Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review:
It’s a good spin on the usual affair, similar to the use of drone control in some of the FPS team genre of late.Playing Namco’s latest title was a challenge and there’s nothing hugely wrong with any of the work on the title just a total lack of involvement, nothing to draw you in, that all-important ‘X’ factor. It just didn’t take my breath away.
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review:
Combat flight games are few and far between these days, having gone the way of the space combat and adventure genres. It’s fairly obvious why: in today’s world of Bruckheimer-style action games featuring fast cars, guns and fast cars with built-in guns, there’s little demand for games like these that require tactical thinking and some degree of skill. All that’s required is more random explosions.
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review:
Ask anyone to name the first combat flight simulator that comes to mind and they'll most likely blurt out Ace Combat. The long-running series developed by Namco, which began on the PlayStation and is now making use of the PlayStation 2's capabilities, has gathered pools of fans in its wake. And now, the latest game in the series, entitled Ace Combat: Squadron Leader, has landed. Fortunately, Namco still hasn't taken a wrong turn; rather, it's delivered yet another brilliant game that'll - even after playing countless other games in the series - leave fans begging for more.Ace Combat: Squadron Leader sees a war between two provinces, Osea and Yuktobania, erupt. You begin the game as a rookie, taking orders from the squadron's leader during the first couple of missions, but after he disappears abruptly and leaving no trace following a successful mission, you're thrown into command - which, of course, you could've guessed would happen considering the game's subtitle. Cleverly, the game manages to update and propel the storyline in between missions through great-looking full-motion videos, handling even details such as character development fairly well.While the game's twenty-five or so missions are wholeheartedly very enjoyable, they don't contain too much originality; your objectives will require you to carry out the usual tasks such as escorting aircraft and ships, destroying enemy weapon emplacements, overcoming ambushes and the like. While this isn't necessarily a problem, it would've been nice if the mission objectives featured a bit more innovation. On another note, following each mission is a great replay, during which you can select from a number of camera angles and switch between squadron members as the action unfolds. It's a nice addition to the game and works well, keeping track of the action and presenting impressive, movie-like sequences as you watch from the sideline.What I did find original and innovative, though, was the level of interaction and general chatter between all pilots and captains in the field. Not a few seconds have the chance to pass during any one mission without one of your three squad members, your commander, any allies that you're escorting or even the enemy sending a few words through your earpiece - and they're not the standard one-liners, either; almost every sentence relates to the mission objective or current events. Even more impressive is the fact that during almost every mission someone in the field you'll often be asked questions, which you have the option of answering yes or no to using the Left and Right buttons on the D-Pad. While whether you select yes or no isn't terribly important, both options usually resulting in a witty response by your comrade, on the odd occasion your decision may be critical to the mission; when your squad sees an opportunity, they'll ask you whether or not you'll agree to allow them to disperse, attack the enemy or cover you. I found these two features incredibly beneficial to the game; not once will you feel alone or that you're fighting with or against a bunch of robots.I've touched on it above and the game's subtitle suggests it, so what can you do in terms of leading your squadron? Well, four commands are available at your fingertips - literally. These are Attack, Disperse, Special Weapon and Cover, each mapped to one of the D-Pad buttons and each instantly taking firm hold in your memory. Simply tapping any of these will alter your squadron's movements without interrupting gameplay, so you're able to dish out commands whenever you please - except when you're dodging a missile or have a tidy shot lined up, of course. Attack will see your squadron attack any enemies in the immediate area; Disperse will allow them to break formation and tend to any enemies or objectives; Cover will send them to your rear to annihilate any enemies targeting you; and Special Weapon gives them permission to use their special weapon, which may be an air-to-air missile launcher or an unguided napalm bomb, for example. The Special Weapon command can be used in conjunction with any other command - you have the ability to tell your squadron to disperse, attack or cover with or without permission to use their special weapon.Namco knows for a fact that not all players of Ace Combat: Squadron Leader will have played the game's predecessors, or any combat flight simulator for that matter, which is why an in-depth tutorial is included. After playing through the tutorial I found that I knew everything that I needed to, from taking down both air and land enemies to performing the tricks of the trade such as the Immelman turn and the Split-S.The controls are laid out almost flawlessly, being neat and symmetrical; there is little I can think of that would've worked better on a different button. In addition, every aircraft handles very realistically, allowing you to perform just about every maneuver - you'll find yourself rolling, yawing, and roaring ahead with the power of your afterburners and slowing down shakily using the air brakes. To get the most out of your aircraft you'll often need to press a series of buttons within moments, meaning the controls are initially quite daunting. Take down a few enemies, dodge a few missiles and form up with your team mates after a successful battle, though, and you'll find yourself playing like a professional - well, almost. Each of the game's many aircrafts feature three different views: the classic nose view, a cockpit view and my personal favourite, the third-person or behind view. All of the views are well-designed, though the cockpit view is obstructive in certain aircraft.Taking down enemies is generally easy, though the use of the machine gun requires some skill; you'll have to either line up your target perfectly or track it, firing slightly ahead of it so that by the time the bullets reach it they'll hit. Missiles are a different story; get close enough to a target and they'll lock on - fire one or two at most at a time and they'll follow their target with deadly accuracy, though the artificial intelligence is good enough to allow enemies to occasionally dodge attacks provided they're in the position to do so. In addition to these two weapons, each craft features a special weapon that can range from air-to-air missiles to unguided bombs, the latter specifically designed to destroy ground targets such as tanks as they fall swiftly to the ground and explode upon impact. Ace Combat: Squadron Leader doesn't focus too heavily on aircraft management. While some may not like to hear this, others, such as myself, will be pleased that they can carry out missions without concentrating too heavily on fuel levels, maintaining specific altitude, keeping in formation and the like. Displaying your altitude, ammo count, radar and more, you'll find yourself eyeing the useful heads-up display constantly, if only for the use of the radar. Without it, you're likely to return to base in a flaming and smoking chunk of twisted metal.GraphicsIt quickly becomes obvious that the most time and work has been injected into the aircraft themselves. Modeled from their real-world counterparts, each aircraft is crisp and clean with detailed textures and subtle reflective effects that slip across their surfaces according to the direction of the sun. Use your afterburners and a realistic hazy effect is emitted from the thrusters along with flames that vary in intensity according to how much force you apply to your speed. The environments are large and detailed, some missions held at certain times of day such as dawn - as the mission progresses, the sun will emerge more and more. Clouds litter the skies while the ocean, cities and landscapes litter the area below, varying enough to give each mission a brand new feel. The ocean looks absolutely amazing; you can see every little ripple in the water and very realistic reflections slide across it. In contrast, though, the landscapes and cities often appear flat and blurry, with only a small selection of mountains and buildings protruding upwards. In this case, though, the good far outweighs the bad.SoundAce Combat: Squadron Leader features some of the most authentic aircraft sounds out there; everything from the engines themselves to the sound of torn air as an enemy loops above you is delivered in a sharp and realistic manner. The music - despite adhering to the tired rock style of other such games - is well done, picking up pace and often only beginning seamlessly during dogfights to increase the tension and to get your adrenaline flowing. The many full-motion videos are packed with dialogue, and while some of the voice-acting is merely decent emotions and the like are still conveyed successfully.OverallAs I mentioned earlier, Ace Combat: Squadron Leader will leave fans begging for more; it holds few faults and is fun, accessible and well-presented. The game's detailed tutorial and isolated storyline pave the way for newcomers to the series, so if you've been contemplating becoming a pilot in the series that is Ace Combat, now is the time to do so. You won't be disappointed.Thumbs UpExcellent graphics and soundFun and accessibleTies in a detailed story in a genre that usually struggles in this regardThumbs DownSome unimaginative objectivesFlat cities and landscapes full size >>
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review:
You can also purchase aircraft for you wingman and, ultimately, choose which aircraft that they will use for each set of missions. A large number of authentic fighter jets are offered, allowing the gameplay experience to vary slightly depending upon which aircraft you choose to utilize.
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review:
So overall Ace Combat Squadron leader is the best PS2 fly-em-up I’ve played - well probably the best one I’ve played on every platform this generation. With its great looks and 30 mission campaign mode, this’ll keep you airborne for a while, though lack of a 2-player option is a bit of a puzzler. Bring on AC6
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review:
Fortunately, the company seems to have more pride in its work, andhas put together one of the most compelling, atmospheric and in some places,downright beautiful combat flight simulations ever made. Namco, your nextmission is to put it online.
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review:
Flight combat games seem to have pretty much died a commercial death on consoles in recent years, with even outstanding efforts like Crimson Skies and Totally Games' hugely entertaining Secret Weapons Over Normandy failing to lure the punters into splashing out on them.
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader review: