Man I love Ace Combat but their names for things, both places and people, are starting to get really dumb. Gracemeria, Yuktobania and Pixy are the big ones for me.
But other stuff, like Osea, ISAF, Stonehenge (does this count?), and Arkbird are pretty cool.
Man, it has to be said, Shamrock and Pixy are way better at actually doing what you tell them than the rest of the wingmen in these games. You tell them to attack targets? They don't fuck around. They get right to it, and they're pretty good at it. PJ, on the other hand, sucks. I tell him to attack ground targets, so he picks one and hovers over it for five minutes. Come on, man.
Hell, Pixy is probably my favorite wingman despite his name.
As somebody that's played all of them to completion (except the PSP game, sadly) I stand by my assessment that Zero is the best game in the series for these reasons:
-Best mission structure
-Most competant wingman (Enough said. Least annoying too.)
-Best music overall (Mmm spanish guitar. They ALL have good music but this is my favorite soundtrack.)
-Ace formation fights (True, there are some in the other games but there's a TON in zero.)
-Morality system (Was an interesting addition without getting in the way of gameplay.)
-Awesome live-action cutscenes (The most tastefully done I've ever seen and I liked the feel of them better than the CG stuff that the series went back to.)
-Best plane unlockables and camo (The morality system basically means you can play the game three different ways, and provides a lot of value in subsequent playthroughs.)
Now, I can see why people would like 5. It does have a very good story, and that's probably what Zero was lacking the most. (Okay, you're a mercenary and that's pretty much it.) 4 is great too, it just starts to show its age if you go back and play it today. The series has come a long way. Overall though, Zero still takes the cake.
I also like 3 a lot, though it was the least conventional in the series and I've only played the neutered american version. I have a feeling if I got to play the full Japanese game (and understand the story) It'd probably be my new favorite.
I've heard they cut out a lot of shit from the US version of 3, but how much is missing?
I think in a lot of ways 6's missions were borrowed maybe a little too obviously from 4. Let's see...nation pushed back to a single island? Check. Bomber attack against that island's air base? Check. Big missiles fucking us up remotely? Check. A mission with 3 beach landings? Check. Shooting down cruise missiles? Check. Railgun...you get the picture.
Does each one also have at least one Trench Run reenactment or did that end with 5?
I haven't played 6 or X (for the PSP) so I dunno. But Zero had one I think, so it's in 4, 5, and Zero at least.
edit: Okay 6 had one, so the only mystery is X. I have a feeling it'll have one too.
That "trench run" mission in 6 was pretty lenient though...the ceiling was pretty high if I remember right and you had a lot of room to maneuver so until Renzo pointed it out, I was about to say that 6 didn't have a trench run mission.
It wasn't just the craptacular story, but something in AC6 just left much to be desired...but being the completionist that I am, I'm going to have to revisit it one of these days and play some multiplayer. I was initially scared away from it because I heard everyone took superplanes and it was just a spamfest of QAAMs. But supposedly there are some matches where they limit you to some of the basic craft?
AC5, to my limited knowledge of the series, has the best trench run. AC0 maybe has one, but once you realize that you can cheese it by bringing bombs with you then it really becomes trivial.
I really liked Zero's plot. Pixy and PJ are interesting foils to each other, and the development of the villains and their motivations isn't completely retarded. The only thing I can complain about is that the lines in the FMVs are pretty cheesy, but meh.
Ace Combat 5 however, had horrible huge plot holes that left me asking "WTF".
Like the whole 8492nd Sqn. fiasco. HAY AWACS I THOT 8492 DIDN'T EXIST LOLZ THEN Y R U HAVENG THEM ESCORT US
Grey Men. That are mentioned and then dropped immediately afterward.
I really liked Zero's plot. Pixy and PJ are interesting foils to each other, and the development of the villains and their motivations isn't completely retarded. The only thing I can complain about is that the lines in the FMVs are pretty cheesy, but meh.
Ace Combat 5 however, had horrible huge plot holes that left me asking "WTF".
Like the whole 8492nd Sqn. fiasco. HAY AWACS I THOT 8492 DIDN'T EXIST LOLZ THEN Y R U HAVENG THEM ESCORT US
Grey Men. That are mentioned and then dropped immediately afterward.
RAZGRIZ LOLS
How the fuck did Arkbird get hijacked, anyways
The worst thing about that is that
that they are told that the squadron does not exist during a trial.
Sooo for somebody just getting into the series for the first time... Ace Combat 4 a good choice? I saw a few videos online and instantly became hooked, but I'm wondering what kind of replay value it might have and such.
I loved AC0 soo much, I haven't played 4 though so I will have to get on that. The best part of Zero for me were the ace battles. They were pretty cheesy but it actually felt like taking on real pilots instead of mindless drones. The final duel is probably my favorite fight in any game ever.
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PunkBoyThank you! And thank you again!Registered Userregular
I really liked Zero's plot. Pixy and PJ are interesting foils to each other, and the development of the villains and their motivations isn't completely retarded. The only thing I can complain about is that the lines in the FMVs are pretty cheesy, but meh.
Ace Combat 5 however, had horrible huge plot holes that left me asking "WTF".
Like the whole 8492nd Sqn. fiasco. HAY AWACS I THOT 8492 DIDN'T EXIST LOLZ THEN Y R U HAVENG THEM ESCORT US
Grey Men. That are mentioned and then dropped immediately afterward.
RAZGRIZ LOLS
How the fuck did Arkbird get hijacked, anyways
The Arkbird most likely got hijacked by some pro-Belka crew stationed on it. Also, I'm pretty sure the "Grey Men" were just another name for the Belkan aggressors and their supporters. And when does the 8492nd escort you when they're not really trying to kill you?
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I remember the commercials that ran for AC4, the visuals were astounding so I rented it as soon as it was released. The gameplay and graphics already had me hooked, The watercolour stillframes with a third party narrative overlayed was what really caught me off guard and perhaps impressed me the most. I bought it immediatley after I returned the rental.
I was itching for AC5. It's predecessor earned it a launch day purchase. I liked it, but the cg animated cutscenes and atrocious dialogue was a turn for the worst. I was hoping for more of the storytelling style from 4. Thank God Puddle of Mudd only made into the game as the music for the opening cinematic. Overall I still really liked the game. By this point I had been asked to take part in a couple confidential Namco surveys regarding the future of the series, specifically AC6. I gave them my feedback enthusiastically.
Fastforward a while. I walk into a video rental shop and to my great surprise there's a new Ace Combat that I had heard nothing about sitting on the shelf. ACZero. I went and bought it straight away, based on my experience with the previous two. I was expecting to see some results from the Namco survey introduced into this one. I was bitterly disappointed. The fact that I had never even heard of ACZero beforehand should have been a clue. I was subscribing to the Namco Mailing list at the time and didn't even hear of it from them directly. While I preferred the watercolour stillframes of 4 over the CG cutscenes of 5, CG cutscenes are at least a mainstay in videogames so I wasn't that put off by it. When I saw and heard the terribly acted, terribly voice-acted, LIVE ACTION cutscenes coupled with the absolutely absurd dialogue, the game was ruined for me. Haven't completed a single playthrough to this day. I have never met a video game with Live Action scenes yet that I liked.
Fastforward another year and I receive the Namco newsletter announcing Ace Combat 6! My hopes lifted again as this was the iteration that would bear the results of the Namco user surveys. Finally, ONLINE DOGFIGHTING! So I crack open the email and the bomb drops. 360 exclusive.
If I knew anyone that had a 360 I'd rent the game just to see what it turned out like. But I don't. And someone mentioned here that the writing and dialogue are even worse than ACZero!? is that possible?
One thing that made me laugh in AC5 was how sometimes your wingmen would talk about the 'amazing moves' being made when it's like nothing special.
Especially the mission where you fly a trainer jet.
"Jesus Christ, who is that guy? He's the best pilot that ever lived. I bet you wished you could fly like that!"
"Guys, shut the fuck up, he's slowly banking to the left. We do that all the time."
At least I'm not alone in liking those guys (just a little, though, I promise). I sure as hell liked them more than the characters in 6. I just wish for Christ's sake they would hire a competent writer.
AC0 may be cheesy, but it's the right kind of cheese.
AC6, and please note that I haven't seen anything else from this game aside from the trailer, has some pretty bad lines. Dance with the writing mister!
Man I love Ace Combat but their names for things, both places and people, are starting to get really dumb. Gracemeria, Yuktobania and Pixy are the big ones for me.
But other stuff, like Osea, ISAF, Stonehenge (does this count?), and Arkbird are pretty cool.
Yeah, they need to draw from more nordic and pre-christian mythology. The words 'angel' and 'demon' should forever disappear from Ace Combat writing.
Bring on shit like Yggdrasil and Fafnir.
Oh, and no more shitty "climb to 5,000 feet. now!" moments. AC4 ruled because you dodged superweapons by hugging the ground and flying through canyons at high speed. In AC5, you have like a minute and a half to climb and wait out the explosions. If the 'nuggets' couldn't manage that, they all deserved to die horribly. Only a pity I couldn't shoot them down myself.
AC5 had some cool squad names like Ofnir and Grabacr.
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
edited February 2008
Maybe someone can help me out. I remember hearing/reading that Pixy's backstory (his full callsign is "One Winged Pixy") was based on true events. The backstory being that Pixy managed to return and land an aircraft that had one wing severly damaged.
You guys do know that there will be a patch for AC6 online play that nerfs all the SP weapons and scoring system (i.e. penalty for crashing etc.) right?
I've heard they cut out a lot of shit from the US version of 3, but how much is missing?
I think in a lot of ways 6's missions were borrowed maybe a little too obviously from 4. Let's see...nation pushed back to a single island? Check. Bomber attack against that island's air base? Check. Big missiles fucking us up remotely? Check. A mission with 3 beach landings? Check. Shooting down cruise missiles? Check. Railgun...you get the picture.
I don't think anybody answered this ... but, just off the top of my head, cut out of Ace Combat 3 for the US release was roughly 50% of the game's content. Now, AC3 is not a short Ace Combat game by any means. It's quite meaty. However, the Japanese got:
-Animated, voice acted cutscenes that further explain the story
-Multiple endings
-Branching story paths, with alternate missions
Yeah. It kinda makes me mad every time I talk about it, especially since I like 3 so much. >< Wish I could read Japanese...
Thanks, I can't wait to prove to my buddy that the event was real.
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
edited March 2008
Ok, time to bump this. anyone still play AC6 online? Seems like we got a few things in the marketplace now besides paint schemes (though the Razgriz pack is nice).
New co-op mission (retake Ragno Fortress) as well as new Battle Royale (oh shits, Gyges and Kottos play neutral third party) and Siege Battle (Snowy planes escort).
And for those of you (like Nick) that want a bigger challenge, there's Ace of Aces Mission 1. For a mere 350 points you can go above the Ace difficulty setting for the first mission. (for the record, it's not just more enemies, there's also a couple of new mechanics in play as well)
Maaaaaaan I wish XBL wasn't blocked in this dorm. What's new about Ace of Aces?
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
edited March 2008
timed objectives from the description. Quicker you complete the objective, the bigger allied bonus you get.
give me a sec, I'll DL and check it out.
EDIT: The teaser picture shows the FUCKING AGION IN GRACEMARIA for AoA mode.
be back in a sec, I'm gonna need a couple of tubes of lube for this.
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PunkBoyThank you! And thank you again!Registered Userregular
edited March 2008
Sounds pretty awesome, but I'm going to hold out on a mission pack.
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NocrenLt Futz, Back in ActionNorth CarolinaRegistered Userregular
edited March 2008
ok, Strigon Squad is attacking and it's been hell just to get to this point.
just after the initial bombings, there's 3 or 4 color squads you have to fight through. these are timed, but they are rather easy (all other targets go away)
Then the navy shows up (both sides) along with more bombing. Luckily you have ESM lvl 3 for pretty much the entire city.
Next come more colors in the form of the airdropped tanks.
You cannot target the airdropped tanks, you have to eyeball them and shoot them down with guns.
Now we're at the Nimbus attacks
EDIT:
Ok, there's no mad dash for the border, it's just defeat Strigon and mission's over. However Strigon seems to be in CFA-44s and there's several other squadrons (not to mention the Agion right there launching Nimbus missiles)
Evade like hell and focus on the targets and these aren't TOO bad, but then again, this is the first mission and I've done like 15 retries (10 for the first half, 5 when against Strigon)
EDIT 2: Holy shit, A ranking: 95970 pts, 13:43 time.
Maybe someone can help me out. I remember hearing/reading that Pixy's backstory (his full callsign is "One Winged Pixy") was based on true events. The backstory being that Pixy managed to return and land an aircraft that had one wing severly damaged.
Solo Wing Pixy actually.
Ace Combat has always been one of my favorite series. It's just so bad ass and awesome.
Having played every single ace combat game ever I'd say my favorite would be 4 followed up by 0 and then 6.
6 was kinda of generic though but it made up for it with custom soundtracks and a bad ass final mission. "Oh shit you gotta fly down the barrel of the gun! You are never going to make it!" *pauses game, goes into music menu, puts on Highway to the Danger Zone* So awesome
So going back and playing 5 and 0, then playing 6 immediately after, is it my imagination or does 6 run a lot slower than the PS2 games? 5 and 0 seem to run completely smooth and really fast, but 6 somehow feels laggy and weird. Maybe I'm nuts, or maybe my 360 is on the fritz.
6 was kinda of generic though but it made up for it with custom soundtracks and a bad ass final mission. "Oh shit you gotta fly down the barrel of the gun! You are never going to make it!" *pauses game, goes into music menu, puts on Highway to the Danger Zone* So awesome
Just before Shamrock decided to go take a look-see during that mission, during the start of that cutscene, that exact song started up. That was fucking perfect.
also "oh god, they've all got ribbons!" "calm down, we're yellows! we can beat them!"
or something to that effect. last mission in 4
AC4 Spoilers
Yeah, thats probably my favourite moment of the series.
You're flying in your Squadron and enemy sees you and are all "Oh shit, its Mobius One!" followed a few seconds later as the entire opposing force collectively shit themselves when they see the entire opposing force have ribbons.
ACZero Spoilers
The duel against Pixy was fucking awesome though. You're blasting along through the sky flying towards each other, dodging massive beams with one of the best songs in the series playing in the background.
My one shame is that I can't complete the final missions using the stick, its not precise enough for me. I need a controller so I can turn around in the corridors of the base in Zero and the vents in 4.
6 was kinda of generic though but it made up for it with custom soundtracks and a bad ass final mission. "Oh shit you gotta fly down the barrel of the gun! You are never going to make it!" *pauses game, goes into music menu, puts on Highway to the Danger Zone* So awesome
Flying down the barrel didn't feel like the climax of the mission, though. It started with the enemy spamming an insane amount of shit at you, so the opportunity to fly in a straight line for a while was more a relief than anything. And the barrel itself lacked the feeling of claustrophobia because of the open sides, and wasn't terribly difficult to navigate. "Oh, look, a bump. Good thing I had my eyes open and my contacts in. And my hands on the controller."
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I haven't played 6 or X (for the PSP) so I dunno. But Zero had one I think, so it's in 4, 5, and Zero at least.
edit: Okay 6 had one, so the only mystery is X. I have a feeling it'll have one too.
But other stuff, like Osea, ISAF, Stonehenge (does this count?), and Arkbird are pretty cool.
Hell, Pixy is probably my favorite wingman despite his name.
-Best mission structure
-Most competant wingman (Enough said. Least annoying too.)
-Best music overall (Mmm spanish guitar. They ALL have good music but this is my favorite soundtrack.)
-Ace formation fights (True, there are some in the other games but there's a TON in zero.)
-Morality system (Was an interesting addition without getting in the way of gameplay.)
-Awesome live-action cutscenes (The most tastefully done I've ever seen and I liked the feel of them better than the CG stuff that the series went back to.)
-Best plane unlockables and camo (The morality system basically means you can play the game three different ways, and provides a lot of value in subsequent playthroughs.)
Now, I can see why people would like 5. It does have a very good story, and that's probably what Zero was lacking the most. (Okay, you're a mercenary and that's pretty much it.) 4 is great too, it just starts to show its age if you go back and play it today. The series has come a long way. Overall though, Zero still takes the cake.
I also like 3 a lot, though it was the least conventional in the series and I've only played the neutered american version. I have a feeling if I got to play the full Japanese game (and understand the story) It'd probably be my new favorite.
I think in a lot of ways 6's missions were borrowed maybe a little too obviously from 4. Let's see...nation pushed back to a single island? Check. Bomber attack against that island's air base? Check. Big missiles fucking us up remotely? Check. A mission with 3 beach landings? Check. Shooting down cruise missiles? Check. Railgun...you get the picture.
That "trench run" mission in 6 was pretty lenient though...the ceiling was pretty high if I remember right and you had a lot of room to maneuver so until Renzo pointed it out, I was about to say that 6 didn't have a trench run mission.
It wasn't just the craptacular story, but something in AC6 just left much to be desired...but being the completionist that I am, I'm going to have to revisit it one of these days and play some multiplayer. I was initially scared away from it because I heard everyone took superplanes and it was just a spamfest of QAAMs. But supposedly there are some matches where they limit you to some of the basic craft?
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Ace Combat 5 however, had horrible huge plot holes that left me asking "WTF".
Grey Men. That are mentioned and then dropped immediately afterward.
RAZGRIZ LOLS
How the fuck did Arkbird get hijacked, anyways
The worst thing about that is that
The game is still exceptional.
I was itching for AC5. It's predecessor earned it a launch day purchase. I liked it, but the cg animated cutscenes and atrocious dialogue was a turn for the worst. I was hoping for more of the storytelling style from 4. Thank God Puddle of Mudd only made into the game as the music for the opening cinematic. Overall I still really liked the game. By this point I had been asked to take part in a couple confidential Namco surveys regarding the future of the series, specifically AC6. I gave them my feedback enthusiastically.
Fastforward a while. I walk into a video rental shop and to my great surprise there's a new Ace Combat that I had heard nothing about sitting on the shelf. ACZero. I went and bought it straight away, based on my experience with the previous two. I was expecting to see some results from the Namco survey introduced into this one. I was bitterly disappointed. The fact that I had never even heard of ACZero beforehand should have been a clue. I was subscribing to the Namco Mailing list at the time and didn't even hear of it from them directly. While I preferred the watercolour stillframes of 4 over the CG cutscenes of 5, CG cutscenes are at least a mainstay in videogames so I wasn't that put off by it. When I saw and heard the terribly acted, terribly voice-acted, LIVE ACTION cutscenes coupled with the absolutely absurd dialogue, the game was ruined for me. Haven't completed a single playthrough to this day. I have never met a video game with Live Action scenes yet that I liked.
Fastforward another year and I receive the Namco newsletter announcing Ace Combat 6! My hopes lifted again as this was the iteration that would bear the results of the Namco user surveys. Finally, ONLINE DOGFIGHTING! So I crack open the email and the bomb drops. 360 exclusive.
If I knew anyone that had a 360 I'd rent the game just to see what it turned out like. But I don't. And someone mentioned here that the writing and dialogue are even worse than ACZero!? is that possible?
"Jesus Christ, who is that guy? He's the best pilot that ever lived. I bet you wished you could fly like that!"
"Guys, shut the fuck up, he's slowly banking to the left. We do that all the time."
At least I'm not alone in liking those guys (just a little, though, I promise). I sure as hell liked them more than the characters in 6. I just wish for Christ's sake they would hire a competent writer.
AC0 may be cheesy, but it's the right kind of cheese.
AC6, and please note that I haven't seen anything else from this game aside from the trailer, has some pretty bad lines. Dance with the writing mister!
Yeah, they need to draw from more nordic and pre-christian mythology. The words 'angel' and 'demon' should forever disappear from Ace Combat writing.
Bring on shit like Yggdrasil and Fafnir.
Oh, and no more shitty "climb to 5,000 feet. now!" moments. AC4 ruled because you dodged superweapons by hugging the ground and flying through canyons at high speed. In AC5, you have like a minute and a half to climb and wait out the explosions. If the 'nuggets' couldn't manage that, they all deserved to die horribly. Only a pity I couldn't shoot them down myself.
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I don't think anybody answered this ... but, just off the top of my head, cut out of Ace Combat 3 for the US release was roughly 50% of the game's content. Now, AC3 is not a short Ace Combat game by any means. It's quite meaty. However, the Japanese got:
-Animated, voice acted cutscenes that further explain the story
-Multiple endings
-Branching story paths, with alternate missions
Yeah. It kinda makes me mad every time I talk about it, especially since I like 3 so much. >< Wish I could read Japanese...
On the other hand, I managed to get a hold of a copy of AC5 again. Time to get crackin'.
Thanks, I can't wait to prove to my buddy that the event was real.
New co-op mission (retake Ragno Fortress) as well as new Battle Royale (oh shits, Gyges and Kottos play neutral third party) and Siege Battle (Snowy planes escort).
And for those of you (like Nick) that want a bigger challenge, there's Ace of Aces Mission 1. For a mere 350 points you can go above the Ace difficulty setting for the first mission. (for the record, it's not just more enemies, there's also a couple of new mechanics in play as well)
give me a sec, I'll DL and check it out.
EDIT: The teaser picture shows the FUCKING AGION IN GRACEMARIA for AoA mode.
be back in a sec, I'm gonna need a couple of tubes of lube for this.
just after the initial bombings, there's 3 or 4 color squads you have to fight through. these are timed, but they are rather easy (all other targets go away)
Then the navy shows up (both sides) along with more bombing. Luckily you have ESM lvl 3 for pretty much the entire city.
Next come more colors in the form of the airdropped tanks.
You cannot target the airdropped tanks, you have to eyeball them and shoot them down with guns.
Now we're at the Nimbus attacks
EDIT:
Ok, there's no mad dash for the border, it's just defeat Strigon and mission's over. However Strigon seems to be in CFA-44s and there's several other squadrons (not to mention the Agion right there launching Nimbus missiles)
Evade like hell and focus on the targets and these aren't TOO bad, but then again, this is the first mission and I've done like 15 retries (10 for the first half, 5 when against Strigon)
EDIT 2: Holy shit, A ranking: 95970 pts, 13:43 time.
Solo Wing Pixy actually.
Ace Combat has always been one of my favorite series. It's just so bad ass and awesome.
Having played every single ace combat game ever I'd say my favorite would be 4 followed up by 0 and then 6.
6 was kinda of generic though but it made up for it with custom soundtracks and a bad ass final mission. "Oh shit you gotta fly down the barrel of the gun! You are never going to make it!" *pauses game, goes into music menu, puts on Highway to the Danger Zone* So awesome
I never asked for this!
I never asked for this!
Just before Shamrock decided to go take a look-see during that mission, during the start of that cutscene, that exact song started up. That was fucking perfect.
AC4 Spoilers
Yeah, thats probably my favourite moment of the series.
ACZero Spoilers
My one shame is that I can't complete the final missions using the stick, its not precise enough for me. I need a controller so I can turn around in the corridors of the base in Zero and the vents in 4.
Flying down the barrel didn't feel like the climax of the mission, though. It started with the enemy spamming an insane amount of shit at you, so the opportunity to fly in a straight line for a while was more a relief than anything. And the barrel itself lacked the feeling of claustrophobia because of the open sides, and wasn't terribly difficult to navigate. "Oh, look, a bump. Good thing I had my eyes open and my contacts in. And my hands on the controller."