Geekatana Game Review: Ace Combat 5: Unsung War

Those that know me personally knows that I'm a big fan of arcade style flight simulations. Although arguably I haven't played a lot of arcade flight simulations aside from what I could get my hands on for my old PC and PS1. I guess my love for the genre stems from watching movies like Top Gun. So I've decided to make video game review of one of my most favorite arcade simulation game on the PS2 which is Ace Combat 5: Unsung War.

Ace Combat 5: Unsung War came out for the PS2 late in 2004 about two to three years after Ace Combat 4 Shattered Skies which was the first Ace Combat game for the PS2. It's also one of three Ace Combat titles to be released on the PS2. The third being Ace Combat Zero.

Ace Combat 5 like all other Ace Combat titles is a sweet mix of arcade flight and realistic flight simulation. It was developed by Project Aces an internal company of Namco. I have played Ace Combat 1 to 5 and even finished Ace Combat Zero and Assault Horizon for the PS, PS2 and PC respectively but I keep coming back to Ace Combat 5 since for me is the best in the series with the perfect mix of combat, storytelling and character development.

Although Ace Combat 5 like Ace Combat 4 is set in a fictional world about 50 or more of the planes used in the game are based on real life planes including experimental planes from the US, Europe and Russia. There's the campaign mode which is pretty much the main dish of the game and the arcade mode where you just duke it out with another plane with increasing difficulty. And of course the tutorial. Sadly the game supposed to have an online option but didn't make the cut due to the games deadline.

Ace Combat 5 introduces the wingman that lets you give orders to other planes in your group. And surprisingly these wingman do a good job and will get most kills until you gte good at the game or at later missions. These wingman isn't your generic other plane too these wingman has personality and is integral to some of the plots in this game.

Ace Combat 5 lighting and effects is one of the best for the PS2. The soft glow of the sunset in the distance. The gust of wind blowing through your planes wing when you make a tight turn. That smoke and cloud that passes by your plane when you fly all of it rendered beautifully. The in game cinematic and mid flight cut scenes are always a thrill to watch and mixed well into the action and story. Sure the later Ace Combat games improved these aspects of the series by folds but for a PS2 game these kind of graphics is pushing the console capacity to its limits.

The radio chatter and banters between your fellow wingmen and those on the ground within missions makes the game seem to come to life. Most of the time you feel like you're watching a movie and your smack right in the center of it. You will actually care for these characters the more you progress. And that's no easy achievement specially for an arcade flight simulation.

There's no shortage of surprises in this game as you will encounter twist and turns smack at the middle of the mission itself. Missions are diverse that you clearly don't know what to expect on your next sortie. This type of storytelling element has been done by Ace Combat 4 Shattered Skies but I feel this game did a better job at it since a lot of these story elements are done as you engage on missions.

The controls are easy to master so new players to the series can easily jump in with just the basic knowledge of how flight simulations games work. You unlock new planes and earn cash as you progress to buy weapons for them. Although each plane varies in stats there's really not much difference in each of them aside from maybe the type of missiles they carry so changing planes isn't going to hinder your progress much.

The music fits the action perfectly. Its high tempo when your dishing it out with other planes and its calm and serene when you're just flying on clear friendly skies at patrol missions. You feel the tension and gets you engaged to completing the mission at hand something previous Ace Combat game hadn't got a grasp of until Ace Combat 5 Unsung War.

Overall Ace Combat 5 Unsung War is one of the best Ace Combat titles for the PS2 with excellent graphics, well orchestrated music, engaging gameplay with great storytelling elements for this genre. This game much like Ace Combat 4 set the benchmark for future Ace Combat titles. If you are new to arcade flight simulation or is a fan of the genre of Ace Combat this is one title you should definitely don't want to miss out on.