A title you definitely didn't expect to see on PC, Ace Combat looks like a flight sim and plays like the vehicular sections of Call of Duty. It's a fun game while it lasts. The linear missions mean that the game holds no replay-value whatsoever. [Feb 2013]
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon provides frenetic gameplay and a funny arcade action experience with its blockbuster presentation and great multiplayer side.
I have been a fan of the series for a very long time. I am only about 6 hours into the game. I love how this time it is in real settings and not a fantasy world. Graphics on the pc are stunning. I have seen no lag or any issues what so ever so far. If you are a fan of the series i highly recommend picking this game up!
This game is awesome! I have no idea why people complaining about realism but for me this was surprisingly pleasant experience! Awesome music, graphics, not so bad story...
Yes, helicopter is a bit clunky, final boss is kinda unfair, but come on, its awesome arcade game! Just relax and enjoy!
One year after its appearance on consoles, Ace Combat Assault Horizon comes back on PC with the same intensity, pace and action, but its weaknesses are still there.
The game is enjoyable thanks to a very immediate arcade formula and to the good variety of missions in the single player campaign. The competitive multiplayer and co-op are fun, but some may find the overall game experience a little too simplistic and the plot, as well as the soundtrack, does not go beyond a good routine. At this price, however, it's a good deal.
It’s not going to blow your mind, but if you’re happy with a total disregard for realism then Ace Combat: Assault Horizon will keep you happy and entertained for a good few hours.
First of all, this is an arcade game, not a 100% simulation (huge stock of missiles each mission, infinite railguns and infinite fuel) so if you are of those strict, perfectly realistic scenario chasers and critics, then this game is not for you.
Now for the review:
Comparing this one to previous ace combat titles I have to admit this one pushed it to another level with DFM (I played almost all titles in multiplayer).
Simply put, DFM makes this title much more intense and gives you some nice adrenaline injections in multiplayer and in some missions last missions are much harder and enjoyable because of it) where previous ace combat titles all you needed to do was lock at 2.5k-4k kilometers behind target and fire double missiles with rails being unplayable at ranges less than 750 kilometers, and it was pretty much the same in competitive online.
NOTE: Campaign wise, this game does NOT forces you to DFM all targets!! You can dispose of most of the targets in the campaign while not using DFM. However, some targets that have a "TGT_LEAD" mark on them most be disposed off using DFM because they are relevant to the overall feel of the campaign progression and these count as 5% (at most!) of all targets in the campaign. So you can still enjoy yourself striking some targets down the old Ace Combat way. Needed to clarify that.
Difficulty:
- If you are a casual gamer (previous ace combat titles were more casual friendly) you will find it very hard (and frustrating) to beat certain missions in the difficulties Elite and Ace if you do not force yourself to learn the hard way, which is being persistent and be whiling to learn, not just give up and trash the game as most of the people that downgrade this game usually do. Harder difficulties in this game (Elite and Ace, specially Ace) live up to their word, unlike previous ace combat titles where the harder difficulty was not hard at all and it didn't require that much skill or practice.
Story:
- As for story, if you are that type of player that values skill,ace pilots and drama, you will love the antagonist and the setting that pans out at the end. You will not like the protagonist that much and the ending itself. They should have made more content story wise in the later half of the campaign. It just feels a little bit rushed over &/or they ran out of ideas.
- The helicopter, bomber and gun additions were good but not necessary, that's why I really appreciate they still focusing more on the Jet aspect. After all, Its Ace Combat, helicopters and gunships are welcome only if they come and go fast.
Mechanics:
- They should have made the DFM circles shorter and longer to charge at very close range to add up more skill and difficulty in both single and multiplayer.
- Counter maneuvers are hard to execute if you don't understand its mechanics at all. I've seen people complaining and trashing this game just because they don't bother to think and practice its functionality, and it pretty much sums up most of all the DFM hate.
- About flares, players and NPCs DON'T have an infinite amount of flares, if anyone fails to realize this is because they are just bad or incredibly frustrated for reasons I mentioned above.
So all in all, its a very fun and somewhat demanding game that makes your adrenaline rush and damages your controller, specially in multiplayer
if you are a fan of the Ace Combat series, Assault horizon is a Different kind of beast. so,since now,i warn you. Aproach this one with caution.
well,it feels like ace combat,plays for the most part like ace combat, but it has one mechanic that Kills it,DFM and ASM. those sections,when Scripted are Terrible,and makes the fights with aces,Especially the one with a certain shark nosed Plane Pilot, Unfufilling. At First,they are cool,but repeat them,over,and over,and over again,and you'll see what i mean. and this is agravated if you played other Ace Combat games on the consoles, that really demanded skills from you.
so,it's a Hard game?! Far from it. Easy,even on the Ace Difficulty,but it has it's **** moments.
Is a Bad Ace combat game?! by my standards,Yes. Namco has done better with its franchises.
But it's a Bad game?! HELL NO.
The better pros i gotta say is: the cutscenes that are awesomely made, the Aircraft Collor editor that even to this date i revisit, and the Awesome models,beautifull with full interiors made by Project aces.
But the Unforgivable Cons i gotta repeat: The DFM and ASM are not good systems when done Scripted like 60% of the game. some sections are not,but they fell a bit cluncky to control,and i tend to lose control quickly. another Con is that the control on this game is very sensitive,even on the most Non-Sensitive setting,so it doesn't feel like Ace 5,6,or Cross Rumble,and you get to have tighter reflexes to adapt on how the Jets fly on this game. they feel different,but horrible?! no... just,worse. and those aspects i'm glad that namcobandai got right on the next games of the franchise,that can and MUST keep going in the direction it was since Ace Combat 3 (jp)... that by the way i still wait for a remake of that game... but let's not get out of the tangent.
My final Veredict: 7/10. Is not a Bad game, i can recomend for you who want a Different Experience all togheter.
But if you are a Ace fan,as a said Aproach with caution or Don't go for it.(or at least,wait untill the price drop if you want to experiment with this beast).
If you are willing to put aside gripes about not being set in the usual Ace Combat world and the total disregard for realism, this game can be a genuine enjoyment. My biggest gripe with the game is the fact that often, when you are chasing a high-ranking bad-guy, he will become unkillable until he leads you to a certain location, just so a cool killcam can occur. This bothered me because I feel it stifles your freedom as a pilot and negatively effects gameplay, just for the sake of showing off the visuals (which are fantastic btw). The controls take a little getting used to, especially if you've played past Ace Combat titles on the playstation, but should be no problem after a few hours of gameplay. Ace Combat Assault Horizon: Enhanced Edition: Fun, arcade mess with a disregard for realism, fan service, and gameplay.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - Enhanced Edition offers an enjoyable experience initially, but unfortunately, it loses its appeal over time. The gameplay, particularly the combat, is the primary concern and falls short of expectations. As someone who wasn't a fan of this genre and lacked experience, I found the gameplay repetitive and frustrating, often resorting to circling around enemies just to catch a glimpse of them briefly. While I am uncertain if this is the typical Ace Combat style or a deviation from its predecessors, it still proved exasperating for me. Additionally, the poorly executed dog fight mode and basic helicopter and machinegun missions felt like filler gameplay, contributing to the overall disappointment.
The story in Assault Horizon - Enhanced Edition left much to be desired, following the cliché "russians are bad, americans are good" narrative, which failed to captivate my interest.
Regarding the graphics, they were decent, with satisfactory airplane explosion effects. However, the terrain textures were noticeably low-res, which could have been improved for a more immersive experience.
On the subject of controls, I strongly advise against using a keyboard and mouse setup, as it proved to be inadequately optimized, causing further frustration during gameplay.
Despite having high expectations based on the reputation of the Ace Combat series, I cannot wholeheartedly recommend Assault Horizon - Enhanced Edition. Although the first few hours provided some fun, the overall experience left me disappointed, leading me to eagerly anticipate the end of the story campaign.
Ace Comat is nice to watch - but fairly boring to play. That is because it sort of plays itself ... either that.. or it runs on rails ( semi rails ). It felt much like a Call of Duty in the skies - and hardly ever did the sky feel ... that small.
Watching it is like watching an action movie - and like many action movies - they became a bit stale and repetitive. After the first excitement wears off though... one spots muddy ground textures under rather sparse enviromental modelling. In fact the places look like an older flight simulator.
The plane models are ok, but also do lack detail.
What bothers me the most is the flight models. - NEVER did it feel like flying a plane; there is no weight - and the agility of the jets is ridiculously over the top.
to top it even more - those "lead" planes can only be taken down in the dogfight mode - and while that mode spices the monotony up every now and then - there are simply too many lead planes - making that chase mode very very stale - very quickly.
to close that review - the story and characters are quite forgettable. It is sad that there are only really two games of that genre on PC - HAWX and this - and they are both fairly bad.
SummaryMaking its debut on PC Q1 of 2013; ACE COMBAT ASSAULT HORIZON - ENHANCED EDITION features controls and graphics that have been optimized specifically for PC users. The PC version will include many of the DLC items released on the console versions of the game. Players will have immediate access to additional aircrafts and numerous aircraf...