As we approach the engagement zone, we are treated to one undeniable truth and that is Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is the premier flight game for the Xbox 360. There are a ton of new innovations packed in every area and aspect of this game and with the included support of the Ace Edge flight stick, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is the king of the skies. Now marshal your talent and focus pilots for it's time to fly.
Please understand: i gave my score evaluating THE GAME not THE SERIES wich i think it is the main purpose of these reviews, review the GAME and not review what the franchise has become
The game takes a daring choice to make the aerial combat more visceral, fast paced, i just love how you can see the plane designs from up close instead of shooting a fire and forget missile from kilometers away, seeing pilots flying out of the ****, engines blowing, oil gushing everywhere..looks like pacific rim on planes
The game is REALLY a metal carnage
Really, shooting missiles on green boxes can be realistic but, when you fit 60+ missiles on a F-15C and then thinks about **** doesn't make any sense..plus, it makes the game repetitive and after some missions, you get tired (not an issue on the game series since they always make up great ideas like those big bomber-like planes/carriers on fires of liberation to break the monotony)
The game features great cutscenes, nice cinematography, great graphics and plane models, a very good soundtrack that fitted PERFECTLY with the game and the game stages wich each music plays and a fun, addicting and mind blowing gameplay
Another interesting thing i saw, my girlfriend with NO experience on flight games, managed to play it perfectly after 1 hour or so, i found this pretty interesting since some games focus so much on simulation and plane handling that some players get sad since they can't play those games very well and they end up having trouble with the controls and that makes the game impossible to enjoy, this games offers easy controls so anyone can enjoy it
Now, people usually get mad when they cange series, it was very clear on the release of metal gear rising revengeace, **** if you play these games, you'll see that it ain't so bad, people need to open their minds, a game series that just copy and paste the same game with almost no new features and just add 1 to the name can be fun to see the story going on and on and branching out to whole new levels but some people need to think a little before judging games, some just say "the game does not have innovation, it's the same as before" but when they make a whole new game, with new ideas and gameplay "they killed the series, they are destroying the franchise" make up your minds people..
Summing it up - the game is fun, action packed, thrilling, unlike anything you ever played before, the soundtrack is great and the cinematography and in-game cutscenes are great and this is a FACT
**** story feels like call of duty "YO BRO, GRAB THESE GUNS N STUFF AND BLOW SOME STUFF UP, YEEEEEEEH" but i found the "shark" nemesis a lot more interesting than some stereotypical Russian nation, making it personal
This game is a masterpiece, however, if you are a hard headed fanboy that can't stand any changes on the game franchise, don't go near it
I don't have any idea why people would hate this game besides not getting used to it, compared to the old ace combat's.
I am really glad a game like this came out, and I will hope to see more like this come out in the future.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon provides frenetic gameplay and a funny arcade action experience with its blockbuster presentation and great multiplayer side.
Ace Combat Assault Horizon is a really fun game. The dogfights, the really cool online mode and the helicopters are great additions, make this a need to buy game for every aspiring pilot.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is solid fun for anyone wanting to experience cinematic dogfighting, though subsequent playthrough are going to reveal the smoke and mirrors behind the illusion.
Really the only thing Ace Combat has to offer that its predecessors don't is a couple of new flight modes and real world locations. This would be enough to recommend the game to die-hard fans, but the camera cut aways make the game a worse experience than its predecessors. If you want a good Ace Combat experience, you should play an earlier game in the series.
This was not a game I ever intended to purchase until the price was right, which for me was $22.45 from one of the major game retailers for a used copy. Given how good this game is, I wish I had purchased it sooner. So far I am about two-thirds of the way through the campaign mode and can only describe it as aeronautical Modern Warfare! It is a lot of fun going through the various game modes (dogfight, ground assault, bodyguard) using a ton of real-world bad ass aircraft from today's headlines. I found playing at medium difficulty level best for me in terms of game play vs. reward (achievements, storyline progression) . I have also tried the online aspect of the game which seems fun as well and is a nice addition to the series. I recommend this game for anyone who enjoys FPS and wants to try a new experience. The game play and headline news feel to the storyline were very enjoyable, and certainly well worth the money I paid for a used copy. 9 out of 10 overall.
Graphics: Pretty Good but there are tricks in here most notably in Dogfight Mode when the control is taken away from you and the enemy is taken down according to a script.
Story: Also pretty good even if typical of a military game these days.
Game-play: Really annoyed me that the flight controls stop you from doing barrel rolls as default (changed through options but I didn't realize until halfway through). And you cannot give your wing-men any orders even though they're always right beside you. Also I like taking off and landing which you only get to do twice each.
As a long time flight games & Ace Combat fan,it pains me to writhe this review,but i feel i must.While its comendable that Project Aces were trying something new,what they did do was something to try to draw in the non-flight gaming **** problem with that is,the changes they implimented are all style but no substance,& the changes didnt & never will attract the non-flight crowd,& only succedded in alienating & annoying the core fans of these type of games & the series.I really wanted to like this game,but i can see why alot of people are not happy with it.Firstly though i have to say the addititions of real world locations & Helicopter Gunships were most welcome additions,as was the removal of the frankly ludicrus flying **** game looks great graphically,the characters,music & cutscenes being good also,and on the whole the game plays well.
Where the game falls apart though,& unfortunately its a big one,is the Close range assault mode this game introduces to the series,& the on rails **** close range assault basically allows you to go into a close,REALLY close chase behind an enemy **** kind of a mini on-rails section in itself,as you have no control over where your flying,merely involving trying to get the enemy plane in your sights while the computer flys the plane for you as you follow the enemy through some set pieces(usually near the ground for dramatic effect).This get old VEEEERY quickly.. Also,when in close range assault,it doesnt seem to make any difference what plane your in,it all feels & handles exactly the same.Unfortunately,this is the big new feature they were trying to introduce to the series,so as a result there is unfortunately no way to turn it off completely in the options.. You cant get around not using close range assault either,as certain enemies are near impossible to take down without using it,& often theres a time limit to take down enemies,that using conventional tactics simply arnt viable **** basically this new(if unwelcome)feature is rammed down our throats.This may not sound like much,but it completely changes the gameplay of Ace Combat,& pretty much ruins the game for most people.Also,while the Gunship sections are great,the movment when using the **** view is very jerky & not very usable,forcing you to use either the outside or full hud view.Another unwelcome addition,are the pure on-rails sections.They are not particually fun to play,feels out of place with the rest of the game & plays EXACTLY the same way,every time you play **** my idea of fun,especially in an Ace Combat title..
Co-Op wise,you can play a few missions from the campaign in Co-Op,but not many.While fun,its extremely **** blatently another half baked 'effort' to put 'Co-Op on the back of the **** they had put Co-Op in the full campaign,this game might have saved itself sumwhat,but it hasnt.
All in all,it was a risky gamble for Project Aces,to introduce the changes that they made to the gameplay,but the gamble failed in an epic way.Like i say,they need to realise that they are never going to attract people that are not interested in this type of game,no matter what changes they make & try to appease them.They need to concentrate on what the actual fans DO want & like,& provide that to them,which i hope they will do in the next title.A good way to get back to that greatness,is to get rid of the Close range Assault & other on-rails sections,& keep the gunships & real world locales,& to add a Co-Op option to the entire campaign.Other flight games have incorporated Co-Op for a while now,its about time Ace Combat caught up,& realised its popularity.Also add taking off & landing necessary for re-arming,& you will attract the fans of the series back in a big way.
I was So close to giving this game a 6,but it was quite good fun,while not using Close Range Assault that is.Unfortunately,you have to use close range assault ALOT.
Extremely overrated to the eyes of a young 21st century boy such as myself and others'consists of 3 main errors horrible graphics,horrible plot line, and horrible characters.
Too heavily scripted. Hated DFM (Dogfight Mode). Suddenly all the skill it took to follow and target is gone. You have half to none of the control during DFM (depending on if you're following some random plane or an integral target that will advance some plot in the mission). For the latter, you can literally just sit on your hands and it'll still follow the target plane better than you will be able to. As someone that loved the PS2 AC games, this is horrendous. I was hoping for a next gen experience and got a dumbed down version catering to the masses. It is blatantly apparent that Namco was trying to get a wider (read: less skilled) audience by adding in so many hand-holding features. Sure, great scenery, cool planes I guess, though I didn't even get a chance to look at them. Mission playback isn't easy to find (if it exists; I hear it does, but it could just be a myth). The story is non-existent. Where in previous AC games I actually felt for the characters and the squadron and enjoyed the story and followed along with it, in ACAH I didn't give a crap about any of them. I was hoping this game would cure my desire for a good flight-sim on one of my 7th generation consoles. Sadly, I guess I'll just have to break out my PS2 and relive AC4, 5, and 0.