by Super Racer Z July 30th 2014, 4:58 pm
Ace Combat 5.
Ace Combat 5 is an incredible experience and one of my favorite games of All Time. The production values, from the voice acting to the CG cutscenes to the aircraft models, everything is top notch. The game is an arcade combat flight sim for the PS2, and has some of the smoothest and rewarding controls in the genre. Even if you don't usually enjoy these types of games, this one has so much variety, such a forgiving difficulty curve with adjustable settings to suit your play style if you want a challenge, and so many memorable missions throughout that you're almost certain to have a good time. This is also the first game to introduce a squadron system, so you can give commands to your wingmen and have them cover you or attack targets.
Even if you aren't particularly drawn in by the gameplay, the story should be more than enough to keep you going. The voice acting during both gameplay and cutscenes is all high quality and includes a fair amount of voice talent you may recognize. Seriously, like half the cast had some role or another in Cowboy Bebop. Notable actors include Beau Billingslea, Steve Blum, Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman, Wendee Lee, Karen Strassman, Kirk Thornton, and Paul St. Peter. Besides that, the lip syncing is exceptional, the writing is good, and the plot is an enjoyable tale of military espionage, political conspiracy, and the impacts of war from your perspective in the skies above.
The in-flight conversations all throughout the game are also entertaining and do a great job of fleshing out the characters and story. You can interact with your wingmen and other crew and pilots during gameplay, but this ain't no Persona. You only get the options of agreeing, disagreeing or remaining silent here, and your responses don't have a significant impact on the story, but it's still fun to see how all of the characters respond differently to your behavior during each playthrough.
Edit: Oh, and the soundtrack is simply amazing. It's incredibly atmospheric when it needs to be while still maintaining a great deal of variety and memorability. They do a wonderful job of enhancing immersion.
Ace Combat 5 is still only available on the PS2 as of now. If you find it used in a bin somewhere or see a good copy online, be sure to pick it up and give it a try.
Last edited by Super Racer Z on July 30th 2014, 9:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
