What is the best Ace Combat game?

[Schiller]

I only played Ace Combat 1/Air Combat. I really liked but I'm wondering which game is the best.

[TheRibbonRed]

That's subjective. Most would say AC04. Some would even say AC7, though I don't know if that's because of the honeymoon fever. MP lovers would definitely say Infinity.

[Draconyum]

My favorite was Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan war for PS2 back in 2006 it was also the last game I was able to play before my ps2 abandoned me, you should really try to emulate all of the games on pc if you have the occasion

[MasterX]

Oof, thats a loaded question. Many people would say simpley the holy trinity which is ac4/5/zero, which are certainly the best in the series so far but 4 has had a hard time aging with graphics and is quite short in comparison to the other two but still great if you want to check it out. 5 was great with alot more planes than 4 and more missions but its plane had only one SP weapon to choose from which they kinda got around by the different varients of each airframe have its own specific SP weapon and stats etc. That said in my opinion Zero is the best because it had they huge amount of planes and each plane had multiple SP weapons to choose from so you could use your Terminator on both ground attack and air supremecy roles very well. The story of AC 5 and Zero are 1a and 1b for me so i really cant choose but AC4's story seems to be the root of the franchise with the most call backs and references so you really cant go wrong with that one either.

Also as a side note AC6 was not a bad game it just doesn't quite get to the same level as the Trinity

[TheRibbonRed]

Messaggio originale di MasterX:

Also as a side note AC6 was not a bad game it just doesn't quite get to the same level as the Trinity

AC6 feels like a barebones beta build of 7th Generation console AC more than anything. Lackluster lineup of planes, missions, story, etc. It makes up the missions with 30 minute-long missions instead of the usual 15 though. I like the long-winded expanding missions, albeit I question the existence of allied forces there other than an "Itano Circus on call" feature if we're going to do all the work by ourselves anyway.

But by all means, compared to what we got after AC6 and before AC7? It's not a bad game.

[Local Discord Catboi Waifu]

I personally grew up playing 2 on PS1. Then I grew up some more playinng ACZ. I can't remember much of 2 apart from a hot air balloon mission?. But I aced Zero super frequently.

I picked up 6 from EB for $20. Cringy story and lines, but not complaining for the price

[czs1213]

Air Combat and Ace Combat 2 are your run off the mill 90's arcade flight game with no focus on story but have nevertheless solid gameplay and mission designs (compared to other console flight games released in that era) as a replacement. 2 remains my favorite though, tied with 04. Zero could've been my favorite if they gave the story much more serious/darker tone.

AC6 feels like a barebones beta build of 7th Generation console AC more than anything. Lackluster lineup of planes, missions, story, etc. It makes up the missions with 30 minute-long missions instead of the usual 15 though. I like the long-winded expanding missions, albeit I question the existence of allied forces there other than an "Itano Circus on call" feature if we're going to do all the work by ourselves anyway.

Personally I always feel that all the aforementioned AC6's shortcoming was caused by VERY rushed development cycle, like they only have ONE year after they did Zero to familiarize themselves with completely new hardware and engine to work with, not to mention the online multiplayer infrastructure in which it was the FIRST TIME PA worked on anything that is console online multiplayer which is supposed to be AC6's selling point.

AC6's gameplay is legit good but unfortunately it's GREATLY hampered by the said shortcomings and very repetitive mission designs.

[TheRibbonRed]

Messaggio originale di Ars Nova:

Personally I always feel that all the aforementioned AC6's shortcoming was caused by VERY rushed development cycle, like they only have ONE year after they did Zero to familiarize themselves with completely new hardware and engine to work with, not to mention the online multiplayer infrastructure in which it was the FIRST TIME PA worked on anything that is console online multiplayer which is supposed to be AC6's selling point.

AC6's gameplay is legit good but unfortunately it's GREATLY hampered by the said shortcomings and very repetitive mission designs.

Huh, I always thought that they had at least 2 years of development on it--which is still rushed. But hey, guess that explains things a bit more clearly now. Thanks for the heads up.

[czs1213]

AC6 has a very short timespan between reveal and release as well.

Official reveal at March 23rd (leaked a week earlier courtesy of Blockbuster), release at October 23rd in the same year.

[Profile_Name]

Personally, my favorite is 6 since it introduced me to the AC franchise.

But if I had to choose the best overall? I would say Ace Combat Zero. Can't beat that spanish music for the final boss fight.

[⚡Snake⚡Plissken⚡]

AC6 is far the best, I have a copy, it does what I want it to do, no BS story to contend with, just out right flying aces.

[Tenko]

Each has its own set of fans. Even Assault Horizon, Which I suggest is the better due to alot of effort into action-intesne scenes (Scripted and not) and the DFM ability which allows for very close,Dramatic dog fights while keeping what everyone generally likes about AC games.

The big diffrence you will see, is those who want a simulator-type experince vs those who want action,Michel Bay intensity level gameplay.

I myself play actual simulators, DCS,FSX and IL2(series) to satisfy that itch,(you can only spend 15 minutes starting an aircraft to taxi so many times) thus, Spawning in, pulling 70Gs in a turn spraying Cannons and Missles blowing up 200+ enemies is killer fun.

-So is the massive amount of aircraft that even Simulators havent touched yet that you get to fly in.

[Gonzo850]

AC4 is by far the best then Zero then 5.

[Hobo Misanthropus]

Messaggio originale di Snake Plissken:

AC6 is far the best, I have a copy, it does what I want it to do, no BS story to contend with, just out right flying aces.

> "no BS Story to contend with"

> "Go Fly With an Angel"

wot?


Series ranked from someone who's played all except Assault Horizons (Demo alone was enough to make me hate it."

Ace Combat 04 - Why? Excellent Storytelling and the greatest leap the series ever had in mechanics, visuals and mission design

Ace Combat 5 - Why? Lots of Content, Lots of Planes, iterated just enough on Ace Combat 04. Story was a bit too cringe for me.

Ace Combat 7 - Why? Slightly better than Ace Combat 5 in gameplay, but the game is criminally short. The Story is better than 5 (IMO) and deals with a subject matter more intimately relevant than nebulous "War Bad, borders bad"

Ace Combat Zero - Why? Best Soundtrack of the series, but very slim on content. What's there is good, and there's some minor replayability with the "Aces" System, but not as much as some Zero Evangelicals claim.

Ace Combat 2 - Why? It laid the true groundwork for the series to evolve beyond a Quarter-gobbling arcade game, with more complex missions, collectibles and secrets to encourage multiple playthroughs (Before the Internet ruined everything). It still had some shallow arcade lineage though.

Ace Combat 3 - Why? *Played the NA version First, only played the Japanese (And much superior version) much later so I am speaking from the NA version perspective. A huge disappointment to me, hot of the heels of Ace Combat 2, Ace Combat 3 sacrificed much of what I liked about 2, for seemingly no reason. It wasn't until a decade later I learned the NA version was seriously cut down from the Japanese Version.

Ace Combat 6 - Why? "Go Dance with an Angel"

Air Combat - Why? The Paint scheme of your planes. And there was no expert Controls.

Ace Combat ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ - Why? The game was cirminal in that it robbed the player of the one defining feature of a good flight game (Be it sim or arcade), freedom in the sky. Railroading you into on-rails scripted QTE which wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't mandatory.

[蛍Firefly]

Assault Horizon Legacy, or Cross Rumble 3D as it was known in the islands. a 3DS recreation of AC2. I spent many hours on it during my highschool and college days.
Failing that, AC4 has the best... feel to it, might be rose tinted glasses. AC0 is very good all around. AC6 is still really solid a game. and ACI would be mentioned, had it not been dead.

wtb ACI private server reinstitution. I miss my B-1, I miss all the planes and the parts. I miss it when nuggets frag the charlie and we all get pissed.

Finally, while ACAH is widely considered the worst, it has it's merits. Like a parts system for free missions, and co-op. I enjoyed the missions that didn't use fighters, oddly enough. Thanks to it's co-op, even a ♥♥♥♥ game can be somewhat enjoyable with friends.

tl;dr, in my opionion of games that I've played, AHL > I > 0 = 4 > 6 > AH = 5 > X
I didn't like X, there were some big hiccups in 5 and AH that I did NOT like, and 6 was great but the plane roster and some medals make me not wnat to play it agian.

[RAWRmonger]

3: Electrosphere is my personal favorite because of the setting and planes.
0 I feel is the obective best one because it focuses on the dogfighting and cuts most of the cringe of the series by having pilots who are actually into what they do.

5 and 4 also go to awesome places, but Kei and the singing ruin 5, 4 could have less scoring missions and higher production values.