Product Description: Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is as close as console owners can come to owning a PC-class simulator. It still has the arcade sensibilities of previous entries in this popular series, but the graphics, number of planes (all with different flight characteristics), and story line kick this dogfighting experience into full afterburner.
Things don't start out too well. Early in the game you're saddled with what amounts to a flying brick, and are forced to fly a few boring mud-moving missions. Stick with it, though. By the end of the game, you'll have earned enough money to buy a hangar full of incredible aircraft, each with special weapons, capabilities, and shortcomings. The F-14, for example, has a slow roll rate but can engage multiple targets at long range. The A-10 is horrible in a dogfight, but is devastating down low. You'll need to familiarize yourself with all the planes, as picking the right plane for the job always spells the difference between success and failure in the later missions.
The game is nearly perfect in the audio department, with booming engine noises (taken from recordings of the planes' real-life counterparts) and constant radio chatter during missions. Graphically, it's a bit of a letdown, especially the anemic explosions. Up high, everything is picture perfect, and the plane models are gorgeous, but close to the ground the terrain melts into a pixilated mess. This is offset somewhat by the inclusion of dense urban areas and twisting canyons that are thrilling to fly through. All things considered, Shattered Skies is the best mix of simulation and arcade action ever burned onto a disc. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:
Photorealistic terrain (at least when viewed from high altitude)
Nonstop action backed by an engaging story
Intense dogfights, sometimes invo
Amazon.com Review: Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is as close as console owners can come to owning a PC-class simulator. It still has the arcade sensibilities of previous entries in this popular series, but the graphics, number of planes (all with different flight characteristics), and story line kick this dogfighting experience into full afterburner.
Things don't start out too well. Early in the game you're saddled with what amounts to a flying brick, and are forced to fly a few boring mud-moving missions. Stick with it, though. By the end of the game, you'll have earned enough money to buy a hangar full of incredible aircraft, each with special weapons, capabilities, and shortcomings. The F-14, for example, has a slow roll rate but can engage multiple targets at long range. The A-10 is horrible in a dogfight, but is devastating down low. You'll need to familiarize yourself with all the planes, as picking the right plane for the job always spells the difference between success and failure in the later missions.
The game is nearly perfect in the audio department, with booming engine noises (taken from recordings of the planes' real-life counterparts) and constant radio chatter during missions. Graphically, it's a bit of a letdown, especially the anemic explosions. Up high, everything is picture perfect, and the plane models are gorgeous, but close to the ground the terrain melts into a pixilated mess. This is offset somewhat by the inclusion of dense urban areas and twisting canyons that are thrilling to fly through. All things considered, Shattered Skies is the best mix of simulation and arcade action ever burned onto a disc. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:
Photorealistic terrain (at least when viewed from high altitude)
Nonstop action backed by an engaging story
Intense dogfights, sometimes involving dozens of planes
Cons:
Scripted mission design doesn't give players much freedom
Pathetic explosions
Terrain that loses detail when viewed from a low altitude
Amazon.com Product Description: This game offers intense aerial action in a futuristic setting. After an asteroid strikes Earth, surviving nations battle to maintain their power. You are a pilot with ISAF (Independent States Allied Force) who lost your parents to the war. With the ISAF pinned back, it is up to you to turn the tide of battle. For our ace pilot, though, the conflict is more personal than professional, as you seek vengeance for the death of your family, especially from the pilot who led the sortie that killed your parents.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Impressive
Although the game isn't much realistic, it's a great job from Namco. In my opinion it's the best AC series game. The plot is involving, and the music is awesome (specially the last, Agnus Dei is a classic, and will please everyone those who knows the history of this song).
Rating: - This Game Is Awesome
Like the title says This game is awesome.I mean the graphics are true to life and the weapons you can buy are great and the controls are easy to learn.
Rating: - good game
this is a great game i dream of being a pilot one day and this is worth your money the grafics arnt bad but they could be better
Rating: - Best game of the series.
Just adding my 2 cents' worth here. If you're new to the series or haven't played this before, by all means get yourself a copy and play it. You may wish to purchase it as it is fun to play again. The graphics are quite good, even when compared to Ace Combat 6. The story itself I thought was fun and I appreciated that the "enemy" was portrayed (at least one or some of them) as being honorable soldiers, even in their treatment of civilians working against them. The game has the right combination of length of mission, variety, fun, finishability (is there such a word?) and just enough frustration to keep it from being too easy. If you are brand-new, just starting the AC series, I would say to skip Air Combat (think of it as Ace Combat 1) and Ace Combat 3. Try AC-2 first. Of course, you won't go wrong by starting with AC-4. You will have more appreciation for the improvement in the game, though.
Rating: - Last board on AC4
I like the gave. but I always get stuck on the last board. I can't figure out how to destroy the first lane on the Megalith. I keep shooting it doesn't explode and then I can't find the next corridor if I don't explode something.
- Impressive
- good game
