Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Review

	Title	Ace Combat Zero: The Belken War
	Rating	Teen (Mild Language and Violence)
	Developer	Namco
	Publisher	Namco
	Release Date	April 25th, 2006
	Platform	Playstation 2
	Genre	Flight, Action
	Extra Features	Multiplayer, 112KB Required for save, Digital Control, Analog Control, Vibration Function, Pressure Sensitive

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (also known as Ace Combat 6) is the next installment in the long line of Ace Combat games. Offering a few new innovations to the series as well as crystal-clear graphics and a mean multiplayer, Ace Combat 6 will appeal to veterans of the series as well as attract newcomers.

Ace Combat 6 is arguably not a flight simulation game. If this was the Namco’s intentions, they have failed, as the aerial combat tends to turn out more arcade-like. However, most players will probably not see this as a problem. Ace Combat is therefore an absolute blast to play. Non-fans of flight games will be attracted to it because of the sheer fun of playing it. The planes are easy to fly, controls are easy to find and are well laid out, and there are enough plane, missile, and special weapons options and unlockables to keep players occupied for a huge amount of time.

The controls are well laid out; however, there is no tutorial! Once the start button is hit, you’re on your own! Veterans of the series will notice that many of the controls have remained the same, but it took me forever to figure out that “select” cycled through the special weapons during flight. Although there is no tutorial, the first mission spends around two minutes on mindless chatter before the enemies close in, which is plenty of time to figure them out. Once in combat it is easy to make a quick U-turn, lock on targets, launch missiles, and avoid enemy fire.

Veterans of the Ace Combat series will know what to expect in terms of missions, but newcomers may feel like they’re flying around destroying things for no good reason.. There are many missions, some with several scenarios to choose from. The missions either include blowing things up or protecting them, which may become a little boring to players seeking a plot with more depth. And the plot? Yah, it exists, but it is so frickin’ stupid that it may as well said “We’re at war, so let’s blow shit up and protect others while they’re blowing shit up too!” Yes, that is the gist of this engrossing tale. But who cares…. the missions provide enough different objectives to distract players from the general plot anyway. By the end of the game, you’ll be like “What was the story again…?”

During the missions locking onto targets is easy. The map indicates which targets are the most important and must be demolished immediately by coloring them red. Next most important are yellow, and for extra points you can kill the green ones. Also, when flying close to a “red target”, a small red abbreviation (“TGT”) appears next to it. Using the triangle button, players’ cycle through targets until the “TGT” is blinking and then fire. Guns are practically useless in this game so missiles and bombs are essential to knocking out all important targets. Ground targets are of course easier than flying ones, as the AI tend to escape from and/or neutralize many missiles.

Enemy AI in Ace Combat 6 are smart, quick, and can make dog-fighting pretty long and intense. During particular missions a group of planes called the “Aces” will appear. These “Aces” usually fly planes that are color coordinated in such a way that they are either serious members of a gang or have ambiguous orientations. Orientations aside, these “Aces” are serious bad-asses. A ten-minute mission can turn into twenty to thirty minutes depending on which mission you are attempting. They are difficult to track because they fly fast, low, and crazy. Watch out, as they are incredibly hard to shake once they’ve got their missiles locked onto you. A challenge is good every once in awhile to break the monotony of targeting stuff and then… you guessed it….. blowing it up.

Besides enemy AI, the AI in general is vastly improved. You never feel like you’re fighting alone, as your squadron of planes takes charge of ground and aerial missions along-side you, rather than flying in circles shouting phrases like “You got ‘em!” Receiving some help is good, and enough of the targets are left over so you don’t feel like you missed all of the action.

Music and graphics in Ace Combat are great. The music isn’t particularly memorable, but it is fitting for the missions and menu. It is mostly what you would expect from a flight game, with lots of bass and 80’s drum machine sounds. The graphics in Ace Combat are a major contributor to how easy this game is to play. Don’t get me wrong, Ace Combat does not have extremely simple gameplay, but crappy graphics can make it a lot harder (find a square shaped object that’s supposed to be a tank…). The graphics are clear and consistent, from objects on the ground to planes in the sky. Targets are easy to identify, even from a high altitude. Also, the plane graphics are good. Specific planes actually look like the fighters and bombers they are modeled after!

There are a lot of unlockable planes and weapons in this game. New planes and weapons become available for use in the next missions based on your mission scores (which are dependent on time spent and overall performance). Also, some planes and weapons become available just because you finish the mission and have nothing to do with your mission score. Unlockables urge players to retry missions with new planes and weapons to achieve higher scores for even more unlockables! Really, it becomes quite a vicious cycle.

Ace Combat 6 finally has a multiplayer! Unfortunately due to the limitations of the PS2, it is only available with one other person. Also, players are forced to play split-screen, which can be lame but is only a small detractor to the great experience! There are seven available stages and several combat situations to choose from. You can play one-on-one, lead a squadron against one another, and work together to successfully raid an enemy camp. There are a few others as well, but each is exciting and well-executed. It is too bad that the PS2 had to limit this fun multiplayer to only two people. What happened to the intentions to connect players across the world?

Although far from revolutionary, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War is a worthy installment in the Ace Combat series. The missions, unlockables, improved AI, and great multiplayer all make up for the weak story and somewhat monotonous aerial combat. Ace Combat 6 is extremely fun to play and is sure to please fans of the genre, as well as attract many newcomers.

	REPORT CARD : Ace Combat Zero: The Balkan War category rating comments Originality 3 Ace Combat has been done before, approximately 5 times, but it does add multiplayer! Longevity 4 The multiplayer and unlockables will keep you going for hours and hours… Graphics 5 It does what it is set out to do, and targets don’t look like squares on the ground! Sound 4 Music is fitting, but I could do without the drum machine. Fun Factor 4 Great multiplayer and missions, although the missions can be monotonous. FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5 stars