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Great game, but have I played this before?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 88 / 90
Date: October 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Okay, this is a awesome game. It has wonderful graphics, the airplane details are superbly represented, and the sound is really good. One of the signature differences between this new title and the previous Ace Combat 4 is the addition of the CGI cutscene movies, whereas the Ace Combat 4 used the storyboard type representation. If you have played Ace Combat 4, this game is easy enough to pick up and jump right in to the action. Minor changes have been made to controls to allow for the "wingman" control scheme with the D-pad. This enables you to direct you wingmen to either cover, attack, disperse and use their special weapons on a target. You can also use the dpad for the standard yes no reply to questions that your wingmen will ask you throughout the game. It does add a nice touch of realism to the game with all the chatter you hear over the radio.

Now, since it has been 3 years since Ace Combat 4, I must say that I really did expect more in the way of advancements, but it truely feels like the same gamestyle, typical storyline, and overall general feel. Of course that is not berateing this game one iota. The graphics are much sharper, the land elevation scenery is much more detailed with trees and brushes now visible. The buildings are also nicely detailed with a higher polygon count. Perhaps the best change made for me is the missile animation you now see when you launch a missile. The missile stream is now much more realistic with the way it curves and actually winds through the air.

If you enjoyed Ace Combat 4, you won't regret buying this game. If you never played Ace Combat 4, then you will truely love this game moreso than the typical veteran Ace Combat player. Great visuals, good storyline and good sound design make this a winner in anyone's book.

Just to mention that you can either play the campaign mode or arcade mode. Arcade mode will have you reprise your role as Morphius from the Ace Combat 4 game. The campaign will carry you in the role of flight leader and allow you to fight with and control your wingmen. Enjoy.

Realistic And Satisfying

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 41 / 43
Date: January 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The only other Ace Combat game I've ever played was the first one for the PlayStation. It was impressed with the look and feel of the game. Ace Combat 5 effectively helps me to relive the same enjoyment I had playing the first game.

AC5 does a fantastic job of putting you in the pilot's seat of a fighter jet. The realism is astounding. Plane models look just like real jets, with good detail and believable movement. There are multiple viewpoints available both inside the cockpit and out that can be adjusted. The landscapes in certain missions are stunning to see from 2000 feet in the air. Finally, instant replays with adjustable angles appear after the completion of a mission (or in the event of the player's untimely death). They're reminiscent of the cool-looking replays in Gran Turismo 3.

The music is movie-quality and suits whatever action is taking place. As for sound effects, I don't think they could have been any better. For example, the farther away you are from an enemy when it's destroyed the longer the sound from the explosion takes to reach your ears. If possible, use a 5.1 stereo system with AC5. It sounds awesome.

There's a nice variety of missions, and none are excessively long. Once the campaign mode is complete you can replay any mission from that mode singularly. With 50 models of jets to unlock and use there's plenty of reason to keep playing.

As if all these pros weren't enough, AC5's story isn't bad either. How rare to witness a well told, positive moral in a video game. Communication between pilots during missions adds character depth and makes the gameplay more involving. Some players have complained about the audio chatter being annoying but I didn't find it bothersome.

At it's core Ace Combat 5 is a game with heart. I wholly recommend it.

I got excited for this.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: November 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I had long been waiting for this game to come out and now that I've played it; I could have waited longer. Yes, the backgrounds look amazing and the detail of the planes killer, but it was not what I expected.
The contsant chattering from your squad gets very annoying during the game, to the point that I just turned the voice off completely and put a CD on.
I played the game on Hard/Expert/Ace, and the Arcade Mode on all levels. After playing on Expert I really had no desire to play it on Ace, besids that fact of just wanting to beat it on that level. I did not find the game all to hard. I currently have no intension of playing it again. The replay need for this game is simply not there. Its too bad that they took away the VS Mode. Thats one thing that made Ace Combat 4 really fun.
Now we get down to the fighters. In this game you are provided with 50 aircraft from around the world. Most are the same from AC4, but look much better. A bad thing that I found was that you were unable to pick the weapons load for your plane via Ace Combat 4. The need to have to gain experience with a plane in order to get it upgraded model was not worth the time. Planes like the the French Rafael are only allowed to carry their Sidewinder variant for AA Combat and the Exocet Anti-ship Missile for ground targets. Where as in Ace Combat 4, you could load her up with medium ramge missile or air to ground. The same thing with the British Typhoon, nothing but air to air, and no waepons for ground operations. Air to ground missiles on the A-10 & SU-32 have no range what so ever, so why even bother putting them in.
In my opinion the upgrade was interesting yet could have been better,EX: The MiG-29 is not only a bomber but also a Fighter. Plus there is a Carrier version of this plane the MiG-29K as well a Carrier version of the SU-27, the Su-27K. The Britsh Tornado GR4 in Ace Combat 4 is more interesting than the ones in this game. They could have gotten rid of some of the upgrade versions and added more fighters in, Example: A-4 skyhawk, SU-22 Fitter, F-111 Ardvark, SU-24 Fencer, & SU-25 Frogfoot to name a few. Also, what is the point of in-flight refueling when you never run out of fuel?
If your a die hard fan of the series as I was then you'll love the game. If they would have left the VS Mode in then Iwould probably still be playing the game. Also, the ablitly to choose payloads. I guess I'll go to PC Games for a better flight game. If they come out with a # 6, I'll wait to rent it before I get it. Yet, remeber guys this is my opinion, its up to you to make your own. Laters

This takes more strategy and skill than Ace Combat 4

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: August 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm updating my review because I have now gotten all the planes--every last one--and must declare it well worth the effort. When I had only 'the best' planes, the missions were not nearly as interesting and oftentimes very difficult to do a sortie at Expert or Ace level because the plane I was using was too fast, didn't perform well at low altitudes, or featured weapons that were only really good for dog fighting. I could be flying the Falken through a mission and my wingmen would get the most kills because I would overshoot my target before I had a chance to lock on and fire and therefore have to go at it again, and the enemy aircraft would shoot me down as I literally jetted past them. The Falken is a great example because, unless your targets are all out in the open, you likely wont be as successful as if you flew something less 'super.'

Which plane you chooose is as important if not more than how you fly it or what kinds of weapons it features. For comparison, if you wanted to play a really great game of golf, you would need a full set of clubs--not just a driver and a putter. Likewise with planes--and I imagine this absolutely must be so in the real world of jet fighters--there is no one super plane that is the absolute best for all situations.

The best thing about this game--even more so than with Ace Combat 4--is how it demands you use strategy in addition to making appropriate choices in which planes your team flies.

Unlike Ace Combat 4, you can't just pick the right plane for yourself and finish the level or all levels practically solo. You need not only the right plane for yourself, but the right plane for your wingman and sometimes a complex combination of plane capabilities for the three other pilots at your command in addition to yourself. And then you have to give them appropriate commands--or you'll fail. Sometimes you even have give the most important strategic role to yourself while giving the more exciting dogfighting role to one of your other pilots.

You can't just have your team cover you and blast away at everything--you'd likely run out of missles and/or time--and even when the software suggests other choices of commands or planes, you have to take command and make the real decisions.

So what I wrote about Ace Combat 4 is far more true of Ace Combat 5. This isn't a game for dummies, and the amount of choice making you have to do in addition to outflying your opponents is what makes this an intelligent game.

They even included a bit of flight school in this one--nice.

My only complaint is about the Arcade Mode. You have to do it all the way from beginning to end. You can't save and finish it off later--which is no good for those of use who don't have hours at a shot to sit there and play video games. I'd rather be able to do a few bits in arcade mode, save it and do more later.

Campaign Mode is just perfect though. Sometimes you're stuck having to do more without saving after a really long and hard level, but it's not over the top difficult or lengthy. Even this adds to the challenge though, as you have to choose planes that you can succeed with in a variety of situations.

Great game; much improved over its previous version without losing anything in the process.

I do wish the playback at the end of each mission showed the weapon strikes at Ace Combat 4 did.

Comparison to AC04

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: April 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Better;

* Excellent graphics, particularly the aircraft models, weather effects and cutscenes.
* The same great gameplay as AC04 with some nice tweaks (e.g. enemy stealth planes are actually harder to detect).
* Lots of missions with a choice of paths through the game (though not as many as AC3), plus refuelings and carrier landings.
* Well written and absorbing plot.
* Numerous and varied aircraft and special weapons, including a fun new super plane and a kill-based 'evolution' system for unlocking improved variants of planes.
* Greatly improved arcade mode, again with a choice of paths, making for a nice half-hour blast.

Worse;

* Ropey mission design. Targets constantly pop up out of nowhere and you get teleported around the map after every cutscene. The action feels more scripted and less like you're flying around a real battle. This is reinforced by the fact that while the target areas are highly detailed, the rest of the maps are quite empty.
* Some of the missions feel like pale shadows of AC04 missions.
* The dialogue is often whiney, unprofessional or just annoying, and often gets out of sync with the action.
* The stats on the aircraft seem to be made up at random, and don't have that much affect on gameplay anyway. The missions aren't designed to make best use of the available weapons, and hence players will never use most of the basic planes and will have little incentive to unlock most of the improved variants. The loss of selectable secondary weapons is a shame.
* Rare but highly annoying bugs; planes fly underground and through buildings, missiles sometimes mysteriously fail to track.
* For the most part the difficulty curve is smooth if a little too easy (even on ace difficulty), but there are a couple of missions that are just unnecessarily frustrating (White Noise and Four Horsemen).
* The two player mode and target shooting range have been removed.

Missed opportunities;

* Fewer targets and no re-arming, making things less frantic. This is a shame as there are some missions where landing and rearm without leaving the battlefield would've worked well.
* The medal gallery is nice, but more unlockables (e.g. rendered beauty shots of aircraft) would have provided more motivation to get those special rankings.
* Giving wingmen orders is fun, but they don't seem to do much or need your protection. Similarly the interactive dialogue could've been cool, but doesn't actually seem to do anything and is hence just distracting.
* No bombers, choppers or VTOL aircraft, to fly or give orders to.
* Music is generally great, but the score for the final missions don't quite have that spine tingling thrill that AC04 had.

Ace Combat 5 is great fun and a high quality title in its own right. However while the graphical tweaks and new features are appreciated, it isn't a major advance over AC04, and the niggling problems prevent it from delivering the same outstanding all-round experience that Shattered Skies provided.

Realistic and Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: September 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I know its a little late but here goes. I bought the game on its release date because I have Ace Combat 4 and I was waiting for the new Ace Combat game. I was so happy when I played it. The graphics are sharp and more realistic than AC4. Now there is more missions and aircraft. There are a few hard ones but you can get through it. The gameplay was smooth sailing. With 32 missions in this game, it would seem like a lot, but it actually isn't. Just a problem with the game. Theres no rearming your plane so that makes the game haeder and more challenging. I'd recommend buying this game. If you want hours of fun, I'd get this game if I were you. Planes I recommend are the ******(i dont wanna give it away! its a secret aircraft after you do something), Typhoon(best for almost everything), Su-37(best dogfighter), and the Su-47(i just like how its designed)

Have to admit could be better...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After falling in love with AC4 I nearly jumped out of my chair when I saw the commercial for AC5. After playing the game for about 4 days now I must hang my head and admit some of the other reviewers were right.

Sound and graphics are fine. The gameplay is where the road gets bumpy. The ridiculous amout of lame dialog an chatter from your wingmen is enough to make you shoot them down yourself and go at it alone if you could. Right now that's my biggest gripe. One reviewr mentioned not choosing the special weapons payload on the planes and I agree that was a cool feature of AC4 but I think having so many planes to choose from makes up for it.

The game is still fun so far. Time will tell what the replay value will be. I'm a fan of shooters especially simple ones like this one; Here's your weapon there's the target now blow it up..gotta love it. That said a game where the fun is blowing up stuff would do itself a favor by throwing in a scenario where some tactical nukes would be involved. Overall I'm still glad I picked up my copy and other fans of AC will likely be also but I think the developers enhanced AC4s' weaknesses rather than its strengths.

Not the best, but still great.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: November 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

As a real-life pilot and self admitted video game nerd, I have say that Ace Combat 4 changed my life. It literally altered my whole life. I had to dedicate a minimum of one hour a day (this is with school and work) for several months to this game. You can imagine how much torture it was waiting for 5 to come out. And it was good 4 years!
Well, its finally here. First things first, I think Namco saw the success of AC4 and didn't change the formula too much for AC5. This is good and bad. The good should be fairly obvious to you. The bad: it seems like this game is only 50 or 60% new material.
Basically the graphics, controls, sounds, and environments make this game super-fun and very replayable. However, the story isn't quite as cool as AC4. They replaced the great still art with cheesy looking CG. And answering my wingmen's questions during combat is not enjoyable either. You can't re-arm during missions anymore. This would be ok if they didn't give you seemingly near-impossible objectives in some of the missions.
In summary, AC5 could not eclipse the brilliance of AC4. But if you are a fan of AC4, then AC5 is certainly worth $40-50 purchase price because it should provide countless hours of entertainment (without effecting your social life of course).

Please read this before you buy.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Before you think about buying Ace Combat 5 there are a few things you need to know.

This game was made around the storyline and not the storyline around the game. In each and every mission you have to answer yes or no questions from other characters in game, how you answer them will result in a different reply. This goes on WHILE YOU ARE FLYING and is highly annoying.

You don't actually advance the storyline like in AC4. You will be flying along destroying ground targets and the game will tell you that they won't be destroyed until the ground forces destroy them. So no matter how many times you blow up that bunker, the game won't advance until the storyline does.

At the end of each mission you are supposed to see a flyby view of your entire mission and be able to scroll through different camera views, unfortunately this is bugged and you only get about 30 seconds of flyby time.

You can't fly back to your base and stock back up like you could in AC4, I was shocked the first time I tried this.

The airplane purchase mode is extremely cluttered and cumbersome.

Trust me, I want to love this game. I purchased it the first day it was out hoping it would give me the same excitement as AC4 did. When I play a game, I like to feel in control of my path to some degree. Unfortunately the storyline totally kills the gameplay and makes this game seem more like work than fun.

Please rent this game before you buy it and try it out yourself.

not quite what I expected

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: November 04, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is a game with all the potentials to be the best game played. So I got the game with a brand new PS2 (no harddrive). The screen captures reminded me of an arcade game that I much liked. However the game disappoints:
1) The PS2 Dual Shock 2 controller is not the right controller for the game. The little analog controls are almost like on off switches that doesn't allow for fine control of the airplane. Trying to use the machine guns to shoot down a C130 that flies slow and straight turns out to be a real chore. The fighter does loops around the C130 when all you want to do is stay behind the C130 and aim the gun on the C130. You also find out the extreme limitations of the controls when you go through the seemingly simple exercises to learn how to perform turns and loops, etc.
2) The dual shock controller doesn't have a throttle wheel or trim wheels. So your controls are on and off switches. Who wants to hold the throttle button to keep the throttle on?
3) After you go into the arcade mode, you can't back out to the top level through the menus. It's kind of like opening a folder in windows explorer and opening other folders to go further inside this folder only to find out that you can't go back up to view the content of the top level folder. So if you select to go into arcade mode then later decide to play a mission instead, you pretty much have to reset the PS2 and sit and wait for the PS2 to run through all the startup sequences. This menu limitation exists also when you select the save function. Once you select to save, you can't cancel the save if you change your mind. The menus aren't flexible and require you to commit.
4) Flying a mission with other same type planes, you quickly find out that your plane doesn't turn quite sharply or is as responsive as the other planes. Maybe this is a limitation of the PS2 dual shock controller. But if I have to upgrade the controller just to get the game to work correctly, then I have to think that the game is a scam to get me to buy more stuff. There's a game bundle for A.C.5 that includes a specialized and expensive joystick. Given the limitations, the game itself already costs too much to pay for the overpriced joystick that works only for this specific game.

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