When a series goes through a drastic reboot, it’s a sign of one of two things. One, the series isn’t selling nearly enough copies in its current state, and the publishers are looking to do something different with it in order to garner attention. Two, the developer is growing tired of sticking with formula and opts to pitch something completely new to the publisher, taking a big gamble in the process. We’re not sure which way Namco Bandai leaned when it came to the relaunch of the Ace Combat franchise, but whichever was responsible, we owe it a lot of thanks. Even though Ace Combat 6: Skies of Liberation was nothing to scoff at, the newest release, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, bumps up the excitement immensely…even if that means moving into some new territory in the process. Made by Project Aces (the same team behind previous Ace Combat games, which is a real shocker), Assault Horizon features a story that’s done by New York Times scribe Jim DeFelice. Those who sit through these sequences will recognize a few similarities to the Call of Duty series, especially revolving around Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop, the leader of the Warwolf Squadron, who’s tasked with the effort of stopping an uprising of insurgents somewhere in the African continent. Considering they’re armed to the teeth and dedicated to their goal, this is something easier said than done. Just keep an eye out for something called “Trinity”. You’ll know it when you see it.
While the story may not be Assault Horizon’s strongest asset, what Project Aces has done with the game is pretty damn cool. Instead of sticking with the same sort of aerial combat that previous games have done, they’ve jumped up the intensity tremendously. Jet flight actually feels a lot smoother now, instead of moving along at a crawl and eventually locking on to targets from a distance. You can still sweep enemies with missiles and shoot flares in case someone gets a lock on you, but there’s a cool new factor that makes this game more insane than the others – the dogfight system. Here, you enter a dogfight by pressing the two triggers when highlighted. This automatically locks you onto your target and takes away flight controls, instead requiring you to keep your target in range as you fire guns and missiles, while accelerating and decelerating. It’s tricky at first, as you can easily lose your target if they sway outside of the target zone. But after a few tries, you’ll find that this is an addition for the better, one that adds plenty of excitement as you shoot down a plane, while introducing the level of air combat never seen before in games. It really is a remarkable feat. That’s not the only thing added to Assault Horizon. The game also includes side-gunner sequences, along with new helicopter stages (which actually aren’t half bad, despite the ridiculous loop-de-loop escapes from incoming missiles) and cool bomber sequences.
All of these really add to the game, and, again, though there are references to the Modern Warfare games (especially in the military tone of the story), there’s no question this is a change that serves in Ace Combat’s favor, and one we wouldn’t mind seeing more of in sequels to come. Along with a lengthy single player campaign, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon also features a multiplayer mode, where up to eight players join two competing teams to take out their opponent’s base. These scuffles take place in such cities as Paris, Dubai, Miami and Washington D.C., and put you in charge of fighters, bombers, attack aircraft and helicopters to mow them down. It’s a little unpredictable at times, and the servers can be iffy, but overall it’s a refreshing addition to the usual dogfight modes you see in other flight games. And yes, dogfights are a go. What really astounds is how good Ace Combat: Assault Horizon appears. Yeah, there are occasional glitches, and the dramatic cutaways to exploded jets can take away temporary exhilaration from an air battle, but Project Aces gets a full thumbs up when it comes to the visuals. Each of the flying vehicles represents the real thing, from the spinning blades on the helicopter to the night vision used during bombing runs. The animation is crisp and never lets up, not even during the most intense of dogfights.
The visual effects are killer, and some of the locales you fly through are pretty cool, even if they’re non-interactive in a way. (You can’t send a flaming wreck crashing into a building – but then again, you can’t have it all.) This is a huge push forward from Skies of Liberation, and in such a short time too. As for audio, it serves its purpose. The music, while hardly anything resembling the Top Gun soundtrack, isn’t half bad, and the dialogue isn’t as laughable as we thought it would be. Yeah, some of the vengeance talk is a little corny, but that’s to be expected of a game of this nature. The in-cockpit audio chatter is authentic and the sound effects, particularly the launching of missiles, impresses. If you’re a fan of fighter pilots, you’ll find this experience fulfills your needs. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon could’ve used a few more missions in single player, along with a few more fancy weapons (the multi missile launcher was sweet) and a better way to dodge missiles in a helicopter than a full rollover. Now, with that in mind, it’s still a hell of a relaunch to a long-running series, an imaginative – and captivating – trip through various game types, including overhead bombing and some breathtaking dogfights. If you thought Wings of Liberation was a nice piece of flight fun, you haven’t seen anything yet.
