Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Review

Buck Wilde

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Jul 15, 2009
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Series had been on a slow decline since Ace Combat 04. 5 I actually quite enjoyed, not sure how everyone else felt about the system of getting upgraded planes but I liked it. Yeah, I'd say 4 and 5 were pro and the other ones have been merely alright.
 

Techno Squidgy

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Nov 23, 2010
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I played the first game (Air Combat), the fourth game (Distant Thunder) and the demo to this one. If I were to plot a graph I would say that the series peak at 4 and went into a steady decline on it's way to this one. but who knows, maybe five and six were awesome, I'm not having much luck in tracking them down for a reasonable price.
It's till fun but it feels a tad gimmicky and I HATE the way they take control away from me. I don't feel like I earned that guns kill I feel like I was hand held all the way up to it.
 

duchaked

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Dec 25, 2008
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I've been wanting to give this game a Redbox when I get a chance, tho there are a few others that are ahead in line atm
 

wooty

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Aug 1, 2009
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Same old complaints crop up over this game that crop up with every long running game series.
MOOOAN they've changed nothing.
MOOOAN they've changed something.
MOOOAN they've changed it all.

Ill probably pick this up in the new year sometime. Other games are on my radar for now.
 

Cormyre

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Jun 11, 2010
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I've been playing since Air Combat and played all console releases, this one by far is a huge let-down (especially since I had it pre-ordered since last year). DFM are for players that can't keep up with what's going on on the screen and should have been locked to if you were playing on easy (as well as the stupid novice controls, I was ready to throw the game out until I went into the options and changed the control scheme). On-rail chopper gunner sequences belong in FPS games. The trailer started to put me off when you realize that for the first time the game is based in reality (the enemy ace called the player an American dog or something to that effect).

I don't know, I'd feel less betrayed by this game if they called it something else.. but then if they did they wouldn't have the fan base behind it, bit of a double edged sword that
 

RA92

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wooty said:
Same old complaints crop up over this game that crop up with every long running game series.
MOOOAN they've changed nothing.
MOOOAN they've changed something.
MOOOAN they've changed it all.
The problem is, they've changed things for the worse. No one complained when something like the the wingman command system was added to the series, because it added a certain depth. Everything they've done to this game is of the gimmicky spectrum. I was hoping that the Original control scheme might save the day. But instead, now it's impossible to play it without the Optimal control scheme if you're playing with a gamepad - the control scheme that doesn't let you roll and restrains turning. It's literally turned into an on-rail shooter.

To recap...


-No fictional experimental prototypes
-No wingmen commands in SP (to dumb down gameplay)
-QTEs for maneuvers
-Regen health
-Helo gunner mission, complete with a gunner who wears a <url=http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/user/6/64202-202294-AceCombatisthatghostcopyjpg-620x.jpg>skull mask.
-Set in the real world to make it more 'contemporary', with the unmissable Middle East setting
-A Russian antagonist named <url=http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/Andrei_Markov>Markov, which doesn't at all remind you of the other Russian antagonist <url=http://callofduty.wikia.com/wiki/Vladimir_Makarov>Makarov.


Assault Horizon has none of the charm that the series used to have.
 

ExtraDebit

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Jul 16, 2011
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The problem isn't that they changed things up, it's what they changed made the game worst. I still remember trying to balance out speed while aiming at the super carrier in the last ace combat game.

It was an epic and satisfying moment. Developers must get this into their thick skull: simulations are better than preset mechanics. The dog fighting felts like ace combat on rails and that's just sad.

Even a simple game like angry bird or tiny wings got more simulated mechanics than this. If you want a plane crashed into a building as the building crumbles and go up in flames, do it so that it can and MAY happened by chance, don't pre-programmed the scenes.

EDIT: their other big mistake is that they release it about the same time as batman AC and Dark souls, 2 games that thrives on giving player freedom and challenge while their game is based in rails.
 

Solo-Wing

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Dec 15, 2010
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Personally I love Zero the most (Argo my name). I tried AC:AH but did not like it. Not one bit. Mainly the dogfight mode. It does the aiming and flying for you basically, plus if it is scripted events that means a waste of valuable missiles. Plus I tried to play the game without using DFM but to no avail. You cannot hit anything that is not stationary without the help the damn thing. It is one thing to put a useless and annoying battle gimmick into an already near-perfect formula, it is another to make that same gimmick mandatory. Now for us Ace combat fans I propose we lock this up in the basement and pretend never it happened.

Oh and I also blame it's suckage on the fact it does not have a number in it's name like the good Ace Combats do.
 

Shia-Neko-Chan

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Apr 23, 2008
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arealperson said:
Shia-Neko-Chan said:
arealperson said:
I'm a little disappointed by the scripted events in particular.  While reducing the sim elements can create some antipathy from me, the lock-on mode might add to immersiveness and if it creates a new element in multi-player, might actually be pretty great.  It's important that the artist not intervene with such jarring effect as that billboard sequence though, especially in a game.
Shia-Neko-Chan said:
I'm not actually seeing what's wrong with the oil on the screen effect, but okay. :/
The problem with the oil effect is most likely the realism.  Travelling at supersonic speeds at angles where the oil (if hit in a particular area to actually leak oil) would fall is not likely to stain your craft, unless your trajectory is aimed at crashing into the debris already (the angle of his capture certainly wasn't).  Even if being hit by oil, it would end up a specks or streaks, not big gobs.  Also, your real view wouldn't be a 2D glass pane of a windshield, obviously.  P.S. I'd like to see a bit more content in your post next time.
See, the problem with criticizing a feature like that because it isn't realistic is flawed reasoning really, because it obviously wasn't an attempt at realism in the first place. I guess it'd be kind of like playing Resident Evil and criticizing it for having Zombies because "zombies don't exist lol".

It just sort of rubbed me the wrong way when I'd heard his dismissive "Whatever dude" tone aimed at something meant to be cinematic, dynamic and fun, rather than realistic or believable.
Thanks for elaborating. I was trying to explain on his behalf, by the way, I think I would need some more playtime, personally. But the realism's still a fair thing to bring up, seeing as the universe is semi-realistic jets, it just might seem all the more jarring.

What I missed on pointing out the first time was also the 'it's like COD' factor. It's one thing to blow up in a ridiculous way, but to make an effect resembling the game everyone's cynicism revolves around, it might just stick out that little bit more.
Heh. Well I usually do elaborate, but people rarely ever read what I say anyway, so since I was short on time, I figured it wouldn't really matter that much. Kind of ironic that you paid attention to that post out of all of them. :p

In any case, I don't understand the point about realism being a fair point just because this has semi-realistic graphics to it. Hollywood does this all the time to make a better impact on the viewer and generally, it makes a funner experience. Effects like droplets of blood flying toward the screen when a guy gets punched in the face, first person view, ridiculous ways to dismember each other and more have all been in highly rated movies and the cinematic experience wouldn't be the same without them. The same thing works on the player for a video game. Giving dynamic feedback like that makes the player feel like there is more going on. It's not just a Call of Duty thing.

I dislike Call of Duty as much as the next guy, but I always give credit where it's due. CoD always knows how to make the gamer feel like he's actually doing something. Point counters, blood on the screen, bullet impact sounds, and flying objects off of the enemy player when he dies all count as feedback and give us more of a sense of progression and satisfaction. That is exactly the same thing that the oil on the screen effect adds to in this game. Simply being like CoD when the reason why we dislike it isn't the effects in the first place strikes me as odd.

Call of Duty isn't even the first game to really do this anyway. I'm pretty sure Doom had similar blood effects, albeit less impressive.

The oil on the screen effect isn't even particularly ridiculous or out there. It only requires the viewer to put forth a little willing suspense of disbelief and think of the camera as a tangible object for a second.

If everyone's willing suspense of belief is drying up and people are becoming jaded toward these kinds of effects these days, then they'll probably die out to less dynamic gameplay and effects and that genuinely saddens me. :/
 

Solo-Wing

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Dec 15, 2010
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Hardcore_gamer said:
Solo-Wing said:
Plus I tried to play the game without using DFM but to no avail. You cannot hit anything that is not stationary without the help the damn thing.
Are you sure? I have been able to score some hits without using DFM. Granted that it was hard, but unless I am wrong scoring hits has been difficult in the ace combat games in general.
No i always found it easy. Also I have beat AC4 and ACZ on Ace difficulty. This was on normal. I could not land a hit on almost any of the enemy jets. Occasionally I got lucky but that was with the unimportant ones. The game makes it impossible to hit someone without DFM.
 

awdrifter

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Apr 1, 2011
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From all the reviews I've seen, I won't be buying this one. AC3 is always going to be my favorite. Great story (JPN version), great fictional planes, and a futuristic sci-fi feel. AC Zero and AC4 were great too, AC5 was good, but not great. They should make another sci-fi anime style AC game like AC3, I would definitely play it.
 

Ishigami

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Sep 1, 2011
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5 was great too. It had everything AC needed.
6 is what I would call good or okay but not great. The new optional objectives were a nice addition to the campaign and it introduced online multiplayer to AC however MP was unpolished and the story was lackluster and sometimes downright annoying.
Still I would prefer 6 over AH.
Until 6 I did not see any issues or negative trend with the AC series at all. 4, 5 Zero these are on par. If there was a noticeable downwards trend then it started with 6.
I see the need to change things up from time to time to keep the franchise fresh and interesting. No problem but DFM really was way too much. Not to mentioned the removed RPG elements from the game like credits to buy and upgrade planes and special weapons or removed wingmen control.
 

YukoValis

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Aug 9, 2008
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I mean it looks nice and all, but that dog fight mode takes it out for me, not to mention the seemingly boring story line. No other AC game seems to come close to AC4. Now that's a game that knew a few tricks. It was just the story or gameplay it was the fear. The game taught you to fear your enemies and their creations, allowing you to slowly rise to their challenges.
 

FlightIsRight

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Jan 25, 2013
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This game actually disappointed the god damn mother fucking shit out of me. It is a true piece of worthless ass crap shit. Fuck Project Aces. Fuck Namco for losing this. Fuck everyone who had a part in letting this change from very good Ace Combat 4, Zero, and 6 into Ace Call of Fucking Duty. Fuck that flying in Miami and evil Moscow Russia bullshit. Story lines, epic shit, somewhat realism (not saying we need Microsoft Flight Simulator) but god mother fucking damn...all the fucking missile hits and machine gun fire just to take one enemy out...BULL FUCKING SHIT. Fuck you, fuck everyone who thinks this game is good because it is SHIT. There are not enough dicks in the world that could fulfill how many that this game sucks. TRULY FUCKED UP A VERY GOOD SERIES. If you mother fucker's are struggling with keeping up with demands and stupid shit then just make another fucking ***** game. Don't go and fuck up something worked for so hard in the past...if you can't tell, I use to work for you fucking assholes