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The Ace Combat series takes the PS2 for a second spin. Ace Combat 4 was largely heralded for being a dogfighting fan’s best dream. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War has a catchy subtitle and features a compelling story and of course, arcade-like dogfighting for all.
The game tells the complicated story of a pilot and as you play, you’ll discover more about his life and how he gets along with fellow pilots. The game tells most of the story in-game through radio chatter but there are also some excellently-produced cut-scenes that really add substance to it.
The game includes a fairly large campaign mode with over two dozen missions as you complete the story. The campaign mode’s missions range from the typical destroy this or protect that, and play out pretty much the same every time. You’ll fly around everywhere from the open sea, to over cities and other land. Some missions also have you taking into account land units, which adds more excitement to the game. The game throws a number of enemies at you at any given time and needless to say keeps things interesting all throughout. You are rewarded with cash at the end of missions which you can use to purchase new planes. You are also rewarded with experience points for the plane which also unlock new planes for purchase.
Aside from the campaign mode, there is also an arcade mode for those who like their aerial dofighting games light on plot. In the arcade mode, you’ll have to complete a number of challenges, which get harder as they go along, in a certain amount of time.
Ace Combat 5 includes a number of aircraft from the United States’ F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-22 to Russian planes like the Su-27. There are a number of different aircraft and they all different slightly in speed and handling, but the biggest difference is found in the weapons they contain. You’ll find a number of guns and missiles in the game but for the most part you’ll rely on missile to get the job done. All of the aircraft in the game handle rather well despite the differences between them. The game focuses on the arcade-style gameplay as opposed to being a full-fledged flight simulator.
Adding a bit of a simulation feeling to the game are the wingmen. For the most part, they will go about on their own business i.e. covering you but you can issue simple commands like attack aggressively or form a larger radius. Sometimes they’ll ask you simple questions which you can answer but for the most part they will help out without bothering much.
The game’s visuals are incredibly impressive for the PlayStation 2. The game creates expansive virtual worlds full of foliage and geometry which are surely polygon-heavy and include some of the PS2’s best textures. The plane models are excellent, as well, and move about with much realism. Of particular note are the exceptional cock-pits which at least give off the impression that they are accurate. The particle effects, particularly the different amounts of rain really bring the action to life.
The game’s soundtrack is fitting for the game, and adds that dramatic, important feeling so necessary to a game of this nature. The sound effects are good, so you’ll hear the planes’ engines and the machine guns going off. There is a lot of voice acting in the game and most of it is incredibly solid.
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is a great dogfighting title. While it is light on the simulation stuff, its portrayal of aerial dogfighting is extremely fun and that is most important of all. -- Jake Wilson, PGNx Media
---- Nov 2, 2004
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