I'm digging the hell out of Ace Combat 4 a few missions in, especially now that I have my F-16. 8)
Love the replays, they're very cinematic at times. I like the way the camera follows a missle shot, and I just noticed the sound of a resulting explosion was delayed, like in real life. Saw the enemy blow up real good, then a second later, heard the boom.
And yes, the still-picture cutscenes are classy. I like the WWI kind of feel overlaid on a modern (fictitious) conflict.
I'm digging the hell out of Ace Combat 4 a few missions in, especially now that I have my F-16. 8)
Love the replays, they're very cinematic at times. I like the way the camera follows a missle shot, and I just noticed the sound of a resulting explosion was delayed, like in real life. Saw the enemy blow up real good, then a second later, heard the boom.
And yes, the still-picture cutscenes are classy. I like the WWI kind of feel overlaid on a modern (fictitious) conflict.
If you hold circle instead of just tapping it, your camera will follow the missile shot.
Also, I just started playing 5 for the second time. I've played 4 at least 3 times. I figure I'll give 5 its due.
I enjoy the style of 4's story much more than the sometimes lame cutscenes of 5, especially the fact that SPOILER FOR 4:[spoiler:dc40fb6d32]all the characters in the story are from the opposing side of the war, told from the perspective of a helpless civilian[/spoiler:dc40fb6d32] but the gameplay of 5 was so much faster and more fun. In 4, QAAMs were way easy to get and were practically guaranteed kills once you shot one, but the SAAMs in 5 was so much more fun SPOILER FOR 5:[spoiler:dc40fb6d32]especially in the canyon with those hardcore Belkan dudes[/spoiler:dc40fb6d32] To be fair, I was stuck with SAAMs instead of QAAMs because of the funky kill-meter system in 5 (no su-37 for me ) but it really made my game experience more fun. Also, I agree that the ending of 4 was epic and huge, but 5 had a great ending also. And then another one. And then another one. moer liek Lord of the Aces m ir ite??
Although 4's approach to the storytelling was more fresh and creative, imo, I'll be damned if I didn't fall for Nagase instantly. So fine.
My verdict? Get 'em both! But I'm waiting for Zero to get to $20 (which will give me time to go through 5 a couple more times)
Just so you don't get your hopes up, sabyul, I'll say that the only stand-out things about Zero are its rival aces and the music. But the music in these games is always good.
Heh, honestly I had figured Rogue Leader and Ace Combat 4 kind of ruined the genre for me (the same way I had to try too hard to appreciate DMC and God of War after playing the crap out of Ninja Gaiden Black) but I'm looking forward to some legitimately difficult dogfighting.
I can't say I'm a fan of the Ace Combat style of difficulty-- the whole mission not being that hard at all but you should try to get S-rank or go off and beat the rival ace while still making it back to complete the mission! or whatever. I greatly enjoyed X-Wing: Alliance and Freespace 2's missions where you barely squeak by surviving (not to mention the poor dude you were supposed to be protecting). Different styles of game, though, i suppose. My main fault with AC is that getting a kill doesn't really feel like as much an accomplishment as it could sometimes.
Is is sad that I think the briefing scenes in 5 are really really cool?
Oh I whole-heartedly agree. It's a shame so much of the rest of the game was so cheesy.
Yeah the voice acting is cheesy, but the briefing scenes are very cool. They get me pumped. And when you start getting your briefings on the carrier...hoo boy that music made me want to get out there and shoot down some bogeys.
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PunkBoyThank you! And thank you again!Registered Userregular
Is is sad that I think the briefing scenes in 5 are really really cool?
Oh I whole-heartedly agree. It's a shame so much of the rest of the game was so cheesy.
Yeah the voice acting is cheesy, but the briefing scenes are very cool. They get me pumped. And when you start getting your briefings on the carrier...hoo boy that music made me want to get out there and shoot down some bogeys.
I agree. The remxied "Unsung War" briefing music on the carrier gets me psyched. I like to try and pick out as much as the small text as possible during the briefings. One neat thing I noticed are the different login names used by whoever's conducting the briefing:
Perrault: islandking
Commander of Basset Space Center (forgot his name): rocketboy
Pops: oldfox
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"CAN YOU TAKE IT ALL AWAY! CAN YOU TAKE IT ALL AWAY!!..."
"Aw man I love this sound!"
Haha....that part was lame.
But the carrier part was awesome. And in Zero the part that really pumped me up was the beginning of the last mission you guys know what I'm talking about :^:
"CAN YOU TAKE IT ALL AWAY! CAN YOU TAKE IT ALL AWAY!!..."
"Aw man I love this sound!"
Haha....that part was lame.
But the carrier part was awesome. And in Zero the part that really pumped me up was the beginning of the last mission you guys know what I'm talking about :^:
I haven't finished AC5 yet, (which is my first exposure to the AC world btw) so maybe I just haven't seen it yet. But what I can't help but notice is that many of the scenes are just exposition, we did this, we went here, they treated us like that, etc etc. There doesn't seem to be much dialogue except for in the middle of missions, where there seems to be too much, where, as many of you have pointed out, Nagase becomes whiny and chatty, but I'm busy just trying to play the damn game.
I like dialogue but it just seems to be in all the wrong places. Quit asking me how I feel about war when I'm trying to shoot someone down, it should be fairly obvious how I feel about it at that given moment.
I still like all the games. I don't play them for the story, I play them for the crazy superweapons and attacks on giant vehicles and installations and such. And the music. And all three deliver on those fronts.
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edited October 2006
Heh, I really didn't mind Chopper. I always get a grin out of when Chopper introduces himself to Mr. Cargo in "Handful of Hope." I got attatched to all of the characters in 5, I guess that's why I feel it edges out 4.
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Except AC04 sounded like it was narrated by some unemployed loser sitting on his mothers couch, all done to unispiring still images.
AC05 >>> AC04
I've always agreed with you on this, but we're definitely in the minority.
Unsung War just had so many great moments. [spoiler:43075680d0]I mean, what's better than destroying a satellite as it hurtles to Earth? Nothing's better, that's what![/spoiler:43075680d0]
Also, someday I'd like to play the Japanese version of AC03. Apparently our version had a ton of the story removed, and got rid of 16 missions for some reason. :?
I'm on mission 8 in AC4, and I'm enjoying the game. But one thing does piss me off.
I just finished up two missions where I had plenty of targets to shoot at, and in fact my obligations to my comrades pretty much dictated doing as much damage as possible.
And then, from out of left fuckin' field, comes a new objective for which I evidently needed to hold back about half my ammo. There was no reason whatsoever to hold my fire in such a target-rich environment, with ground forces and/or wingmen calling for help. I was just supposed to intuitively know that these bastards who were killing our people aren't worth shooting at, the real objective hasn't shown its face yet. Or I was just supposed to run out of ammo, spit and curse, and retry the mission with advance knowledge of what to expect.
Worst of all, there were enemy aces present at one battle who don't fly particularly well, aren't particularly skilled or dangerous. But whose defining characteristic as hotshot aces seems to be their ability to take repeated hits without being destroyed. And missles tend to not hit these guys, but it's not on account of their flying. No, these guys couldn't dodge a thrown wrench, let alone a pair of missles fired from a favorable angle. They don't get hit because the game basically scripts my missles to veer off and miss them. One attempt at a mission was a wash simply because I wasted too much ammo trying to shoot one of these fucks down.
Everything else about the game is pretty impressive. But the way the missions are set up, and the way an "ace" enemy pilot is represented in the game, really took me out of the moment.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
What bugs me about AC04 is the lack of copilot support.
Sure, everyone's there to cheer you on, but then you get to fight an entire squadron of enemy aces by yourself...
It'd be nice if they made a more open-ended AC, like Wing Commander, where your choices and mission outcomes affect future missions.
Play the japanese version of AC3, man. It's like armored core in that you can make choices and branch the missions differently. There are like 6 different endings.
You know, I'm going to have to side with the AC5 > AC4 crowd. I enjoyed it, despite Nagase and Chopper being totally worthless.
Really? At least in my game all my wingmen do pretty well and have impressive kill counts according the pilot stats.
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cj iwakuraThe Rhythm RegentBears The Name FreedomRegistered Userregular
edited October 2006
It's all in how and when you use the commands. Let them go at the right time, and they'll rack up the kills.
(Preferably right when things get at their craziest)
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edited October 2006
Yeah, what I realized is that when you tell your wingmen to disperse and attack, they will within a limited distance. If you fly off from the fight, your wingmen will break off attacking and regroup with you. Kind of annoying sometimes, but at least it keeps them from drifting too far off.
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I have all three of these games and I have to say that each one stands out in its own respect.
AC4? Best final level soundtrack ever. Fiddle around in your Sound Test (if you've earned it) and listen to the level music for the very last level. Rex Tremendae and Agnus Dei...and theres a third...forget its name, but they rock, all orchastral and choir-y n'shit.
AC5...wonderful and in-depth story. There is one level where:
[spoiler:738443888e]Chopper gets shot down and killed[/spoiler:738443888e]
And after that you're still taking on a swarm of enemy fighters. Best moment in that game is flying that part of that mission getting kill after kill while listening to the enemy radio chater about you and your wingmen being the Demons of Razgriz, all the while listening to your wingmen sobbing through gritted teeth over their comms while also laying it down. Fucking powerful.
AC-0? Awesome. That's all there is to say about that. They make you earn your first good jets which was new and kinda of annoying...especially after I managed to unlock the X-02 in the first level and it took me most of the game to earn the money for it. The Final boss in the game is a real test of your pilot's (and maybe gamer's) metle.
Best. Dogfight. Evar.
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PunkBoyThank you! And thank you again!Registered Userregular
I have all three of these games and I have to say that each one stands out in its own respect.
AC4? Best final level soundtrack ever. Fiddle around in your Sound Test (if you've earned it) and listen to the level music for the very last level. Rex Tremendae and Agnus Dei...and theres a third...forget its name, but they rock, all orchastral and choir-y n'shit.
AC5...wonderful and in-depth story. There is one level where:
[spoiler:4b088f5e5c]Chopper gets shot down and killed[/spoiler:4b088f5e5c]
And after that you're still taking on a swarm of enemy fighters. Best moment in that game is flying that part of that mission getting kill after kill while listening to the enemy radio chater about you and your wingmen being the Demons of Razgriz, all the while listening to your wingmen sobbing through gritted teeth over their comms while also laying it down. Fucking powerful.
AC-0? Awesome. That's all there is to say about that. They make you earn your first good jets which was new and kinda of annoying...especially after I managed to unlock the X-02 in the first level and it took me most of the game to earn the money for it. The Final boss in the game is a real test of your pilot's (and maybe gamer's) metle.
Best. Dogfight. Evar.
I agree that "Journey Home" is one of the most powerful levels in a game I've ever played.
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Don't get me wrong, I thought the AC5 story was fantastic, and on a whole it was a great game.
The thing was, it was just a little too melodramatic and exaggerated. In terms of radio chatter and general mission progression, AC04 seemed much more militarily feasible. AC5 pretty much felt like a bad movie at times. AC zero was awesome because it found a pretty good balance of the two.
The thing was, it was just a little too melodramatic and exaggerated. In terms of radio chatter and general mission progression, AC04 seemed much more militarily feasible. AC5 pretty much felt like a bad anime at times. AC zero was awesome because it found a pretty good balance of the two.
Well I liked it, too. I just thought it was a bit overdone. In 4, you could hear radio chatter about "ribbon fighters" and you being fucked if you saw one, but you only heard it every once in a while.
Well I liked it, too. I just thought it was a bit overdone. In 4, you could hear radio chatter about "ribbon fighters" and you being fucked if you saw one, but you only heard it every once in a while.
Posts
Love the replays, they're very cinematic at times. I like the way the camera follows a missle shot, and I just noticed the sound of a resulting explosion was delayed, like in real life. Saw the enemy blow up real good, then a second later, heard the boom.
And yes, the still-picture cutscenes are classy. I like the WWI kind of feel overlaid on a modern (fictitious) conflict.
Also, I just started playing 5 for the second time. I've played 4 at least 3 times. I figure I'll give 5 its due.
Although 4's approach to the storytelling was more fresh and creative, imo, I'll be damned if I didn't fall for Nagase instantly. So fine.
My verdict? Get 'em both! But I'm waiting for Zero to get to $20 (which will give me time to go through 5 a couple more times)
I can't say I'm a fan of the Ace Combat style of difficulty-- the whole mission not being that hard at all but you should try to get S-rank or go off and beat the rival ace while still making it back to complete the mission! or whatever. I greatly enjoyed X-Wing: Alliance and Freespace 2's missions where you barely squeak by surviving (not to mention the poor dude you were supposed to be protecting). Different styles of game, though, i suppose. My main fault with AC is that getting a kill doesn't really feel like as much an accomplishment as it could sometimes.
Oh I whole-heartedly agree. It's a shame so much of the rest of the game was so cheesy.
I agree. The remxied "Unsung War" briefing music on the carrier gets me psyched. I like to try and pick out as much as the small text as possible during the briefings. One neat thing I noticed are the different login names used by whoever's conducting the briefing:
Perrault: islandking
Commander of Basset Space Center (forgot his name): rocketboy
Pops: oldfox
"Aw man I love this sound!"
Haha....that part was lame.
But the carrier part was awesome. And in Zero the part that really pumped me up was the beginning of the last mission you guys know what I'm talking about :^:
Twitter
Nagase says: "Captain, do you think all this killing has to stop?"
(Y/N)> N
Nagase says: "How could you say that!?"
Nagase says: "All this hatred, where could it come from? Don't you think we have to end this war on hatred, Captain?"
(Y/N)> N
Nagase says: some whiny garbage.
I like dialogue but it just seems to be in all the wrong places. Quit asking me how I feel about war when I'm trying to shoot someone down, it should be fairly obvious how I feel about it at that given moment.
Enlist in Star Citizen! Citizenship must be earned!
Exactly why AC04 was so much better.
Except AC04 sounded like it was narrated by some unemployed loser sitting on his mothers couch, all done to unispiring still images.
AC05 >>> AC04
猿も木から落ちる
Unsung War just had so many great moments. [spoiler:43075680d0]I mean, what's better than destroying a satellite as it hurtles to Earth? Nothing's better, that's what![/spoiler:43075680d0]
Also, someday I'd like to play the Japanese version of AC03. Apparently our version had a ton of the story removed, and got rid of 16 missions for some reason. :?
I just finished up two missions where I had plenty of targets to shoot at, and in fact my obligations to my comrades pretty much dictated doing as much damage as possible.
And then, from out of left fuckin' field, comes a new objective for which I evidently needed to hold back about half my ammo. There was no reason whatsoever to hold my fire in such a target-rich environment, with ground forces and/or wingmen calling for help. I was just supposed to intuitively know that these bastards who were killing our people aren't worth shooting at, the real objective hasn't shown its face yet. Or I was just supposed to run out of ammo, spit and curse, and retry the mission with advance knowledge of what to expect.
Worst of all, there were enemy aces present at one battle who don't fly particularly well, aren't particularly skilled or dangerous. But whose defining characteristic as hotshot aces seems to be their ability to take repeated hits without being destroyed. And missles tend to not hit these guys, but it's not on account of their flying. No, these guys couldn't dodge a thrown wrench, let alone a pair of missles fired from a favorable angle. They don't get hit because the game basically scripts my missles to veer off and miss them. One attempt at a mission was a wash simply because I wasted too much ammo trying to shoot one of these fucks down.
Everything else about the game is pretty impressive. But the way the missions are set up, and the way an "ace" enemy pilot is represented in the game, really took me out of the moment.
Sure, everyone's there to cheer you on, but then you get to fight an entire squadron of enemy aces by yourself...
Play the japanese version of AC3, man. It's like armored core in that you can make choices and branch the missions differently. There are like 6 different endings.
Really? At least in my game all my wingmen do pretty well and have impressive kill counts according the pilot stats.
(Preferably right when things get at their craziest)
AC4? Best final level soundtrack ever. Fiddle around in your Sound Test (if you've earned it) and listen to the level music for the very last level. Rex Tremendae and Agnus Dei...and theres a third...forget its name, but they rock, all orchastral and choir-y n'shit.
AC5...wonderful and in-depth story. There is one level where:
[spoiler:738443888e]Chopper gets shot down and killed[/spoiler:738443888e]
And after that you're still taking on a swarm of enemy fighters. Best moment in that game is flying that part of that mission getting kill after kill while listening to the enemy radio chater about you and your wingmen being the Demons of Razgriz, all the while listening to your wingmen sobbing through gritted teeth over their comms while also laying it down. Fucking powerful.
AC-0? Awesome. That's all there is to say about that. They make you earn your first good jets which was new and kinda of annoying...especially after I managed to unlock the X-02 in the first level and it took me most of the game to earn the money for it. The Final boss in the game is a real test of your pilot's (and maybe gamer's) metle.
Best. Dogfight. Evar.
I agree that "Journey Home" is one of the most powerful levels in a game I've ever played.
The thing was, it was just a little too melodramatic and exaggerated. In terms of radio chatter and general mission progression, AC04 seemed much more militarily feasible. AC5 pretty much felt like a bad movie at times. AC zero was awesome because it found a pretty good balance of the two.
Fixed.
Oh noes its t3h Demons of Razgriz!
Counter Fixt :P
Well I liked it, too. I just thought it was a bit overdone. In 4, you could hear radio chatter about "ribbon fighters" and you being fucked if you saw one, but you only heard it every once in a while.