Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

First off, I'd like to say that as of now I've only had the chance to play Ace Combat 4, 5, and 6. Next up on my list is to play Zero, so I wont really be able to compare it with that one.

Originally, I blew through this game on normal mode in about three days or so, before accidentally deleting my file on the 26th mission (Seriously, why did they put a "Save" option on the main menu?), and I enjoyed the game so much that I was actually happy to start over and play through it a second time to reach the final mission.

While graphics and visuals aren't all that important, I figure i'll start off with them. For a PS2 game, Ace Combat 5 looks great. The planes are especially detailed, and the cockpit view looks amazing. The explosions are pretty detailed, and you're able to see the burning wreckage of the plane fall through the air, as well as a few pieces of debris slowly floating down with it. During high speed turns, you can see the air stream over the wings and the trails left behind on the wing tips, which really adds to the look of the 3rd person view.

You can play in a 3rd person view, which sets the camera behind your plane and allows you to rotate the camera around it. This is nice if you like looking at your plane, but it disables most of the HUD while really only leaving the air speed, altimeter, and the crosshairs. Other than that, there are two different types of 1st person views. The first one simply puts the camera on the nose of the jet, and shows nothing but the HUD on screen (Plane angle, altimeter, speed, roll, etc.) which includes more than the 3rd person view does. This allows you to rotate the camera freely in all directions, and have a completely unobstructed view of your surroundings.

Finally, there is the cockpit view which puts the camera in the eyes of the pilot, alloying you to see the complete HUD, as well as the inside of the plane's cockpit. While this will please those looking for a more realistic view, it also limits you in how much you're able to see. You can only look behind you at about a 75 degree angle, meaning that you can't see anything directly behind you. While each plane has a different cockpit, sometimes certain planes will limit your version more than others. For example, the F22 has a completely unobstructed view, and the canopy is clear in every direction you look. On the other hand, something like the MiG31 greatly obstructs your view, and can make it hard to get a visual on anything that isn't directly in front of you, or on one side. It adds an extra sense of challenge and realism to those that want it, and this is my favorite view to use while playing.

Next off, the soundtrack. Almost all the music in this game comes from its original soundtrack, as well as featuring the song "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd as the game's main theme of sorts. While Ace Combat games are known for their great music, I found a lot of the tracks in this one to be quite enjoyable. Most of them fit the scene perfectly, and really add to the atmosphere of the game.

As far as plane selection goes, this game features roughly 17 different planes, with a total of over 50 different variants which can be unlocked by filling up your plane's "Kill Meter". For people that don't have a problem with the typical "grind" of some games, then this shouldn't be a problem. Each plane, and each variant of that plane, have a bar that must be filled up by getting a specific number of kills using that plane. This will normally take you multiple playthroughs in "Free Mission' mode before you've unlocked all the different variants, but if you're a completionist, then it's well worth it.

One thing missing from this game that was in both AC4 and 6, is the ability to buy and change the special weapons for each plane. This has been somewhat replaced by the other variants for each plane, but it really limits the customization, and usually pushes you towards different planes for different situations rather than being able to change your special weapon to meet your needs. A lot of standard planes come with special weapons that honestly don't fit their role all to well, and those planes will be outclassed very quickly if you don't bother using them to fill the kill meter and unlock their more powerful variants.

Other than that, about the only customization available is the ability to change the paint scheme of your plane. You start off with the standard "Osean" paint scheme, and unlock a second "Razgriz" scheme later on in the story to fit with your Squadron's new objective. This new scheme is primarily black with red tips on the wings and tail, and is unlocked on mission 20.

There are also "Yuktobanian" schemes for specific planes which are unlocked on a case by case basis by shooting down a Yuktobanian plane of the same model in the Campaign or Free Mission mode. There is a "Belkan" scheme as well, which is unlocked the same way as the Yuktobanian scheme.

A select few planes have a "Special" theme which can be unlocked be meeting specific conditions in a mission, which mostly involve shooting down an enemy Ace or named pilot that will appear after special conditions are met.

On to the actual gameplay. There are multiple difficulty levels, which are Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert, and Ace. The higher level of difficulty you choose, the more planes appear, the higher their damage threshold is, and the harder it is to shoot them down due to improved AI. The higher difficulty also lowers the damage threshold of your own plane, and on Expert and Ace difficulties, even one well placed missile can end the mission right then and there.

Honestly, if you've played Ace Combat before, then there isn't much you haven't already seen. Most of it involves locking on to your target, and either shooting them down with your special weapons from afar, firing your main missiles at them in medium range, or going in close to take them out with your plane's machine guns. While this may not sound all that fun, trust me, it is. When you get in a large dogfight with multiple enemies, things can get quite hectic, especially on higher difficulties and later in the game.

One new mechanic that they've added is the ability to control your squadmates during a sortie, and it isn't half bad really. You can set them to "attack" which has them lock on to enemies within your line of sight, you can set them to "cover" which makes them follow you from behind and attack anyone that ends up getting a missile lock on you, and you can also set them to "disperse" which makes them break off and fly to different areas to work on their own. Not only this, but you can also combine each order with the order to use their Special Weapons or not.

While the Squadmate AI isn't the greatest, they'll end up helping you every now and again. I checked my flight data, and by the time I had gotten 300 kills, the combined score of all my squadmates was around 40 kills. I don't know if your squadmates are able to be shot down during combat or not, but I can say that I've never had it happen to me so far. So in the long run, you can set them to do whatever you want, but you'll still be doing most all of the work.

The game has a total of some 30 missions or so, with two points in the game where the paths branch off for one or two missions. You pretty much choose which path you want based on how you answer a question asked by one of your squadmates. The question usually has to do with a song called "Face of the Coin", and whether you answer Yes or No to it will change the outcome of the coin toss given by your commanding officer to choose the mission path that you'll be sent on. Both paths always meet at the same mission, so no matter which you choose, it wont have any effect on the outcome of the story.

Not only can you answer that specific question, but there are plenty of times where you'll be able to give a "Yes" or "No" answer during gameplay in response to other characters. It doesn't change anything other than bits of dialogue, so don't be too worried about what answers you give. It does add to the replay-ability a bit, and sometimes the responses you'll get for one answer compared to the other can be funny.

No matter which choices you make though, a single playthrough of the campaign is about 28 missions, which means that each time you play through, there will be 4 missions that you missed out on depending on which paths you chose. These missions can then be played in "Free Mission Mode" after completing the main campaign.

The missions themselves can vary, from straight up aerial engagements, to bombing enemy armor and supply depots, or even dropping neutralizing agents on a city to contain an enemy chemical attack.

Other than the main campaign, there is also an Arcade mode called "Operation Katina". This mode features shorter; more action packed missions (all of which are timed, but you can gain extra time by shooting down enemies) and continues the story of Mobius 1 after the end of Ace Combat 4. The story is very basic, and doesn't really give many details at all, seeing as this mode is more about going for a high score than sitting back and going through a nice cinematic experience. There are a number of missions and paths to take, and most of them are for different levels of difficulty. Taking the highest path for example will lead to easier missions, and therefore a lower final score, than if you were to take the bottom path and go through the harder missions.

The first time you play this mode, you'll be force to use the F/A-22 fighter, but once you've beaten it, you'll unlock all the other planes to use instead. I should note that Arcade Mode has a separate save file from the main campaign, so make sure that your memory card has room for both.

While not wanting to spoil the main story of the game, I can say that I greatly enjoyed it, and it really has its moments. Unlike, say, Ace Combat 6, the story is centered around your fighter squadron based out of the Sand Island airforce base off the coast of the nation of Osea. In a surprise attack by the Yuktobanians, Osea's former allies, your squadron is the first line of defense against their invasion force. As the story progresses, you learn more about the reasons for the sudden unprovoked attack which may surprise you.

I should also let you know that, unlike previous games, there is no multiplayer whatsoever in Ace Combat 5. Due to time limitations, the developers did not have time to add in either online multiplayer, or split screen. It didn't bother me much, but I'm sure there are at least a few of you out there that enjoy playing these games with your friends.

There aren't many noticeable flaws with this game, and that's why I believe it to be one of the best Ace Combat games I've played so far. It may not look as nice as Ace Combat 6, and it may not have any form of multiplayer, but I believe that it makes up for it in story, plane selection, and atmosphere.

I picked up my copy from Gamestop for roughly $10, so it shouldn't put that big a dent in your pocket. I got a good 30 hours or so from my first two playthrough, and I haven't unlocked anywhere close to every plane or paint scheme. If you're a fan of the series, or if you're just looking for a great flying game on the PS2, you won't be disappointed with Ace Combat 5.