Ace Combat Zero

[F14Tomcat]

and your only wingman has the strength of the three jack asses from Ace 5.........

390210[/snapback]

not suprized because in ace5 the wingmen and you were rookies

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

If you have AC4 and 5 beat and saved to the memory card you use with AC0, I heard the falken and X-02 are automatically unlocked, you just need to get the money to buy them.

[Skull Leader]

I just beat 5 minutes ago. Like mikeszekely said, it's a subtle blend of 4 and 5. I enjoy the storyline and also the cutscenes. Pretty nifty.    Now I wonder how AC6 will be like. I hope they include an online VS mode.

Skull Leader, we need a rematch! 

394661[/snapback]

Watching the replay was like watching the final duel between Isamu and Guld in Macross plus The "realistic" mode was a plus!

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Guys I heard the replays in 0 are better than the ones in 5. Is this true? I heard it was more like ac4 than 5, in regards to the replay movies/viewer

[Skull Leader]

I wouldn't call it any marked improvement... AC4 still has the best replays as far as I'm concerned.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I wouldn't call it any marked improvement... AC4 still has the best replays as far as I'm concerned.

394717[/snapback]

But is it closer to 4 than to 5? 5's replay system was rather lackluster in comparison to 4.

[Keith]

I had saves for both, but so far, only the X-02 is unlocked.

[Project Phoenix]

I haven't unlocked anything yet. That means I need Skull Leader's AC4 save.

Actually, ACZ is more similar to AC4 than 5 IMO. The plot maybe tied to 5, the layout is more 4-ish. Still, I love the whole blend of 4 and 5. The cutscene is just icing on top. My favorite are the missions where there are a horde of SAMs and AA guns just waiting to gun you down. Plenty of killing to be made there.

*Spoliers!*

For those who have beaten it, does the second last mission feels like the Star Wars Death Star trench run?

*End Spoilers*

[Keith]

I actually liked the plane branching system in 5, hopefully next time they'll blend it with the purchasable special weapons. It's also nice that they took the hint & stuck in a lot more straight air to air battles.

[Skull Leader]

I wouldn't call it any marked improvement... AC4 still has the best replays as far as I'm concerned.

394717[/snapback]

But is it closer to 4 than to 5? 5's replay system was rather lackluster in comparison to 4.

394723[/snapback]

Sadly I think it's closer to 5 than anything, but sometimes you can get some really cool moments

Sze, I'll see what I can do about getting you my AC4 save

[Skull Leader]

I actually liked the plane branching system in 5, hopefully next time they'll blend it with the purchasable special weapons. It's also nice that they took the hint & stuck in a lot more straight air to air battles.

394757[/snapback]

That's pretty much how things are in AC0. You can't get all the aircraft playing through one time, and instead of specifying a certain special weapon for each variant, they went back to having 3 different special weapons, two of which you have to purchase.

[Keith]

No, I mean unlocking based on your kill rate. As far as I can tell, new planes & color schemes are determined by the aces you shoot down.

[David Hingtgen]

Beat it today, going through again. Trying to determine what gets what.

First run, opened Mig-21, Mig-29, Su-27, Su-37, Su-47 (big Russian kick apparently, and that's almost all I used), as well as F-15C, F-14D, Mirage 2000, EA-6B, A-10, Tornado Gr4, Gripen, F-35, X-02 (from AC4 save I think).

Second run, got F-18C, F-20A so far.

I really didn't like how my first run went---most of the planes sucked for what I needed, I never got a decent multi-role besides the Gripen (which was too expensive and not good enough A2A for much of the game). Having no F-16, F-18, Rafale was a serious hurt for the early/mid part of the game.

I used the MiG-29 for most missions (with rocket launchers, because it's about all I could afford), then switched to the Su-27. Found final dogfights way too much effort (XMAA and XLAA utterly worthless), and so bought the F-15C with QAAM for the end, and won with that.

Strangely even the Su-37 seemed to suck at the end, as its XLAA won't hit ANYBODY, and sheer agility is worthless when enemies seem to have super-chaff or something to dodge 95% of missiles even when they're just sitting there and you've got a perfect shot. I hate Gault.

PS--really can't explain some plane stats. EA-6B notably more agile than F-5E and generally better all around? F-14D slightly superior to F-15C in ALL respects? Should be slightly inferior in agility and speed, slightly better A2A and WAY better A2G. (though transonic acceleration should be much better, but that's too specific for the game)

[Project Phoenix]

I have the AC5 clear file but it won't unlock the X-02 after I beat the game first time. Any ideas or tips to remedy that besides getting the AC4 save?

[mikeszekely]

David, when I played, I used the Draken almost exclusively until I could afford the Su-37. Once I had the Su-37, used that for every mission except the second to last one... it was just too big to manuever in the facility. And since I couldn't buy anything else at that point, I wound up beating that mission with the F-5, dying, then going back to the Su-37.

And Phoenix, I suppose that mission could remind me of that, but it really reminds me of flying through the base in Ace Combat 3 more.

Edited April 29, 2006 by mikeszekely

[David Hingtgen]

Went through on hard, and ended up using the F-15C AGAIN to win! Started "expert" and just now bought the YF-23. Annoyingly I opened up the F-22 just before the final missions on the first play through, but have found you can't buy a new plane before the "inside the dam" mission--you can switch planes by going back to the title screen, but no purchasing. Similarly, I had unlocked the YF-23 but couldn't use it until the next play-through.

Have shot down various ace X-29's, still no X-29. Is it flyable?

It's going to be a LONG time before I have every plane, they're expensive. Still no F-16C nor Super Hornet, though I got the F-16XL.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

So David, do you like this better than AC5? I like the soundtrack better, but have yet to play the game. I keep hearing that this game is harder than 4/5 so that leaves me thinking maybe it'll be better. And what are your opinions on the replay system?

I still think Lethal Skies II had the best replays ever. Too bad as a game it wasn't as good as the ace combats

[David Hingtgen]

I like 4 and 5 a lot better, music and plot-wise. No question/contest. 0's story really never "grabbed" me, and felt more like I was watching the story, rather than being in it. By mission three in 4 and 5 you were really "in" the story, I was at mission seven in 0 and was wondering "when does it get good?" Honestly it reminded me of AC 2, mission-wise. "Go blow this up. Then go blow this up. Now take out this place". Stage design was boring too, IMHO. Generic city, generic fields, generic mountain. 4 and 5's stages all seemed "memorable" just by how they looked. I found very few themes/melodies in 0's soundtrack, can only even remember like 3 mission's songs, despite having played twice now. Ironically mission 1 has among the best music.

Replays? I don't see the slightest bit of difference. Follow yourself, wingman, or target, and select front/back, 360, etc.

[Keith]

I love the last boss, went up against him with the X-02 (which meant selling every other plain I bought to get it, but visually worth it). Hard does seem a bit more difficult at first, but once you get into the groove of it, I don't think it's much more difficult than 5. Only major difference in expert so far seems to be that you're taken out with a 1 missile kill, which is no different than Ace difficulty in the other games. Story is a bit weak, but thankfully the FMV isn't anywhere near as bad as 10 years ago. Plus Espada-2 is pretty hot. Overall, this one seems like it's geared towards air vs air fans, which is fine since 5 seemed to focus more on prepping you for the tunnel battle at the end for half the game.

Spoiler...

Pixy's plane does look suspiciously like the YF-19, while the X-02 looks suspiciously like the YF-21, playing chicken at the very end was suprisingly fun, though I can't wait until that plane with the laser unlocks, much prettier than 5's Faulken.

Edited April 30, 2006 by Keith

[Project Phoenix]

I just beat the game on all three Ace Styles. Got the X-02, Falken and Morgan in my hangar.

IMO, the Morgan is way too maneuverable and when going against the various ace squadrons in the game, especially in The Gauntlet, it's almost unfair. The TLS is powerful against anything although I hardly use it.

[David Hingtgen]

Final Boss Spoiler: (highlight to read)

I thought YF-19 w/fold booster too.

X-02 looks like YF-21 only because the YF-21 looks like the YF-23, and the X-02 is made from YF-23 parts.

I actually found Hard easier than Normal, just ROCKED against the final boss this time. Going through on Expert, going for Mercenary this time (though it might take a while, my bar was maxed out Knight last time--got the "Supreme Knight" medal for winning with the bar maxed out)

Edited May 1, 2006 by David Hingtgen

[Macross_Fanboy]

Well, I finally unlocked the F-14D and it seems really underpowered when compared to the Super Tomcat from 5. I just need a few more missions and I will have beaten the game on Soldier which is pretty difficult, I was border edge mercenary and knight a few times. And I finally fought all the ace squadrons. Schnee squad is the tougest next to Sorcerer squad since those damn Tomcats keep lobbing Phoenixes at me while I try and shoot down their Prowler. I'm still waiting on that soundtrack.

[mikeszekely]

I like 4 and 5 a lot better, music and plot-wise.  No question/contest.  0's story really never "grabbed" me, and felt more like I was watching the story, rather than being in it.  By mission three in 4 and 5 you were really "in" the story, I was at mission seven in 0 and was wondering "when does it get good?"  Honestly it reminded me of AC 2, mission-wise.  "Go blow this up.  Then go blow this up.  Now take out this place".  Stage design was boring too, IMHO.  Generic city, generic fields, generic mountain.  4 and 5's stages all seemed "memorable" just by how they looked.  I found very few themes/melodies in 0's soundtrack, can only even remember like 3 mission's songs, despite having played twice now.  Ironically mission 1 has among the best music.   

Replays?  I don't see the slightest bit of difference.  Follow yourself, wingman, or target, and select front/back, 360, etc.

395159[/snapback]

I don't know about that. I somehow lost my memory card with my save files for 4 and 5, so I went back and replayed them to unlock the X-02 (and refresh myself on some of 5's story). 5 definately had the most story, but Zero crushes 4. I mean, at least in Zero, there are other characters besides yourself. In fact, my only gripe with Zero's story was that they really didn't do enough to tie it in with 5.

I agree that Zero was a little lacking in mission variety at times, especially coming off 5... but at least Zero didn't have missions like Solitaire or Four Horsemen. And 4's stages memorable? Not really... Stonehenge Offensive kicked ass, and Breaking Arrows and Safe Return were different, if a little dull... but most of them were like Whiskey Corridor... shoot crap until time runs out.

Actually, despite all the other controversy about it, Ace Combat 3 really had some of the best mission variety. I think I'll replay that one later...

[Hikuro]

I haven't paid attention, you can use the controler from AC5 with Zero right?

[Project Phoenix]

Too bad Huckebein and Heartbreak One didn't have speaking roles. I was hoping at least the Raven was calling for help before I creamed Schwarze flight.

Also, I hardly see any mention of Yuktobania's involvement in the war. Osea and Sapin are the only two allied nations seem to be active. Maybe the Yukes were in a different threater perhaps? It doesn't make sense since the Belkans wanted revenge on those two countries primarily in AC5.

[mikeszekely]

Ustio is mentioned a lot too. But yeah, I was a little suprised that Yuktobania wasn't mentioned much, although we can assume they were part of the Alliance.

Anyone notice that the Alliance emblem is kinda similar to ISAF's? Speaking of ISAF, Soldier color on the F/A-22 is Mobius-01, including the ribbon insignia.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Woo, this game's a blast. Not a lot of mission variety so far; it's like an add-on disc for AC5, but I like the branching system. Supreme Mercenary is easy to get, but that damn Sorcerer squadron caused me to make a couple of mission restarts. And I was hoping to see a reappearance of the secret plane from AC2, but no dice. BTW, is AC3 in the same timeline as the rest of the ACs? I remember being inticed by all the cutscenes, but I can't remember a lot of the story elements now.

[David Hingtgen]

Sorry, I love AC4's story. The letter from the kid to you, it's one of my fave plots in all games ever. It doesn't have 1/10 the dialogue of AC5 or Zero, but it is simply "deeper" IMHO. And I find the missions and stages very memorable, more so than all but a few of 5's.

Have you looked at Whiskey Corridor? Really closely? It wasn't a desert just a little while ago--it was destroyed by one of the asteroids. It's a harbor. Or it was. Look at the ruined docks, the broken oil tankers, etc. At first glance it's "Desert Storm III" but take a close look, and it's a ruined land like the first mission, just in a very different way. It was wiped out so fast they couldn't even move the boats out to sea, and now it's just a dry wasteland. Plus that's one of the missions where you come across that same group of ground troops--I had lots of fun defending them throughout the game, listening to their chatter, etc.

If you really look around, AC4's world shows even more "geographical" destruction than AC5 and Zero combined. Also it seemed to do better than 5 in how the missions related to each other--the first part is desperation----save the last airbase, knock out their radar to evacuate the troops, defend your emergency HQ, etc. You're on the run, and the territory you control shrinks mission by mission on the map. Then you start a counter-offensive--knock out their oil supplies to spoil their naval plans, then go after the Navy itself, then Stonehenge, and work your way back to their capital. AC 5 had you all over the place reacting, rather than a good solid war plan.

A lot of people seem to miss how hard Farbanti was hit too, and I believe its destruction is a big part of the cause of the war in AC4.

[mikeszekely]

Sorry, I love AC4's story.  The letter from the kid to you, it's one of my fave plots in all games ever.  It doesn't have 1/10 the dialogue of AC5 or Zero, but it is simply "deeper" IMHO.  And I find the missions and stages very memorable, more so than all but a few of 5's.   

Have you looked at Whiskey Corridor?  Really closely?  It wasn't a desert just a little while ago--it was destroyed by one of the asteroids.  It's a harbor.  Or it was.  Look at the ruined docks, the broken oil tankers, etc.  At first glance it's "Desert Storm III" but take a close look, and it's a ruined land like the first mission, just in a very different way.  It was wiped out so fast they couldn't even move the boats out to sea, and now it's just a dry wasteland.  Plus that's one of the missions where you come across that same group of ground troops--I had lots of fun defending them throughout the game, listening to their chatter, etc. 

If you really look around, AC4's world shows even more "geographical" destruction than AC5 and Zero combined.  Also it seemed to do better than 5 in how the missions related to each other--the first part is desperation----save the last airbase, knock out their radar to evacuate the troops, defend your emergency HQ, etc.  You're on the run, and the territory you control shrinks mission by mission on the map.  Then you start a counter-offensive--knock out their oil supplies to spoil their naval plans, then go after the Navy itself, then Stonehenge, and work your way back to their capital.  AC 5 had you all over the place reacting, rather than a good solid war plan. 

A lot of people seem to miss how hard Farbanti was hit too, and I believe its destruction is a big part of the cause of the war in AC4.

395419[/snapback]

I know what you mean... the sunken part of Farbanti really stood out, and in several missions Sky Eye would let me know I'm flying over a crater. But scenery still didn't change the fact that a lot of the missions were just shoot crap til time runs out missions.

As for the story, I liked the interview style in Zero. It was interesting to see how the different aces reacted to you, and what they were doing after the war, and the whole thing with Pixy drew me into the conflict more personally. The letter style was an interesting way to tell the story in 4, but aside from giving me insight to my rival, Yellow-13, it never seemed to relate to what I happened to be doing at the moment.

Well, I guess that's a case of to each his own, right? But I think we can agree that 5 was the most story intensive.

BTW, in Zero, in mission 13, Lying in Deceit, anyone else notice that that's the same area that's in Ace Combat 5's Closure mission? If you fly to the second to northmost cluster of enemy targets, you can even see the entrance to the mines were the nukes were being stored.

[David Hingtgen]

I thought it was the same place, but wasn't sure.

PS---anyone else think they screwed up the FMV's in Zero? Playing as a Soldier got me a lot of "Knight-referencing" interviews, and playing as a Knight got me interviews about my strategy and observation...

[Doctor Reggae]

Got the game yesterday, and I've been enjoying it. It's kind of cool to see locations and the occasional faces/vessels that we saw in AC5. Kind of bittersweet seeing the Kestrel too, since we know what eventually happens to her.

I'm stuck on the dogfight with Pixy, though...anyone got any suggestions for me? So far I've used the F-15C and the SU-37.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

I'm stuck on the dogfight with Pixy, though...anyone got any suggestions for me?  So far I've used the F-15C and the SU-37.

395581[/snapback]

At first just tail him like any other bogey, fire missiles when you're close and have a clear shot (if you have the super homing missiles, even better). Stay alert for a huge blast he occasionally sets off when you're behind him, but it's fairly easy to dodge. During the second half of the battle, slow down until he charges you. When he does, build speed, quickly fire off a couple of missiles then dodge his own volley. It's sorta like a joust. Lather, rinse, repeat...

Edited May 2, 2006 by Valkyrie Hunter D

[mikeszekely]

Ace Combat timeline.

In case anyone else was wondering how all the games fit together.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Ace Combat timeline.

In case anyone else was wondering how all the games fit together.

395607[/snapback]

Thanks, I was wondering where exactly AC3 fits in all this.

[Project Phoenix]

BTW, in Zero, in mission 13, Lying in Deceit, anyone else notice that that's the same area that's in Ace Combat 5's Closure mission?  If you fly to the second to northmost cluster of enemy targets, you can even see the entrance to the mines were the nukes were being stored.

395460[/snapback]

I thought so too. It's the same Waldreich Mountains if I'm not mistaken. I noticed that during the mission, the Belkan troops were really in a hurry to finish unloading 'something' and get the hell out since we're attacking. We all know that that something is. The whole map and the airbase is basically the same.