Ace Combat Zero : The Belkan War

Reviewed by Norman Canseco
May 7, 2006

Developer: Project Aces Publisher: Namco Bandai Consoles Available: PS2 Number of Players: 1-2 ESRB Rating: T for Teen Review Rating: 7.5 (out of 10)

Screenshot from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. Images courtesy of NBG1.

Flight Games get a boost of excitement once again with the latest Project Aces game, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. For fans of the Ace Combat series, this game falls on the timeline just before Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War. Zero recaps the events that lead to a nuclear incident on Belkan soil. The player assumes the role of Cipher, a mercenary air ace that will turn all heads to the skies bring an end to a boundless war. Accompanied by Solo-Wing Pixy, Players will encounter fast air-to-air combat with multiple ace squadrons, perilous anti-air battery, and some outrageous future weaponry. The looks of Ace Combat Zero are sleek and intimidating. The planes are precisely modeled and very authentic. The 30+ Aircraft Models include the F-5 Tiger shark, MiG-29 Fulcrum, Saab Draken, Eurofighter F-2000, Su-37 Terminator, F-35 JSF, and a few Namco originals like the EAF X-02 Wyvern. The player is drawn into the environments with full HUD and detailed cockpit views. Ambient sounds include distorted radio chatter from wingmen as well as intercepted enemy transmissions.

With only 18 missions, the game seems to fall short on playtime. With this in mind, Namco has added the Multiple Ace modes which alter the game and story according to your ace style, ranging from Mercenary to Knight. Some planes are available only with certain Ace styles, which generates replay value. The only downside for this game has to be one that has usually given it praise, the Storyline. This time around the story is not as engaging as its previous installments. The cut scenes are a little on the dry side. The player starts to feel like they are just looking in rather than being part of the story. Other than the storyline, the game play is enough to boost this game's rating as high as it is.

Ace Combat Zero could possibly be regarded as the toughest AC game to date. Enemy AI was very challenging and had taken very bold risks. With the addition of the numerous squadrons encountered, the difficulty has skyrocketed to new heights. This was definitely a prayer answered to many of us who literally walked through the previous game wondering where the difficulty had gone. One thing about the AC series was the grasp of technology. The futuristic weaponry was not too absurd and not so advanced, making for more believable concepts. AC Zero went beyond the envelope with the Excalibur Laser Platform and the X-01 Bomber. These were too far-fetched and rather absurd for a series of this remarkable caliber. Replay for this game is high, but just for the extra mission and earning new aircraft. For storyline, however, I would suggest playing AC5.

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