This game has plenty to offer for those dedicated enough to go through the process.
Ace Combat was never known for its realistic gameplay, its much more of an arcade game with realistic graphics, and it pulls this off very well. The models of the planes are very detailed and the variety of levels really make this game shine. Different weather conditions and terrain make for some graphically beautiful viewing. You have 2 views from which you can play, 1st person and 3rd person and both are easily accessible by pressing down on the digital pad. The replay mode is great to watch that dog fight you pulled off in that mission, though the novelty can wear off quite quickly, its always nice to rub it in when you beat a friend in split screen!
Multiplayer is rather limited but it can make for some good fun. The best is a 1 on 1 fight and the winner is the best of 5 rounds. You are limited to the 1st person mode and you feel restricted compared to the sense of space you get on your single player campaign. It does get good once you are used to the small viewing angle and can actually provide some good dog fighting and even some spectacular stunts with the other player when you replay the sequence.
The sound is varied and accompanies the action very well. When the story cutscenes are playing the sound is again very well used and creates a great atmosphere while playing. Some missions give you this feeling of urgency while others are epic to give you a feel for the mission you are undertaking. The Narrating in the cutscenes is excellent and adds so much to the game but the dialogue during the missions gets repetitive, thankfully you can simply ignore it since its not so overbearing.
The replay value is good but not very compelling unless you are a perfectionist. As you beat the game on certain difficulties you unlock a higher difficulty where your plane takes less damage before crashing. You get to keep your planes from your previous campaign thus giving you a chance to buy all the other planes available, but knowing that it is possible to unlock and buy the best plane in the game from the first campaign, it takes away some of the pleasure in buying those other planes. You can also unlock different paint jobs by beating special "Ace" pilots on different stages, but again once you have a plane it really does not matter what paint job you get unless you are a perfectionist as mentioned earlier. Finally there is a scored time trial mode to keep to keep track of your best records while you fight.
This is a good game and a worthy addition to any collection.