PlayStation 2 » Simulation » Flight » Modern Jet is what GFQ's classifies it as. I don't feel this is accurate. I feel that seeing Simulation in the description scares a lot of people away from it.
Ace Combat 5 is heavily driven by story, characters, and dog-fights (air combat). It's an extremely beautiful game, and highly entertaining.
This is an overview of how the game plays out:
There are somewhere between 20 and 28 levels/stages (I forget the exact number). You progress through each one, with a team of yourself and 3 very interesting fellow wing men (one is a chick), as well as some awesome NPC's. Each character has their own, unique personality. The main character (you), is a mute, whose actions and voice are heard through your allies, and you are also given some choices to make.
The goals of each level are not always to just destroy the other enemy planes, but to also shoot down some missiles, dive-bomb some enemy battle cruisers, or blow up some bases, all while evading enemy fire.
Between each mission, you can upgrade your own fighter jet, as well as unlock a wide variety of new ones.
The game is incredibly fun, and has a remarkable soundtrack that fits exemplify the mission at hand.
Below is a footage from the first level of the game. It looks easy because it's supposed to be. It's pretty much a tutorial level, to get you used to how the game plays, the controls, etc. This is just to give you an idea of the game without spoiling anything.
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I doubt it, because I like to play a series in order. If you're recommending 5, that probably means 1-4 are crap, so I'd be too pissed off at it by the time I got around to it to love it.
The best as far as I know. I've read peoples opinions, reviews, etc. but I've only actually played 4 and 5 (I love both). 5 tends to get the best feedback from the entire series.
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MarvelousGerbil posted... I doubt it, because I like to play a series in order. If you're recommending 5, that probably means 1-4 are crap, so I'd be too pissed off at it by the time I got around to it to love it.
From what I've heard, 3 and earlier are not that great. Don't let what I've said about 5 scare you from 4 though. 4 is also really good. It's just that most people tend to like 5 the most, As far as I know, the games aren't connected in any way. They're just different fictional wars throughout history in a made-up world.
-- GameFAQs isn't going to be merged in with GameSpot or any other site. We're not going to strip out the soul of the site. -CJayC
The first game is abysmal. But since it's actually called Air Combat and isn't part of the shared continuity of the rest of the series, it's easy to ignore.
Ace Combat 2 is very good, just not as good as the later versions.
Ace Combat 3 should be awesome, but it was hideously butchered in the localisation process. The gameplay mechanics are still as good as they were in AC2, but a lot of great features like branching mission paths, AI wingmen and a decent story were cut out.
But yeah, AC5 is by far the best game in the series. AC6 improved some elements (the HD graphics make a BIG difference), but messed up a few others. Especially the story. Ye gods, how do you go from the Razgriz poem to repeating "Go dance with the angels!" every thirty seconds? Still a superb game, but can't touch the sheer atmosphere of 5.
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