Ace Combat Assault Horizons - Failure on every level.

User Rating: 1 | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon X360
By hordekiller420 | Review Date:
Where do I begin. When I first read that the new Ace Combat was going to have a few new features like the DFM, chopper missions and Door Gunner elements I was thrilled. Being a fan of the series since the first game on the original ps I was excited to see something was being done to break up the usual Ace combat missions involving razor thin margin of error flights through tunnels and the insides of giant rail guns and submarines. Unfortunately what I got was a game so far removed from the spirit of the Ace Combat series that I find I have to force myself to play it.

Gone are the familiar home hangar with a dizzing list of planes, sp weapons and paint schemes to unlock. They are replaced with a small list of suitable plane types unique to each mission. They do appear to have unlockable paint schemes but I have yet to see a mission ranking or debriefing to let me know how i did.

Gone is the ranking system, Ace Pilots, Briefing, De-Briefing and all the other elements that made Ace Combat one of my favorite games to beat over and over again. I remember the satisfaction I got when I had finally unlocked every single plane and paint job in Ace Combat 4. I dont even own a PS anymore but I still have that savegame on a mem card.

I remeber thinking when I read AC6 was coming to xbox 360 how scarred I was that they would mess it up somehow and destroy one of my favorite console Flight games. Then they amazed me with a great game and even better marketplaces items like "Ace of Aces" mode and the online MP game modes. AC6 single handedly restored my faith in NAMCO and Microsofts ability to leave good enough alone.... Unfortunately AC Assault Horizons has destroyed it.

The games is now an easy play. You have the options to use the old control scheme allowing you total control flght but this is of little use since most mission objectives REQUIRE you to enter the new Dog Fighting Mode or DFM to use their acronym. While I found DFM fun at first the moment I realized it was a required element to beat the game it lost all appeal. As many have stated before the DFM pretty much assures that you will not die. In the old Ace Combat titles the Aces where hard to find single pilots who were sometimes nowhere near you mission objectives. Favorite example is the SR-71 in Mission 17 or so of AC5. You pretty much had to fail the mission to catch him at just the right spot in the map where you missles were fast enough to kill him. Now aces are everywhere and a simple 30 sec DFM and hes gone. No thrill of finding him hiding or getting that huge grin of satisfaction as you do a perfect "Cobra Stall" and watching him die in a hail of MG fire.

In summary if you are a fan of the AC series don't bother picking this one up. It is a bitter dissapointment. If you have never played the series and are looking for a good flight sim/arcade title AC6 is not only cheaper but still has a healthy online community and its loads of fun to boot. I would even reccomend the old air combats for the original xbox before Ace Combat Assoult Horizons. IF your looking for a fun flight game that isnt so sim heavy then Crimson Skies from the Original XBOX is also available on XBL marketplace for cheap. It ilike AC 1-6 are some of my favorite memories of wasting time.

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