"Ahhh! My neck!!"

Why i choose that for the title of this i do not know, But MAN, After 15 minutes of this twisty turny game, My neck is killing me! any way, Despite the fact that my neck hurts, This game is the best flight game i have ever played. While i dont play much of this type, I am really impressed. The main reason i ended up getting this game was because Blockbuster didn't have the new bond game in yet, But to heck with Bond, This game is keeping my busy. Keep in mind that i have never heard of the Ace Combat game series and that i hardly ever play these kinds of games. any way, Time to break it up.

Gameplay: 9/10
Its just great. There are about 16 different air crafts you can buy and each have their own set of special weapons. And there are tons of neck hurting maneuvers you can pull to shake enemy locks and missiles. The missions are all rather hard due to great AI and their avoidance of your missiles. But also cause you are sometimes given timed expectations, Like get 2000 points before time runs out (points are given for each enemy shot down). Its more then enough to keep you playing.

Graphics: 10/10
Your air craft, The enemy's air crafts, The landscapes, All are just great. This game is a pure example of what the PS2 is capable of.

Sound: 10/10
Missile sounds are awesome, So is the sound of your enemy blowing up. Every thing from your comrades screaming ''Die you SOB'' to the vulcan of your air craft, It is all done great. Sound couldn't have been better.

Control: 8/10
And just when i had gotten used to Half Life's controls, Another game throws more crazy controls at me. The controls are difficult to learn, But once you learn them you will be happy with the way they are. While you can't change the button assignment (I wanted to set it up as closely to Armored Core as i could but they wouldn't let me), You can assign analog stick motions. I dont know why some one would want to, Cause they way that they are work just fine. Controls take some time, But once you get them your in for a blast.

Overall: 10/10
I give Ace Combat 4 a 10 out of 10. the way i see it, If a flight combat game can keep my attention, Then it deservs high kudos since im not a fan of them. Ace Combat 4 just has something about it that kept me playing.

Rent or Buy:
Both. Rent it, Play it to get the feel for it, then buy it. I know i will, once i get the money.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/20/01, Updated 03/03/02