[review]
Sitting down at my computer with my brand new, fingerprint smudged, PSP. Somewhat unexpeced but all the more welcome I'm holding Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception. The game looks to be fun, just as the previous installments of the Ace Combat franchise.
As part of my standard ritiual with new games I watch the intro movie (well its so short I find it unfair to call it a "movie"), showing an F-22 and SU-37s doing battle. My initial impression "meh" the game is presented more circa Ace Combat 4.
first impression C
To the campaign mode! The primary story is told by still photos and narrative through the eyes of a reporter, circa Ace Combat 4. Like AC4 the game starts as the Aurelian Armed forces are on their death breath and you must stop a flight of bombers from destroying the last base of the military etc etc etc...The progression of the campaign has a very refreshing take on it. You are required to become a tactician during the war, choosing which area you want to attack first. The result is the difference of enemy tactics in reaction to yours. Example: if you attack postion B while ignoring position A, the enemy will atack your base and repostion its capitol ship to postion C to defend their main city. The one (and only) side story is of Diego Navarro the Lessath commander, this side story provides the backdrop for the reporter to tell the story of the conflict. The voice-over of the reporter is acted very well. The only disappointment in the story is the lack of side-stories that accompany pilots and the narrative. Think of AC Zero and the log of downed aces where you can follow all of their stories.The lack of the sidestories just doesn't do justice to showing the scope of the war itself, you just feel disconnected.Oh, almost forgot you also get a serial ID like you are an actual soilder (yeah I'm a sucker for little details
)
Story C+
The gameplay feels very familiar to any veteran of the series with some nic noticeable changes. For example along with special weapons and planes, new parts come available to purchase and tune planes as well. The "upgrades" are done very intellegently, for example if you want to increase the payload of the fighter the weight goes up, and you really feel the difference in the plane itself. My only gripe is that only specific planes can be upgraded (mostly the concept planes). The take-off's landings and mid air refuelings in a word....suck. They lack the feeling of enjoyment that previous intallments, the screen doesn't minutely shake when you ignite the afterburners on takeoff. Overall you feel very disconected from these actions. Flying the plane feels very much like an Ace Combat game should, you can easily make out the differences in the planes capabilities. Missle evasion in this game is a bit tougher than in previous installments but for me thats due to the controls (more on that later). The game feels just as fluent and enjoyable as previous Ace Combat installments. The airbone fortess was like the one in AC Zero very big, cumbersome and easy to take down...Now to the bad news, voiceovers. They are truly poor at best, the characters don't sound like military personell at all. The voice is also poorly scripted. A real blow to one of the main sticking points of Ace Combat, the voice presented is very dull and unispired and really takes away an reason you have to fight. Another gripe is SOD and other "smart" missles are not smart. The SOD (stand off dispenser) would normally fly high and and then swoop in to diver its deadly load. nope. The SOD simply gets low and crashes into any obstacle in its path.The sound effects during the game are great whether it's the crackle of fighters flying by ot the sound of exploding planes.
Gameplay B-
The frst few missions had me cursing at this game horribly
. Me personally, I love yaw. I use it all the time. The AC4 uses the joystick for pitch and roll and the d-pad for pitch and yaw. The location of the sick and d-pad makes it near impossible to adjust yaw on the fly (pun intended
) for gun and bombing runs. The game tries to be considerate and auto adjusts the gun reticle for air targets to help , but no its not the same.The second complaint is the reversing of the radar and sp. weapon buttons, that threw me off for a bit as well. Otherwise the controls do feel very responsive in the game.
Controls B+
The PSP has great graphics for a handheld and ACX does use it very well. The planes and scenery do look very nice with extra notaion to the island where you battle fernir(sp?). The plane models are pretty detailed for the system, the cockpit veiws also are done in good detail as well.. One thing does lack, missles dont "fall" from the plane they launch immediately. I always enjoy watchng the Phoenix missles falling from the F-14 for a second, then igniting and rocketing away...Otherwise the grahics are crisp and framerate is smooth.
Graphics A-
Overall the game is an authentic Ace Combat experience, on the go. However the game does lack the little details that makes the series enjoyable. A fun game, but definetly rent first.
[/review]
