Metacritic Games

Aero Elite: Combat Academy (Playstation 2)

Aero Elite is your opportunity to train as a fighter pilot and master the intricate flight mechanics and high-tech weaponry of today's latest aircraft. Take part in rigorous training, where you will master more than 60 types of aircraft, from jump jets to choppers. Through a wide range of combat scenarios, you'll hone your skills and perfect a wide variety of difficult aerial maneuvers. These will come in handy as you become intimately involved with radar-guided missiles, heavy machine guns, and terrestrial targets in need of destruction. Are you skilled enough to become one of the Aero Elite? Pilot more than 60 authentically-modeled aircraft, including helicopters. Battle above 12 different areas during morning, day, or night under various weather conditions. Master aerial acrobatics through realistic training. Outsmart deviously aggressive enemy squadrons. [Sega]

Sega of America
Action, Simulation
Players: 2
E (Everyone)
Developer: AM2
Released March 11, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

64 / 100

Critic Reviews

80 PSM Magazine
Visually stunning and incredibly complex, Aero Elite is a work of art that takes time to appreciate. [Apr 2003, p.34]
80 Cheat Code Central
The gamers that it will appeal to most of all are those beginning or dabbling in flight sims and/or for those looking for a game that presents a very realistic challenge.
77 GameSpy
It may be on a console, but don't let that deter you: it's actually surprisingly deep.
75 GameNow
The missions are somewhat predictable. [Apr 2003, p.50]
70 GMR Magazine
Graphical shortcomings aside, hardcore fans shouldn't fret. AE is easily one of the most full-fledged flight sims available on any console. [Apr 2003, p.71]
70 Electronic Gaming Monthly
Stringent pilot-training courses and competitions seem dull at first, but as you unlock cooler aircraft, the fun blossoms. [Apr 2003, p.111]
70 Village Voice
While cheesy flight simulation goes back to the original PC, this incarnation's technical detail brings CNN's gee-whiz graphics-and-stats fighter plane descriptions—indicative of our fascination with death from above—to life.
68 Game Informer
An excellent flight simulator, but a poor action game. [May 2003, p.83]
65 IGN
The whole package seems to have been constructed to drift onto retail floors, sit around for a while and then fade quietly into history.
64 GameZone
A realistic flight sim. Sometimes realistic games can drive people away, which is what Aero Elite did for me. Most of the time I was doing nothing but trying to get in range of my target, then shot a missile.
62 GameSpot
The controls are just a little too sluggish, making it feel as though you're driving a run-down school bus instead of a quick and nimble jet fighter or helicopter.
60 PSX Nation
As good as the control and visual re-enactment of the real-life planes come across in Aero Elite, AM2 and Sega drop the ball somewhat when the players become proficient armchair pilots and start itching for new challenges beyond those of the Training missions.
60 XGP Gaming
This game can only be recommended to flight fanatics or those into self-abuse.
60 Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
The main problem is that there's just no sense of speed. You can be going Mach 1.2 and it feels like you're driving a charter bus. Uphill. Against the wind. In a foot of snow. Towing another charter bus. [Apr 2003, p.84]
60 G4 TV
Why are so many missions so dull? Why is the combat-radio voice work so insipid? And which unemployed sports commentator and soccer mom did the tutorial and combat voices, respectively?
60 Yahoo! Games
The game tends toward actual-world realistic, but in a fancifully dull way.
50 Armchair Empire
More of a simulation than arcade, which may seem good at first, but it's not.
40 GamePro
Aero Elite’s true failure, though, is its boring gameplay. Dog fighting and attacking ground forces just isn’t entertaining.

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