"A definite buy for AC fans, but..."

Okay this is gonna be a really disjointed review but here goes...

Graphics: 10/10

Make no mistake, AC5 is beautiful in every visual aspect. All of the aircraft have been faithfully recreated, right down to having the cockpits correct for all of their variants. Afterburner flames may seem a bit off to AC4 vets at first, but if you compare them to any real pictures it becomes apparent how accurate they are. The textures have been improved, details hold true far closer than they did in 4. Environment effects like clouds, fog, rain, etc. have all been improved, although they were quite nice to begin with.

Sound: 8/10

I really didn't want to take points off of this one, but it's one of the biggets nags I have for the game. In most situations the sound is spot on and the music superb, but at times AC5 seems to overload it's sound channels or some other sot of bug causes your sound to cut out in cockpit. While this only pertains to engine and missile shot sound it REALLY grates my nerves. Otherwise spot on presentation here, including recognizeable north american music.

Story: 10/10

Did you like 4's story? Then chances are you'll love 5's. This story is more direct and more character driven than 4's 3rd person narritive was. Story sequences are handled by in game cut-scenes as well as FMV scenes using computer animated characters that are easily on par with many of the leading games. The story itself also posesses a fair deal of depth and is a little less straightforward than 4's was. The dialogue at time i a bit hokey, and some of the acting causes a cringe or a snicker, but in the end the game does a very good job of making you care about what's going on. A side note: For those just out to shoot something. The AC series has NEVER been entirely without story, especially from 3 on. If you don't like a story driven game, I suggest looking elswhere. Falcon 4.0 being a good combat sim to sate yoruself with ;) Back to the topic at hand! (Side note: AC5 does NOT tie into 4 in any way shape or form. None of the games ever have as far as story is concenred)

Gameplay: 9/10

Again if you've played the previous AC games you'll notice little depatrue here, although you will find a slightly tighter control experience. the biggest addition in this game is wingmen who you actually have some control over and who's results go towards YOUR final tally, making using them effectively simply a smart thing to do. The game CAN be played without bothering much with yoru wingies, but it's simply a smart thing. The control for them is a bit basic, consisting of the Attack, Cover, and Disperse option followed by the command to allow use of special weapons. Still it's nice to have some input on how they act. A major gripe many people have put forth is the lack of ability to resupply in AC4. Frankly I'm glad to see it gone in many respects. It was nice to have yes, but no other AC game required it to complete missions and it DID make things fiendishly easy at time sin AC4. Mission structure has also changed, becoming a bit tighter and making you decide on what to attack and how rather than indicrimnatey dropping ordinance all over the countryside. Gaining aircraft in 5 is done rather nicely. In 5 you unlock baseline models of aircraft by doing missions (as it's always been), however in order to access the upgraded variants (if present) you must fill up a "Kill rate" bar, which is simply determined by how many kills you rack up. Think of it like levelling up your aircraft. You also have the option of purchasing more than one aircraft to give to your wingmates (fear not, aircraft costs aren't nearly as high in 5 as they were in 4). Another grie note from other players has been that each aircraft only has one special weapon. Again I see this as more of a good thing than bad. Now rather than have a general purpose "do it all" aircraft lik you'd see in 4. Now almost every aircraft proves useful at one time or another. As well when selecting an aircraft for a mission, a requirements bar is set at the bottom right to show what sort of a setup you may want to go with, making some of the decision making easier.

Alas, 5 has several flaws in gameplay that really do upset me greatly. First and foremost is the lack of the previously announced online mode and the complete exclusion of any multi-player mode. The excuse for this was to get the game out "on time" however, as with all my other gripes, I would have gladly waited a couple more months to see a polished product. The other, more outstanding complaint is many of the aircraft int he game are bugged. On more than one occasion you will see planes fly through mountains and underwater, only to resurface and continue fighting. Other times I have watched aircraft "warp" away from me s if they were on star trek. These bugs damage what would be an otherwise tight gaming experience.

Replay: 8/10

If multiplayer were included the game would get a full 10 here. However even without it you're still presented with the Namco tradition of more unlockables than you can shake a stick at. Medals, Aircraft, Music and Scene players and an arcade mode all ensure you'll be playing the game a couple times through before you're fully satisfied. As well varied mission branches help with this process.

Summary:

Even with it's bugs, AC5 is still a powerful and fun little game, sure to keep most air combat nuts happy for a while. As I mentioned before, this game would be a perfect 10 had namco opted to give mre time to truly finish the game rather than rush it out, but one can always hope that 6 will improve on this area. if you enjoy these styles of games, I highly recommend picking it up. You will not be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/15/04