Air Combat

The player firing a missile at an enemy.

Air Combat is a combat flight simulation video game, although it is presented in a more arcade-like format in stark contrast to other flight sim games.[3] The plot involves a terrorist organization starting an uprising; in response, a mercenary air force is assembled to take the fight against the enemy and free the nation from the terrorist forces. The player controls one of sixteen different aircraft, including the F-4 Phantom, Su-27 Flanker, and even Stealth aircraft,[4] and must complete each of the game's seventeen levels, each having mission objectives that must be fulfilled.[5] Missions range from destroying a squadron of enemy fighters, protecting an allied base from enemy fire, or destroying a massive battleship.[5] Completing missions awards the player money, which can be used to purchase new fighters in their own personal hangar.[5] Extra money can also be earned by destroying optional, "non-target" enemies.

Beginning at the game's fourth mission, a wingman can be employed into battle that will help protect the player and fight alongside them.[5] Additional wingmen can be hired by earning additional money during combat.[5] The game progresses in a linear format.[5] Alongside the main single-player campaign, there is also a split-screen multiplayer deathmatch mode, where two players attempt to destroy each other in the quickest time possible.[5] Players can also unlock new fighters and special minigames by completing specific objectives at various points throughout the game.[5] Players can also swap between a first-person and third-person camera option.[5]

Air Combat was created by designer Masanori Kato and producer Kazumi Mizuno. The two were commissioned by Namco executives to create a home port of the arcade game Air Combat for the then-new PlayStation console. The arcade game was released in 1993 for Namco's System 21 arcade system board and was well-received by the press for its 3D graphics and technological capabilities. Its early stages of development were met with problems, primarily with the PlayStation's hardware not being powerful enough to match the performance of arcade cabinets, in addition to much of the staff having no knowledge of airplanes. The team chose to scrap the port and create a new game in its place, though it shares several similarities and ideas with the arcade version. Kato believed this decision allowed the team to "return to the basics of being professional creators" and create entertaining experiences for players. Planner Asahi Higashiyama believed the 3D hardware presented more potential in combat flight simulators.[6]

Air Combat proved to be a commercial success for Namco. In Japan alone, the game sold over 246,000 copies in its first week, and nearly 600,000 overall.[13] By 2008 the game shipped over 2.23 million copies, making it the second best-selling game in the franchise behind Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.[14] Famitsu awarded it the "Silver Hall of Fame" award,[8] while Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it "Best Flight Sim of 1995".[15]

Critics focused primarily on the gameplay, who felt it had an addictive, arcade-like nature. GameFan described it as "easily the ultimate flight simulator".[16] IGN, who compared it favorably to Warhawk, praised its gameplay for being action-packed,[9] as did Allgame and Coming Soon.[7][12] Allgame also liked the game's addictiveness and longevity.[7] Famitsu stated that the game was fun and had a lot of variety and action, but could have used additional levels.[8] Several critics argued that the game started off at a slow and boring pace at the beginning, but became very fun after a while; GamePro wrote that patient players would "gradually get caught up in the gripping gameplay".[3] In their brief coverage of the game in 1997, Next Generation argued that the game didn't hold up well in comparison to other games, saying that it was a decent flight sim but not as fun as its competitors.[10] The controls were also praised, with Coming Soon and Famitsu saying it made it one of the most realistic flight sims for a console.[12][8] Air Combat was also praised for its cinematic cutscenes,[12][8] realistic sound effects,[16][9][7][12] and amount of unlockables.[8]

The graphics and presentation of Air Combat were criticized, with reviewers finding them to be of poor quality.[9] Allgame showed confusion towards this, due to Namco's other PlayStation games from the time having high-resolution graphics.[7] IGN said the graphics, which they criticized for their constant flickering, were the game's weakest point, alongside its poor presentation.[9] GamePro also criticized the visuals for being bland and unappealing.[3] By a stark contrast, both GameFan and Coming Soon praised them for their realism and detail.[16][12] Like IGN, Famitsu also stated the graphics were the game's low point, arguing that its arcade predecessor Air Combat 22 had much better visuals.[8] Critics liked the game's mission variety in later levels for not simply repeating previous ones.[16][12] Allgame in particular said that it gave the game a lot of replay value for this reason, as did Famitsu.[7][8] GamePro labeled them as being "polished", but argued that the earlier ones were rather boring.[3] The soundtrack also received praise,[16] with Allgame listing it among the game's best features.[7]

Air Combat spawned one of Namco's most-successful franchises, which retained the Japanese name of Ace Combat for all regions. It laid down the basic foundations for the series, and is seen as an important and influential game in the combat flight simulator genre. The first sequel was Ace Combat 2 in 1997, adding new missions, fightercraft, and the ability to perform high-g turns.[17] It was followed by the futuristic-themed Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere in 1999, which employed a branching storyline that changed based on player decision.[18][19] Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies was published for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, succeeded by Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War in 2004, the final Ace Combat game developed by Namco. The then-newly-formed Namco Bandai Games released Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, and Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation for the Xbox 360 in 2007, the latter being the first in the series to incorporate online multiplayer and downloadable content. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon was released in 2011 for multiple platforms,[20] followed by the online multiplayer game Ace Combat Infinity in 2012. Bandai Namco Entertainment released Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown in 2019, which added virtual reality support.

Several handheld spin-offs were also produced. Ace Combat Advance was released in 2005 for the Game Boy Advance in North America and Europe, being the only game in the series to not see a release in Japan. In 2006, Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception was released for the PlayStation Portable, utilizing the system's download play functionality to support multiplayer. Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion was published in 2009 for iOS devices; it has since been removed from the App Store. A sequel to Ace Combat, titled Ace Combat: Joint Assault, was released in 2010 for the PlayStation Portable. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012; despite the title, it bears little to no relation with the original Assault Horizon.[21] Legacy was re-released in 2015 as Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy +, adding support for amiibo and control handling for the New Nintendo 3DS.[22]