Ace Combat Assault Horizon prepares for takeoff

Ace Combat fans can get ready to fly the unfriendly skies once again, as Namco Bandai has today announced that Ace Combat Assault Horizon will be released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Set for release next year, the game will be the first console iteration in the series since 2007's Xbox 360-exclusive Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.

Namco Bandai confirmed single-player and online multiplayer options for Assault Horizon, but few other details were given about the latest effort from series developer Project Aces. A teaser trailer suggested the game will be a rebirth for the franchise, with one quickly glimpsed text message at the outset promising, "This one's a game changer." The clip showed dogfights through downtown skyscrapers that jettisoned debris when struck with missiles, helicopter battles, and turret-gunning sequences.

While a new Ace Combat hasn't been seen on consoles in nearly three years, the series has since appeared on the handheld radar a couple of times. Last year saw the debut of Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion for the iPhone, while the PSP receives its second installment of the franchise, Ace Combat: Joint Assault, later this month.