While this certainly isn't a flight simulator, you *will* have a terrible time using mouse & keyboard to control your plane. Get a gamepad, gamepads are cheap.

If you haven't played any of the Ace Combat games before, you'll be surprised how much storytelling you can pack into a dogfighting game, it's what brought up the series in the first place and had players yearning for more. That and the soundtrack but we'll get to that later. Though this entry has plenty of fanservice for Ace Combat veterans, it is the perfect start to get into the series. The plot, as usual, is very anime; it is a Japanese game after all. But it deals with a very real issue modern day pilots will have to contend to eventually...even if it is heavily exaggerated with lots of sci-fi elements. (seriously, look up what modern military air forces are doing right now, this game is based on that).

The characters are hit or miss. Cutscene dialogue could be better but still gets the point across...sometimes. In-game dialogue is much better and has some really good one-liners. There are some translation errors but the english VOs tries their best. They may not be top-tier actors but their not phoning it in at least.

Graphics: its Unreal 4. It looks really good by default. Its also well optimized, 100+ fps 98% of the times with every setting maxed. If you love planes, then you'll really appreciate the immaculate detail of every plane, even the fictional ones.
The clouds are some of the best I've ever seen in a video game (provided by the truSky plugin). Truly volumetric, no flat 2d textures, localized weather under certain clouds and turbulence around and in them, and you can practically feel the moisture when flying through them. This needs to be the minimum standard for clouds in games going forward.

As with previous Ace Combat games, it's extremely polished. You'll find virtually no bugs or glitches, a breath of fresh air compared to many games from much bigger studios with higher budgets (cough Cyberpunk cough). Despite the majority of this game's development being done in about a year before release.

The music. THE MUSIC. Keiki Kobayashi should deservedly be better recognized as one of the best video game composers. Every soundtrack of his fits the context and even tells the story itself. You will not be disappointed, I guarantee. The other composers, most of them newcomers to the series, hits the ground running and knocks it out the park. They scored some amazing and beautiful pieces as well, especially in the DLC missions.

The gameplay is a return to form after the...interesting choices in the last entry, Assault Horizon or more affectionately known as "AssHo". Blow stuff up with guns, missiles, or various other special weaponry varying from realistic to sci-fi. Simple, fun, engaging. You have to bring the right plane and equipment on the right missions or you'll suffer.

The level design is superb. Each mission is a new strategy, tactic, or gimmick, but most you would have seen before if you played the previous games. As with all Ace Combat games, always expect the unexpected. If a mission feels to easy or mundane, just wait for it. The clouds are not only eye candy, but they also serve a gameplay purpose.

Oh, and there are NO MICROTRANSACTIONS. You have to earn everything in game, which is another breath of fresh air

The DLC missions are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ *SUPERB*! The best of this series, it is well worth it. I really hope this is the quality we can expect for future installments of this series.