Ace Combat 6:Fires of Liberation(actually it’s the seventh game, but hey, it’s better than Dark Forces 4:Jedi Knight 3:Jedi Academy in terms of titling) is a (fairly unrealistic) flight combat sim, trading accuracy in flight models, ammo counts, and sheer durability for raw action and excitement. And damn it, it works.
AC6 tells the story of several people caught up in a war of aggression, on both sides. The player, while instrumental in every mission, doesn’t actually get directly involved in the story, as has usually been the case for the games. The player flies missions, blows things up, and the game follows characters who have to deal with the repercussions of it. While the voice acting can be a bit rough, and the mouths rarely line up right, there’s a surprisingly strong story to be found, especially as things begin to come to a conclusion. It’s too bad it couldn’t be explored in more depth.
Back to the gameplay, AC6 is based in the air, usually blasting other fighters from the sky, or bombing ground targets. Most missions feature some of each, letting players choose to focus on certain missions within the missions. Instead of just one uber-goal as previous games have had, many stages are split into phases, with simultaneous missions occurring, picked and chosen by players as they feel like it. They don’t stop, but it’s easy to focus on one, and the radar can highlight targets for specific missions. Rarely will any of those feature purely anti-air or anti-ground objectives, but they tend to be biased toward one side. There are a few mixed missions, but they’re uncommon, overall, which is fine. Before flight, players pick a plane(which they earn with points for good performance) and a special weapon(three per plane, also earned via points). Special air to air missiles, air to ground/sea missiles, or bombs are what to expect for the most part, with some planes having more of some categories.
Once they’re out in the fray, there are two main things to focus on. Locking onto a target(much easier with ground targets), and not getting shot(much easier with air targets). Going in a straight line is the easiest way to get blown out of the sky, except at extreme speeds some of the later jets are capable of, but even then it’s not safe, and those speeds are only for escape or rushing to a target in order to save a group(usually, of ground troops) being decimated before a mission is completed.
Even on low difficulties, there’s a tangible sense of pressure during combat. Rarely are players left to their own devices, unhindered by enemy fire, though they can order wingmen or squads to cover them. Constantly adjusting flight paths, sweeping maneuvers, and in the case of bombing runs, high altitude dives are extremely important, as is controlling speed and altitude for certain weapons which take those factors into account to determine the damage spread. Stand-off dispensers have more powerful, concentrated blasts at slow speed, for example, but can do moderate damage to a long line of enemies at speed. Another weapon which fragments in mid-air will determine spread by altitude, decimating things when fired close to the ground, or dropping a lot of damage over a massive area when fired from 40,000 feet.
It’s not terribly complex, it’s hard to stall, it’s easy to just rocket forth and pull crazy maneuvers, and you’ve got 40 missiles which are perfectly functional on all targets. Add in special weapons which can come in large numbers and are extremely damaging, and the intent is clear. The player is a flying death machine intended to destroy all in his path. After a mission is finished, it just ramps up with support. Instead of just calling a wingman, any spare troops will come to your side, not just friendly aircraft. Calling for cover will result in friendly units crushing anything that’s targeting you, with extreme prejudice. An allied strike will result in bombers, ground troops, and even ships firing on targets. Calling in an artillery barrage from an allied cruiser is the sort of thing more games need, especially when it saves a mission from failure.
Of course, with all the firing being done, at you and by you, taking damage or running low on weapons is inevitable. Fortunately, AC6 has chosen to make it so there’s not a single level where you can’t return to base to resupply and repair. It’ll take you out of the action for a few minutes, meaning some losses for missions and escorts, but you won’t die and have to start over. Some maps have friendly airstrips(or you can take them over with the help of ground troops), allowing players to choose to land on them and never leave the mission area. It’s risky to land in fire, and difficult, but is the most efficient method by far. Of course, just taking off can be a real hazard as speed is low and enemies are plentiful, all too eager to put a missile in your afterburners as you start gaining speed for lift-off. But it sure is exciting, and it makes missions much more fun when players can just let loose with a Caligulaic orgy of destruction, dropping daisy cutters and shrapnel from upon high, unleashing lead into anything visible. If you can see it, it’s almost certain you can make it explode, be it on the air or ground.
And destruction is beautiful. Photorealistic at some points, frankly. The smoke trails left by missiles, the fire of a blast, even the way you feel it through the controller when a big bomb goes off under you, it’s amazing. This is a game that leads to a feeling of total immersion in combat, which is wonderful, the adrenaline just never wears off in a fight. You just get more of it at higher difficulties.
The visuals are mostly superb. Cutscenes look wonderful, planes look absolutely real, most terrain too. The only exception is that some of the ground textures are rather low resolution, or have features not reflected by the game(buildings that don’t stand, for example). The ground is, essentially, a big google map. Cities and major features actually get buildings, which are great to weave in and out of in combat, and excel at protecting tanks from your bombs and missiles. But actually getting that kill is oh so satisfying, no matter how often it’s done. But when you see a building or feature on the ground texture, yet not representing, it tends to stand out. In the middle of combat though, it disappears fast amidst the amazing sky
Audio hits the spot as well, unsurprisingly. The music is excellent, and the rest, well, it sounds like it should. Roaring afterburners, powerful blasts, and lots of swooshes. Beeps, warnings, and radio chatter stand out and work well, as they should. A good sound system really adds to the experience for AC6. And the sound of a flak gun as you fly by will really jolt players from any sense of security, if there aren’t already constant warning beeps for missiles keeping them nervous.
The single player campaign is rather short, clocking in near 3 hours for veteran players, and is intended to be replayed to unlock more planes and paint jobs for them, at higher difficulty levels, but it’ll only appeal to collectors. Any plane bought, or weapon, can be sold back for the same amount it cost, meaning fancy new jets often just mean letting go of an older one that’s not going to have any use with the replacement. For obsessive collectors, though, there’s plenty to get, despite the fact I can’t help but feel there are fewer options in this game than previous ones.
Multiplayer is a good diversion, but not as fun as the single-player. The mode I had the most fun with, siege(an attack/defense map), rarely has players, and has one map. Most of the games I played were team deathmatch, sometimes with a special plane on each side that assists radar lockons, increasing in efficiency with more kills by the team, resetting when shot down. The matches are a good pace, though difficult since it takes more weaponry to get a kill than in SP. They also tend to frustrate with unbalanced scores, leaving team players behind. Points are only scored for the kill, making players who attack from a range to pepper enemies and soften them up will get no points at all all too often, or those who do most of the damage with a set of missiles and have someone finish a target with a machine gun get no credit. It’s also impossible to see who’s speaking when in lobby or game. Xbox live games need, absolutely need, to show who’s talking so you know just who you can’t stand and should mute. A fast way to mute players as well, is needed, and lacking in most games, forcing people to view gamercards. Sadly, AC6 isn’t an exception to this either. Not that you’ll know who’s being muted unless you see someone join a server and notice their annoying chatter at the same time. Multiplayer mode also lacks any readouts on the planes. You can fly anything you bought in campaign, but unless you’ve got the stats memorized, you’ll probably fly the F22a Raptor like everyone else does. The MP game is dominated by certain planes and missile types, and as such, can wear out fast. It’s a good attempt, but lacking. Strong, objective based gameplay would have really hit the spot, and hopefully will next time around.
Ace Combat 6 makes some big steps forward overall, not just graphically, though there is a distinct lack of length, and a need for more mission variety. AC0:The Belkan War and AC5:The Unsung War both excelled in this, but not 6. A lack of air-to-ship missions disappoints, and there’s not many assaults on enemy strongholds. While this is in keeping with the game’s story, they were always my favorites, followed by air-ship assaults. A few more specific enemies would have been great as well. One particular squad shows a few times, but doesn’t end up becoming distinct like the squads in Zero did.
Ace Combat 6:Fires of Liberation scores 3.5 out of 5 stars. It’s an excellent flight combat game, marred by a lack of variety, and definitely hurt by a lack of length. It gets repetitive fairly quickly, but despite, manages to stay fun most of the time, excepting for a few frustrating moments. For anyone hard up for a flight fix, it’s an easy purchase, for the rest, it’s a great rental.
