"Absolutely Exciting"

I have always been a fan of the Jet fighting games. Not having played the previous Ace Combat, my expectation was not high to begin with. Now, having finished the game, I can honestly say Ace Combat 5 has got to be one of the best games I've ever played.

Graphics: A+
Beautful graphics. The planes looks realistic, the surrounding look realistic and the movies in between missions were beautiful "CG-ed" The details of each character (i.e. their hair, their skin, etc) are clear. The plane's friction with the air (smoke on the wings) are beatufilly done.

Game play: A-
Typical jet fighting game play. I do like the fact that you get to order your wingmen around, but in truth, they don't really do to much. They shoot every now and then, but you'll get to destroy most of the bad guys. I like the fact that we have to think about the selection of the plane before we go into a mission, and that the special weapons of each plane has their own characteristic, pros and cons.

AI: B-

The AI for this game is good. But I've seen better. Like I said previously, your wingmen doesn't really do a whole lot. And they don't get hurt, even when they fly stright into the ground. The just simply fly through everything like ghosts.

Addictiveness: A+
Most people would rate the game's replayability. I personally won't replay a game, no matter how good it was. However, I do rate a games' addictiveness, meaning once you start playing, can you stop?

I can't. This game is addictive to a point where I can't even concentrate on work. All I think about was beating this game to the end. Once you start the campaign mode, it's all over. You want it to finish. The reason for this? Is because of my next point...

Story: A+
Video games today is all about story. If the story is good, and it makes sense, that's 1/2 the battle. Ace Combat 5 has an amazing storyline. The fantasy, the heroism, the sacifice, the dispire, the lost. All there. The story really gets to you. Make you feel like you are part of the cast (even though all you can say is "Yes" and "No"). At the end, if you do beat the game, you get a sense of immortality. You'll feel so proud of yourself. You won't be able to sleep at night.

Overall: A+
This is a great game. Due to mostly of its storyline. Although it's AI can be improved, not many would really be so anal about these details. And it's game play, it's grahics, and it's character development will more than make up for this.
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War was able to keep me up at night, keep me distracted at work, and make me feel like superman at the end of the game.

Ace Combat 5: This game is a definite BUY

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/24/06