
I also felt the "realism" of the game engine has been dumbed down a little, most of the mid-range/higher-range planes all felt the same.
Ace Combat Zero
Same thing as 4 and 5. It has the squadron commands, but you only have 1 wingman. The gameplay is a LOT MORE intense than the previous two games. Zero introduces a lot of enemy ace fighters, these guys will actually dodge your missiles a lot more than regular enemies, and they carry some pretty nasty stuff as well.
The game also features 3 different paths you can chose to take, based on what you do in missions;
Mercenary path (Destroy all targets AND wounded planes)
Soldier path (Destroy mission critical targets)
Knight parh (Destroy mission critical targets BUT let wounded planes escape)
Each path has their own set of cutscenes and character interviews, their opinions and what they say of you are different, so replay value is pretty good if you want to watch all the cutscenes.
Graphics
Ace Combat 4
The graphics are okay for a PS2 game. It is a fighter sim, so most of the detail will be put into the fighter jets themselves, which looks pretty good. The ground looks a bit flat and underwhelming if you get too close up, but if you keep to the air, it shouldn't bother you. The cutscenes are animation still shots with narration. Nothing too outstanding in the graphics department
Ace Combat 5
The in-game graphics are a little bit more polished than 4. The cutscenes are now 3D rendered animation, but pretty average animation graphics.
Ace Combat Zero
In-game graphics look like 5. The cutscenes are actually of live actors and actress, done with a filter "effect" and themed color atmosphere to each character. I really enjoyed these cutscenes.
Sound
Ace Combat 4
The sound effects of the missiles and explosions in the game don't really stand out much, nor does the voice acting, all average. The one thing I can ALWAYS count on in an Ace Combat game is the musical score. The Warsaw Philharmonic is used to score this game, giving that grand epic feel as you play the game. The climax of the final mission is coupled with stuff you hear in movies.
Ace Combat 5
Same as Ace Combat 4 in terms of sound effects and such. Some of your teammates whine a lot, but their voice acting is acceptable. The music once again takes center stage, trust me when I say this; the epic proportions of what you're doing in the final mission backed with the full orchestra, it really makes it feel like you're saving the world.
Ace Combat Zero
The voices are actually well-done, the music has a bit of spanish themes mixed into it. The peak of the musical score is also in the final mission, given the situation of the final mission, the music really drives and pumps you for the fight.
Extras
Ace Combat 4
new game+ (where you keep all your money and aircraft)
Ace Combat 5
new game+, Japanese voice. A small arcade mission addition where you play as Mobius 1 one from Ace combat 4.
Ace Combat Zero
new game +, replay value.
Word on the Street
Ace Combat 4
4 is usually the most liked of the PS2 ace combat series, for it's story and "badass-ness" of your unseen player character.
Ace Combat 5
Many people didn't like how whiny your squad members were, especially how preachy they were on war.
Ace Combat Zero
Zero has the most intense dogfights.
Verdict:
Ace Combat 4
Amazing music, massive ego stroking, good story, average-to-tedious everything else.
Ace Combat 5
Amazing music, massive MASSIVE ego stroking, average story, average-to-tedious everything else.
Ace Combat Zero
Amazing music, intense dogfighting, below-average story.