Ace Combat 5

I finally managed to get my hands on my very own Playstation 2. I know, I'm a little slower on the uptake but whatcha gonna do? Anyway, I got two games to play with, one of which is Ace Combat 5.

Last year during activation, my buddy Karol introduced me to Ace Combat 4 in his barracks room. (He also introduced me to many alcoholic drinks.) I was hooked! It combined a flight sim with awesome graphics and gameplay and a story that draws you in. Ace Combat 5 is no different.

It takes place in an alternate world not unlike our own, but it has real-life planes. The planes range from old ones like the F-4 and the A-10 to newer ones like the F-15 and MiG-29, to the newest of new like the F-22 and the Su-35. The story takes you into this world, with a war between two countries bringing you and your squadronmates into battle. There are many twists and turns in the missions and the story itself. The gameplay makes it easy for anyone to pick up the controller and start playing without much difficulty. It's a safe combination of flight simulation and arcade-style gameplay.

The graphics are amazing and the game itself runs very smoothly. The aircraft models are top-notch. You fly over a variety of landscapes from barren tundras to populated cities, and all of them look great. The weather effects are also impressive. The cutscenes are a dramatic improvement from the previous game, which were actually just illustrations with voiceovers. The cutscenes in this game are VERY well done, some of the best I've seen in a video game.

The sound is also awe-inspiring. There's constant radio chatter from your wingmen (and women) and other forces in the air and on the ground that helps move the story along and also helps with gameplay. The score is dramatic and excellent.

There is no multiplayer mode, like there was in Ace Combat 4, but I was never big on that anyway. You're encouraged to keep playing the campaign to unlock better planes, and there are several difficulty levels, so there is some replay value.

I can't seem to find anything bad to say about this game! Another review of the game, along with screenshots and movies can be found here, at Gamespot's website. I strongly recommend watching the trailer!

Note: I can't help but noticing that there's something...different..about playing a PS2 that wasn't there when playing Gamecube. I can't really explain it... but it's there.

Update: A better trailer can be found at IGN's website, at the top of this page.