10.11.2011

Namco returns 5 years after Ace Combat 6 with Ace Combat Assault Horizon. I enjoyed Ace Combat 6 and Assault Horizon seemed promising. When I first played the game, it felt a little bit slow, but after a solid 45 minutes of gameplay, I fell in love with it. I've only gotten 5 hours into this game on singleplayer, but it has been very satisfying so far. I will be updating this review as I get more hours of gameplay in on multiplayer and singleplayer, but this is what my impressions are so far.Storyline: 4/5The storyline is good, but it could be better. It's about an insurgent group arising in Africa, and NATO has come to fight the insurgents. Unfortunately,Russia mercenaries are working with the insurgents and has this bomb called "Trinity" which is similar to a nuke which threatens the security of many nations. Its a decent storyline, and to clarify things, NATO is fighting Russian Mercenaries, not the Russians. Just like Ace Combat 6, there are a lot of cutscenes in the game, but they are directly related to the storyline. In Ace Combat 6, the cutscenes were mostly about the lives of the citizens in Gracemaria, while in Assault Horizon, the cutscenes are focused on the protagonist of the story.Gameplay: 5/5If you are expecting a realistic jet fighter simulation, this game is nowhere near the realness, its all about entertainment. Don't expect a realistic game if you airplane can carry 200 missiles and shoot down 10 fighters in a mission.The gameplay has a good variety of missions consisting of helicopter, turret gunner, and jet fighter missions.I bought Assault Horizon expecting jet gameplay only, but the helicopter and turret gunner missions add variety to the game. The helicopter missions are fun, but helicopter missions are dead easy. Its nothing like Apache: Air Assault, where the controls are dull and the game poses a challenge. Apache: Air Assault is a wonderful game if you are looking for more realism. Helicopter and gunner missions are like the appetizers, and the jet fighter missions are the main course. 75 percent of the time during this game, you are flying an airplane. The other 25 percent consists of you flying a helicopter or manning a turret. There is also a mission where you get to fly a bomber (B-1 or B-2, its up to you) and another mission where you are the gunner of an AC-130. Its a good diversity in the game and it does not make the game feel too repetitive. The jet mechanics of the this game may have "improved", it really depends on the person. I believe the mechanics has improved greatly. The enemy jets actually pose a decent challenge against you. Although its harder to die because the "health" of the airplane regenerates slowly after being shot, the missiles enemies shoot at you actually follow you. I often found myself using flares to avoid missiles so I could continue chasing down enemy fighters. Enemy fighters actually chase you down the longer you play since enemy fighters also get harder.The next big major step is DFM, or Dog Fight Mode:DFM is extremely entertaining, as when you initiate DFM, your airplane follows the enemy airplane closely in an intense gun/missile fight. Your airplane somewhat follows the enemy airplane, but you have to control the sharp turns and speed of your airplane when chasing an enemy airplane. DFM is all about the fun factor. Sometimes in DFM, your enemy will fly between buildings or canyons and you closely chase that airplane. By skipping out DFM, you are skipping out on intensity of close combat. Enemies can also initiate DFM and chase you, but on the upside, you can use counter manuevers and flip, rotate, or "brake" your fighter so it falls behind the enemies again. DFM may be cheap on normal enemy airplanes, but when you use DFM on jet leaders, there is a decent amount of challenge in shooting them down since they use flares and countermanuevers against you. There is another mode called ASM which is similar to DFM but you attack ground targets instead. Like I said, DFM and ASM are all about entertainment and not realism. DFM at first was a bit hard for me to use, but I got used to it immediately. You don't have to use DFM, and you can stick to traditional Ace Combat methods of shooting an Airplane from over a mile away, but you are missing the fun, intense experience by not using DFM.Only downside of the gameplay is that you can no longer command your allies to attack or cover you, they just cover and follow you all the time now. Its not a big deal, but that option would have been nice.Controls: 4.5/5The controls are the same, and for people that are worried, yes, you can have the expert controls from Ace Combat. The airplanes you fly are much more responsive, but you can feel that certain airplanes are much more responsive than other airplanes (Obviously handling an A-10 should feel more sluggish than a F-22) Only downside I saw when I was playing was that when using my xbox controller, I didn't have to press all the way down on the right trigger to go full throttle, I only had to press down 3/4 of the way to go into full throttle. I hope namco releases a patch so they make the right trigger more sensitive, I like to control the speed of my plane.Graphics: 5/5The graphics of this game are fantastic as usual. Steel Carnage is wonderful, and watching fighter airplanes blow up as you chase them down is a satisfying feeling, especially in slow motion. There are a variety of environments, going from snowy, sandy, ocean, forest, and urban environments. Its truly beautiful and sometimes you appreciate the beauty of these scenes. Graphically, the textures of the airplane are slightly better than Ace Combat 6, but smoke and explosion details have improved vastly.Others:There is a Replay mode where you can replay your gameplay but it doesn't seem like its working because the replay mode keeps telling me there's an error. I believe this will be fixed soon or that may be just my xbox.There is also a co-op mode online and competitive multiplayer but I haven't explored it yet. I will update this section when I get more hours of gameplay in.The Verdict:I think this game is going to be a hit or miss for fans of the Ace series, people will either love it or hate it. If you really liked the demo, you will love the game. However, the game itself is much better than the demo. I certainly loved the game, and it has an amazing "WOW" factor for me. I personally thought Gamespot was a tad bit harsh by giving this game a 5.5/10 rating, but that's just their opinion. I wouldn't say its perfect but, it definetly does not deserve a 5.5/10Final Verdict:4.5/5

29.12.2011

I have never seen a game receive such varied reviews from critics before. Some really like it and others think it is terrible. I personally love this game. I really wasn't a fan of the previous Ace Combat game with its terrible air combat, overlong and frustrating missions and clunky design (not to mention the awful story and sci-fi undertones). Until now that was the only Ace Combat game I had played.Personally speaking, I think this game (based solely on the campaign) is an improvement on every level. This game adds the fun element to air combat and grounds it in a context of modern day warfare which I found very involving (no sci-fi nonsense). The story and feel of the game are very 'Top Gun'which is exactly what I'd hoped for. If you want a serious simulator then you will probably want to look elsewhere; but if you want a good mixture of all out action, simulator undertones and fun then this is the game for you.The Dog fight mode (DFM) seems to be something you either love or hate. I loved it! If, like me, you hated chasing a dot in the distance on previous air combat games and got bored of watching the planes fly by before trying for the millionth time to engage again then the DFM mode will be right up your street. You still have to engage the enemy long enough to get on its tail and then it's a matter of chasing it down with DFM. It's not as simple as simply pressing FIRE, as you still have to be fully involved in keeping track of your enemy, maintaining engagement, before taking them down. DFM just brings the action closer to you and heightens the thrill.Yes, there are a few (maybe four) scripted pursuit sequences but these are literally so rare that they aren't worth mentioning or criticising, and even they add another dimension to the game. And if DFM isn't for you, then you don't have to use it, the player has the choice.I also enjoyed the ASM mode for taking out ground targets. Overall, the air combat is a superb experience and taking out the enemy aircraft a joy...and the take down animations are spectacular! I loved executing the evasive manoeuvre which allows you to loop over an enemy attacking from behind and then drop into DFM for a great dogfight.There is also a lot of variety in the game and many different aircraft to pilot. The mixure of jets and helicopters works well, and even though the door gunner elements of the game are simplistic and the helicopter controls a little clunky, they are still fun; but the game excels with the fighter jets and bombers which make up the vast majority of game content. The missions in the game are brilliant and this time around you get reasonable save points (unlike Ace Combat 6), which reduces all that frustration of a million re-starts which kill the fun.Graphically it looks great, with nice backdrops and awesome takedown animations. The music, sound effects and radio chatter add to the experience.I think my only gripes are that you don't get much chance to take off and land. I think this should be an integral part of a flying game. There's nothing like doing battle and then returning to the runway/carrier to complete the mission. If some people really don't like that side of the game then there should be the option to turn the takeoff/landing mode ON/OFF at the beginning of the game. The game is also relatively short and once the campaign has been completed there is not really much extra content (the packaging mentions a co-op mode but this must be an online feature as I couldn't find it as a single player option. The action replay mode also seemed impossible to activate!).In terms of replay value I enjoyed the game that much that I have replayed the missions again and had just as much fun (if not more) second time around and few games make me feel that way.Overall, I much prefer this to any other flying games on the xbox 360 (e.g: Blazing Angels, previous Ace Combat games, Sturmovik). I suppose if you really are a fan of previous Ace Combat games and want more of the same or a simulator then this might not be for you. But if you want something that is pure fun and escapism then I highly recommend it, especially at the cheaper price.

18.10.2011

Ace Combat Assualt Horizon is the latest release in the Ace Combat series - and having played (and enjoyed) all of the previous console outings I was greatly looking forward to this game.Initially, I was blown away by the dramatic, Hollywood level of gameplay and showmanship on offer in Level 1. Buildings and planes were exploding all over the place and (most importantly) right in front of my FACE! The close-range attack system will undoubtedly take your breath away the first time you initiate it. I had never seen an Ace Combat game like it. It was the future.Then I continued playing and found that I was spending more time chasing my enemy than I was killing them; not to mention the close-rangeattack system is the games preferred method of engagement and so the days of firing a missle from a distance and vanquishing an enemy in that fashion are almost a memory. And thus I felt a bit deflated...what had happened to my awesome Ace Combat series?But then I got over the halfway mark and began flying some cool planes like the F22 Raptor and well...everything just made sense. I was now able to chase planes with ease and this seriously improved my enjoyment. To be frank, I would advise you to stick with the game for a while; yes you may love the first level but then slowly find things getting more frustrating than enjoyable, but stay with it and I would like to think you will understand just how fun the game can be with the higher quality planes.Of course, I've only scraped the surface here - AH contains helicopter missions, gunner-seat missions, bombing missions - all of which ended up providing a welcome change to just piloting jets (and again, some mission types like the helicopter may take some getting used to but stick with it and you will hopefully get into it).As for the story, its not bad - but due to its limitations of a 'real-world' scenario I found I missed the giant superplanes and superweapons from previous incarnations. The graphics are fine and the music (whilst not my favourite of the series) is synchronised very well with the action set pieces.In a nutshell: I am an Ace Combat fan and I admit to ultimately being somewhat disappointed with AH - I guess I just prefer the slower pace of gameplay and the fictional, over-the-top, romantic-view-of-aerial-warfare storylines of the older games. But that said, AH is not a bad game. Newcomers will probably love it and I do enjoy it. Its one of those games that I would go back to when I feel the need for a quick blast of action. In a way I would place it alongside a racing game such as Need for Speed Hot Pursuit - a quick race around the track in an awesome car against a fleet of cops is exhilerating but eventually I want to play something with a bit more substance. With AH I will blast around the sky to awesomely orchestrated action and music that will hit me at MACH 1000!!! but then I would rather relax with the more classic games in the franchise.Assualt Horizon is worth a look - just don't expect a gentle simulation. Its an all-out blockbuster that doesn't stop for breath.

31.1.2012

Firstly I should point out I have not played any of the old games, so I cannot comment as to whether it is a worthy continuation of the series.Having played though the story and spent and spent a good few hours in mulitiplayer it seems to be like a perfectly good game to me:Gameplay is fine, the controls function well, the graphics for the planes and enviroments are generally decent(however the ground textures were quite poor in places), the sound was suitably loud and crunchy and I found it easy enough to handle even with flight assist turned off.The game itself I found to be engaging and fun, I had no real problem with the ASM mechanic,except that some of them drag on way to long but they were counter balanced by the destructive fun of the ground equivilent. The helicopter sections I enjoyed greatly, the inevitable AC130 mission was a slightly pointless venture I found but was great fun when flying a pink one in free mode.I do have some problems that mainly focus upon the story mode; the heavy scripting of some levels can jar, with some planes seemingly being invincible until a scripted moment (the final boss dogfight being particually annoying), also some of the missions are simply too long with not enough variety, some missions seemingly being nothing but endless fights with inexplicacbly huge numbers of enemies. Another gripe I have is the story, while technically competent feels sadly generic and predictable, being another fair of America (good) vs Russia (mostly bad), the civil war plot being a nice idea had it not been done many times before (example. CoD4). Also in a combat of that scale surely other nations would get involved? I vaguely remember UK and France getting mentioned but the actual gameplay features nothing but Americans.The multiplayer is a decent venture as well with games being frantic affairs, decent enough game modes and bots to fill in blank slots. It would be nice if you could have a skirmish style bot game though to hone your skills in. Play enough multiplayer and you unlock extra colours and points to buy upgrades.However the real fun is to be had in Free Mission, I've had great fun designing cool colour schemes and kitting out on upgrades to better my score, the naval combat mission being my favorite (annoyingly it is one of the shorter missions). And the removal of cutscenes speeds up the pacing nicely.Another very minor point is despite it being a'limited edition' you don't get much, a notepad, sound track and plane, the plane itself not being very good. However this is a minor complaint as any bonus material is always welcome.Overall despite having some problems that occasionally annoyed me I enjoyed playing through it and find the free missions and multiplayer good reasons to come back to it.

1.2.2012

Bought this game as it was cheap and I enjoy some flight combat games. I have to say I was very, very pleasantly surprised by this game.Graphics:Very good graphics. The plane models and effects are top notch. The ground scenery is nice but can get a little ugly if you get too close to the floor. But as most of the time you are high in the sky, it all looks very pretty. All in all this game is very aesthetically pleasing.Controls:Easy to pick this game up and play. The circle pad controls your craft and, depending on which plane you are flying, is very responsive and accurate. This game employs what is known as action moves. These happen if you are tailing an enemy plane or have a missile or enemy craft craft on yours.

20.4.2012

A lot of series veterans have slammed this title and I can understand that.When a developer takes your cherished game and makes radical alterations, it can be very hard to swallow, particularly if they remove feature X or Y that was your favourite part.However, I don't have any baggage as I approach this one as I have never played an Ace Combat game before.In fact I may have long experience with other game types, but I'm not much good at flying games.The only reason I picked this up is because I wanted something different to the usual FPS or third person shooter that is so much the norm on consoles these days - to be frank, I'm getting bored with them.What I found in this game was one that plays well for a rookie like me,

29.4.2012

This is a slow game to get into: the first mission will not leave you impressed. It is easy and straightforward.However, from then on the missions get harder and harder and you unlock more and more cool aircraft, missiles, paint-jobs, etc.I have racked up 19 hours of flight-time already. It is that addictive. You always want that new aircraft with that cool gun or whatever.There are 23 missions. This sounds few until you realize that there are four difficulty modes and you can alter the path of your missions, so that one time you might go: Mission 1, 2, 3b, 4b, 5b, 6, 7... instead of 1, 2, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6, 7...There are also survival missions and extra missions and a freeplay mode.You collect medals.The graphics are brilliant in the sky.

31.12.2012

This game has shocked and impressed me much more than i thought it would..I have been an avid fan of all the ace combat series games and have and played all of them..I was frankly becoming just a little tired of the style of the previous games while they're all absolutely brilliant, I wanted something a bit more challenging..Enter; assault horizon..this game takes the previous versions and elevates the pace and speed of play tremendously..the DFM is brilliant and very challenging, your ability as a pilot is tested here, as the reaction time is very short and you must "almost" aniticipate the enemy plane's next intention,

29.11.2011

After placing my order for my copy I skimmed the reviews left by others who have purchased the game witch made me sceptical to say the least on the game, having now played myself I can now say that I'm glad I ordered first. I have followed the series from the origional "Air combat" released for the PSX and have not been dissapointedThe game as well as being in keeping with the flight sim/arcade flyer blend also now has new added elements like the chopper gunner, AC-130 gunner and Apache pilot, as well as a new combat flight tool called "dogfight mode". This new tool takes partial control from the player for a more cinematic experience which has been slammed by other gamers,

3.11.2011

I really can't understand all the negative reviews for this game by other Amazon customers (but hey, everyone has an opinion!). I am a HUGE Ace Combat fan and have played/owned almost every installment since the original PS One game - for me this definitely feels like an Ace Combat game, just reinvigorated and tweaked for the next generation (which let's face it has been long overdue - the gameplay in Ace Combat has largely unchanged since the PS One days).There is a lot of variety in Assault Horizon as not only do you fly fighter planes (now with DFM - 'dog fight mode' where you can closely pursue enemy planes) as in previous games but now there are helicopter missions,

19.3.2012

Although not to everyones taste I did find the DFM & ASM modes quite a thrilling and innovating change of gameplay so well done to the developers for trying something different.However I knocked off one star because of 3 slight niggles.First the seemingly impossible task of getting any meaningful cannon strikes outside DFM- which is a shame, because many of us use such hits as a rough rule-of-thumb measure of our progress or otherwise with the flight mechanics of a particular game.Second, I could not work out if my wingman(Warwolf 2) and the rest of the squadron were out and out pacifists or on a work-to -rule following the withdrawal of a`kill bonus',because playing the single player on elite you soon realise how single you actually are and phrases like `i've got your six boss'

12.1.2012

This is a great flight sim and really shows what the 3DS can do. The heart of the game is the Story Mode, where you take the role of a fighter pilot tasked with various missions against the "rebels". Although fairly linear, there are a couple of places where you can choose between missions. The controls work well and I really enjoy the power moves. As long as you can keep close to your target for long enough for the meter to fill up, you can pull off a special move that brings you in behind the enemy. This makes for a good mix between arcade game and full on sim.There's a good range of aircraft and weaponry to buy as you earn points through out the missions.

17.8.2013

I bought this game to use with the Circle Pad Pro XL, that I had just finished playing MGS with. Unfortunately I didn't do enough research and discovered upon receiving the item that only the Japanese versions are compatible with the Circle Pad Pro.I have now nearly completed the game on easy, and I am surprised how much I have enjoyed playing it.I have never been drawn to this type of game, but a good mix of different mission objectives in story mode, with a well thought out learning curve have made this a good gaming experience. At less than £10.00 it is also well worth the money.

6.3.2012

First of All, this game appears to be a remake of one of the previous Ace Combat titles (2 or 3 not sure). I'll summarize the review in Pros and Cons.Pros+ the image quality is superb+ steady framerate most of the time+ an improved remake of the ps1 title+ game is fantastic length and contest-wiseCons- Controls a bit acrade-ish- Doesn't support Circle Pad Pro like the JPN version- Not complex and advanced as the latest Ace combat titles (4,5,6,AH)Simply put, Ace Combat series fan who owns a 3DS? Buy it now.

13.5.2012

After seeing a trailer for this game on the 3DS's e'shop I thought this game looked cool (partly because flight simulators have always had a place in my heart) but when I saw this game in town the next week (and at an incredibly low price)I made the snap decision to buy it, and all I have to say is it was one of the best snap decisions I made! Namco had outdone themselves with this title righting all the wrongs of their last game "Ridge Racer 3D"

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - Reviews

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