Ace Combat V

[womblingfree]

Well I loved the Japanese Macross game, which I think was based on Ace Combat but with the added advantage that you could also change into two different robots and fire nuclear missiles at space armadas.

Ace Combat 5 looks rather dull by comparison.

Is it?

[mezzanine]

No.

[TEZBEK]

This game is everything i wanted it to be. the machine gun is now effective for dogfighting and there are proper mission objectives again, rather then having to destroy everything.

The music, setting and graphics are great and believable.

this game is the best of the year IMO

[Chadruharazzeb]

How do you re-arm in this? I'm only on the third mission and yet I've run out of ammo and can't seem to resupply. In AC04 you just flew south.

[razu]

Re-arm? That would be handy, I did mission 15ish today and ended up shooting down 10 or so planes with my gun. Bit more effort than missiles.

Fantastic game. Unfortunately I crumbled and have started Paper Mario 2, mid this. It's okay, Ace Combat at lunch, Paper Mario in the evening.

Spoiler:

->Open Spoiler<-

It's nice that plane choice actually has an effect, even if I don't get to fly in the f14 every time, Cruise-style. It took me forever to sink the Hrimfaxi, only to notice the plane with anti-submarine missiles much later on... Man!!

[Wild_Cat]

I don't think you can rearm in this one. I finished it a couple of days ago in Hard mode, and went through the game without re-arming once. This made me fail some missions, though, most noticeably the last "randomly-selected" one (don't remember the name --

->Open Spoiler<-

air support followed by a big ground attack, and just as you run out of missiles, an AWACS and a refueling plane appear and you have to destroy them.

).

In any case, AC5 is absolutely great, but it sometimes made me feel it could have been much better. Having teammates is a good idea, but they it'd be better if they were actually useful (final result: almost 1000 targets shot down by me, #2 is Nagase with about 20 kills). Unlocking new planes with the "kill bar" is only useful for the sake of completeness, given that by the time you unlock one, another more powerful plane is already available through normal means. The "carrier-based" (

->Open Spoiler<-

I'm using quotes because you're technically carrier-based from the moment you flee Sand Island -- in very cool CGI and following mission, will I add -- but somehow the Kestrel's catapult lose their selectiveness depending on the mission

) missions are a good idea, but there are only 3 of them. Finally, what is the point of having *three* missions out of 30+ selected randomly? Why didn't they implement a full branching scenario with multiple endings like they did in the JP version of AC3 (which I will have to play sometime -- it seems to be the biggest achievement in the whole series, but I only got to play the butchered Euro version) instead of this quarter-assed attempt?

Also, the last mission didn't feel as absolutely, incredibly cool as the AC4 finale (heck, finding yourself charging into the whole Yellow squadron, with meteors falling in the background, just as "Agnus Dei" starts playing at full volume is an experience that can't be beaten) -- in fact, it even felt slightly bland compared to the heroic moments found in some of the previous missions (

->Open Spoiler<-

The second-to-last mission is the first time in the AC series they actually force you to step on the gas as you go Star Wars, isn't it?

).

Yet, the game remains a complete blast to play. The story is well-told, better and less generic than in AC4, the characters are interesting, and let's face it, I hadn't had an Ace Combat game in 2 years, I needed my fix.

It's just that I feel it could have been so much more... I don't know, imagine a remake of (Jap) AC3 with a tweaked AC5 engine. Branching story, 5 endings, slightly cyberpunk setting, missions in the stratosphere, space and even the Electrosphere (although I never really understood what that was )... That'd be the perfect game! I know I'd buy it without a second thought (especially if it was well translated).



Also, I had a quick go at the arcade mode. Seems fun so far, although it obviously lacks the story-drivenness of the normal game. And the music rocks.

[Wild_Cat]

Oh, one last thing. Am I the only one who got tricked by the trailer into thinking that 1)

->Open Spoiler<-

The "Demons of Razgriz" actually appear in the game, as enemies (i.e. there is a fantasy element)

; and 2)

->Open Spoiler<-

You play as Kei Nagase

?

[Chadruharazzeb]

You can't re-arm?! WTF.... the third mission!

->Open Spoiler<-

You start off in that dogfight over that port and have to protect a carrier, then the mission gets extended and you have to escort it out into the open water. Just 30-odd stock missiles and NO GUN? I ran out of ammo and just flew around for a bit while the mission went to hell, I flew south for ages and then got fission mailed because I left the combat area.

Whaat the faaa..

[Uli]

anyone playing this with the FLIGHT STICK 2?

i'm interested in purchasing this device and would appreciate your comments on the performance and compatibility with Ace Combat 2 and 4!

here is a pic to catch your attention:

[Wild_Cat]

Well,

->Open Spoiler<-

You've got to refrain from being too trigger-happy during the first part of the mission at least. I also think (but I'm not sure) that a plane with decent anti-ground capabilities (one with LASMs, perhaps? lacking that, go for UGBLs) should be available by that point. Try using your guns to whack the planes. Then, once the mission gets extended, go for the biggest ships with your LASMs (one missile per ship should be enough), then once they run out use your normal missiles/guns to kill the smallest boats (that only take 1 missile to kill) and those that come too close to the Kestrel. As for planes, try to stick to guns as much as possible. If you must use missiles, maximise their chances to hit by placing yourself in your target's 6 hours... You know the drill. And try to get your wingmen to do something intelligent, by placing them in "Disperse" mode with special weapons on. If you run out of everything, order them to attack the ships you want (long, tedious and desperate, but it may work)

[Darwock]

Yeah Uli that's the controller I use, it's great although one slight disappointment is that not all the buttons and modes are made use of. I think this is a standard PC stick and all the 'extra' bits have been left in.

[Chadruharazzeb]

Mr Wild_Cat, there are precisely zero new planes available as yet, except the very first junkheap (F5 or something). No guns, and only unguided bombs as the secondary payload. Not very effective on water. The plane has no guns either.

What an embarrassing situation. What am I supposed to use, harsh language?

[Wild_Cat]

I think I used the bombs, then. They're not very hard to use against big ships, just approach them from behind at a low altitude and aim for the bow.

And as far as I can remember, the F-5 *does* have guns. Not a lot of ammo, but guns still.

[Chadruharazzeb]

This is bizarre. The plane I was using definitely couldn't use guns (it had 000 on the ammo HUD, and just made a funny noise when I pressed X). I even read a couple of FAQ's on it and they all say "Oh just blast the planes out of the sky with your guns and missiles, save some missiles for the ships".

I don't understand.

[Wild_Cat]

This is weird. Very weird. Have you tried restarting a game? What's your difficulty setting?

Also, define "funny noise". AC5's guns have the ****tiest SFX ever, they basically sound like someone farting on a bee hive. (the only exception is the A-10, which does feature decent-sounding guns)