Help
Imagine my shock when on the cover of the game itself, it's advertised as "Call of Duty of the air". I was immediately suspicious, but was hopeful regardless. Pop it in, and play the first mission, and notice some...irritating things, along with some good.
First of all, the game looks real pretty. Explosions are bright, the planes reflect sunlight from their canopies, the whole shebang. Afterburners are nice to look at, which encourages me to move faster.
The "Steel Carnage" destruction physics are cool too. Hitting a plane with a missile and watching it tear apart is always awesome, and occasionally you'll even see the pilot tumble out of the ruined cockpit. Wings will rip off, planes will shear in half, even tanks and other ground vehicles are subject to it.
Newly added is the ability to completely customize colors for each and every aircraft. While only useable in online and Free Mission mode, it nonetheless adds something many players have wanted for a while.
Now, the bad.
A new feature was added, called DogFighting Mode, henceforth known as DFM.
This feature renders it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to shoot enemy planes down without it. Bombers, for example, will take upwards of 10 missiles without it, but as soon as you engage DFM, it's suddenly 4. It's claimed that the short distance allows for better locking, but you can manually fly that close with no change in damage.
Other planes will perform impossible maneuvers, such as COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND HOVERING to get you out from behind them, as long as you're NOT in DFM. Engage it, and the fighter will take you around a pre-programed path around the level. Some of them, labeled TARGET_LEAD, will be invincible until a certain something happens in the level. Of course, to trigger this, you need to be in DFM.
Next is "Anti-Surface Maneuver" (ASM). This is slightly more bearable, except if you don't use it, ground targets will nearly instantly kill you. Of course, this is allowed to happen because of my next gripe:
Regenerating Health. Ace Combat DOES NOT NEED THIS. End of story. The only reason it was seemingly added for is to allow the AI to cheat further.
Take this example: I am assaulting an Aircraft Carrier in an A-10. I make a pass, and start getting pelted with AA fire. No big deal, I pull away, and see the gunfire lagging behind me, to the point where it would be easier for them to just circle the guns the other way to hit me...which they still are, by the way. That's right, I am being hit by bullets that are going the opposite direction. I am still on this mission as of writing this, because I literally cannot find a way to stop being hit.
Next Gripe: Perks. Ace Combat has introduced perks for Online and Free Mission modes. These are things such as firepower upgrades for your Machine Gun or Missiles, to defense upgrades. Nothing is there that wouldn't be considered bog-standard in an FPS. You can have 5 equipped at once, and one can be selected and applied to your entire squadron. I haven't tested it much, as I'm avoiding Multiplayer until I finish the Campaign.
One More: They've done away with plane selection, as far as I'm aware. They give you a handful to pick at the start of the mission. You cannot purchase planes, nor can you take whatever you want. Like HAWX II, regardless of what you have unlocked, you only have access to a small selection at any given time.
Team Aces has taken away virtually everything that has made Ace Combat, Ace Combat. This game should be avoided, and if this is the future of Ace Combat...it should have died with Joint Assault.
This post has been edited by BizzarreCoyote: 12 October 2011 - 08:30 PM
