Ace Combat: The Belkan War review

Ace Combat and I have something of a history.

My introduction to the dogfighting, arcade style flight series was actually one of the titles I was asked to review during my early years as a games industry writer. A whole five years ago, when PlayStation 2 was merely a console rookie, Ace Combat: Shattered Skies/Distant Thunder was the first 'next gen' version of the franchise, entertaining me in surprising ways with its fast blend of action, slick presentation and well devised gameplay. And now half a decade later and two more sequels down the line, the last current gen version of the series has landed in my lap. And after playing The Belkan War, one phrase immediately comes to mind:

"The more things change, the more they stay the same…"

Back to the future, top gun

Despite being the sixth Ace Combat title, The Belkan War is actually set 15 years before Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, serving as a prequel detailing the titular conflict that occurred prior. As such, the 30 unlockable aircraft initially revolve around models from the 1990s (such as the F-15 and F/A-18), before slowly drifting towards the more contemporary as things progress.

The typically involving story doesn’t hit any real original notes, but still manages to create an excellent atmosphere and convincing setting for the aerial ballet. The game follows the trail of mercenary pilots Pixy and your in-game avatar, Cipher, and their involvement in the war between nations Osea and Belka. Cue missions involving dogfights, bombing runs, escorting and impromptu battles to take you through numerous scripted and plot driven events.

As standard for most Ace Combat titles, questions of morality and the nature of war come up to provide a little depth to the otherwise character-lite narrative. Although admittedly, there's a fair degree of personality injected via a healthy amount of radio-chatter as you fly, which is as well acted as the rest of the voice-overs throughout.

Ace in the hole

Despite Ace Combat's willingness to integrate you into the storyline, what's immediately noticeable is the lack of an open tutorial to introduce the basics. Without prior experience with the franchise, the idea of jumping straight in with multiple options, like equipping your plane, is fairly daunting. For a game of this type where there are various controls nuances to learn (even in this paired down iteration compared to PC dogfighters) and techniques to master, it's invaluable to have some in-game guidance.

However, as floundering as Ace Combat leaves you, early missions ease you gently into things well enough meaning figuring out which buttons do what can be swiftly discovered with a little courage. You're also equipped with plenty of ammunition from the off, so wasting few missiles in random presses isn’t too critical, and there's the inclusion of a 'novice' mode which removes the stomach churning 'rolling' controls that can send the inexperienced into a spin (before sending them for a sick bag).

Once past a mission brief, the second largely noticeable thing hits you between the eyes. While hardly bad looking, Namco Bandai's game does suffer a little from a slightly rough edge on the plane models. Although thankfully this is a fleeting impression; generally the visuals are smooth and once you get inside the cockpit of your chosen aircraft things run nicely without frame-rate hiccups. Detail is high too, with accurate representations of the real planes used.

Joker in the pack

The game itself isn’t too far departed from it predecessors, showing a refinement appropriate of such a long running franchise. The controls have just the right amount of resistance and heaviness to them without feeling sluggish, making dogfights a gratifying experience. Ace Combat is also one of the few games that use all the PS2's analogue buttons, even the facia ones. They're far too small for most titles but here they're used fairly effectively, controlling map detail while the shoulder buttons offer throttle changes that range from slight to full-on. It all feels just about right.

The pacing of the missions is also well measured, with a welcoming switch of objectives and even a choice of tasks for some levels to maintain interest while the storyline attempts an illusion of change and variation. Between that and the wonderfully brooding atmosphere created by the well composed music, Ace Combat does a good job of making you feel like an ace pilot, especially via its rating aspect which can judge you as a mercenary, soldier, or knight depending on you performances and how seemingly willing you are to destroy neutral targets.

But in spite of its ably crafted gameplay, there are still a few problems that emerge after prolonged play. As improved as the AI is, enemy fighters still can fall into predictable routines and rely on cheap and unfair damage resistance to increase challenge in latter sections. For all the relative realism it strives for, this is an element that only goes against what Namco Bandai attempts. Some missions can also be rather dry and wearying, going on for far too long with too little deviation and next to no checkpoints should you fail. The effect is quite tiring, and so Ace Combat often lends itself to short bursts of play rather than extended periods. But perhaps most dangerous of all to the game is that any long time players (people who would be most comfortable with the lack of tutorial and mission similarities) are likely to experience an inevitable and eventually tiresome sense of over-acquaintance.

Bogey on the six

There may have been many iterations between this and the last Ace Combat title I reviewed, but in essence very little has progressed. Which manages to be both a good and bad thing. Good because the fundamentals of the game have resisted any damage and it remains as fun and as engaging as it always has. But bad in the sense that unless you're a hardcore fan, you may feel a tad miffed at the lack of positive change.

The excellent, if basic two-player mode that includes a pleasing number of scenarios goes some way to help push past this a little, but tends to underscore the apparent unwillingness to go the extra yard and put in an online feature to increase longevity and beat the distinct 'seen it all before' feeling that persists. Which is frustrating given the game's otherwise slick and reliable competence.

Five years is a long time for things to essentially stay the same, no matter how enjoyable they may have been in the first place. Granted, there are only so many areas a combat flight game can go, but if you're going out of the current generation before you enter the next, it's worth going out with a bang. Ace Combat: The Belkin War is far from a whimper, but it's sadly not as gratifyingly brilliant as it should have been. That said, I eagerly await the following hand of Aces to be dealt by Namco Bandai.