This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
For the first game in the series to reach the PS2, Ace Combat 4: Distant Thunder
places you in a series of "Top Gun"-style missions, set a couple of years into
the future, as a new air combat recruit whose family has been killed and you
have to seek revenge on the pilot who committed the dastardly deed.
Of course, that's the threadbare plot for the game which connects the missions
together with a series of anime-styled drawings about your town during war time.
But a game like this doesn't really need much reason to exist. It'll get by
quite easily on its pluses because there are very few minuses that I can see.
I tried a couple of the training missions which were centred around taking off
and landing, as well as firing off a few rounds at enemy planes and taking them
down, but found it much more worthy to get stuck in to a mission and the first
one saw me joining the ranks of the elite in the sky, getting the enemy in my
sights and attempting to lock-on a target and attack each one with a missile
or two, while avoiding getting clocked myself.
A two-player split-screen mode is also available.
While I'm far from an aviation expert, I'll have to take it on trust that
the 21 different types of plane are modelled accurately. They certainly look
beautiful and, graphically, the game plays like a dream, although it's difficult
to give them full marks because there are a few jaggies from time to time.
Don't let this put you off though. The game doesn't appear to tax the PS2 too
massively, but that's probably because it's making everything look so effortless.
The landscape is detailed just enough to give you a sense of being there and
allows you to target your missiles at ground targets quite easily, not to
mention the spectacular aerial dogfights.
The sound of your plane seems realistic enough, but again it's a case of
less is more. Nothing is ever 'in your face' and you are allowed to blend into
the game in your own time, taking stock of the voices of other planes as they
talk to one another or announce that they've got problems, as well as the
voice of ground control telling you what to do at times. Explosions and
firing missiles is nicely subdued, while a rousing and pleasing score
expertly accompanies the in-game action and I loved the 80s-like music over
the menu screens.
It may take a little while to get to grips with the controls, but they're
far from the difficulty required for most flight sims, which is a good job
since those are really not my forte and I can't remember playing too many since
the ZX Spectrum release by Digital Integration in the early 80s.
In fact, if you've had plenty of practice in arcade flying games like
Wipeout Fusion
then you should have few problems here, once you've got your bearings.
For the unsure, you may want to try before you buy, but for previous fans
of the series, I doubt you'll have anything to worry about with this title.
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.