. The missions, however are varied enough, and since you can revisit them with any of the 21 air crafts (each with a distinct style of flight), the replay value can be arguably good.Bottom line - finally, PS2 games are starting to show off the system's capabilities. AC4: Shattered Skies is no exeption, even the controls take excellent advantage of the analogue buttons. Dog fighting, bombing missions, avoiding anti-aircraft gun fire, shaking off missle locks, etc. etc. etc. everything you'd expect and want in a title like this, you will find. And all of this is presented in a style that is polished and, for a lack of a better term, very slick. If anything, for the genre of the game, it is Fun. Blissful and Gleeful in immersive flight.
OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 22 / 47
Date: October 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User
One word for this games is "BREATH TAKING". I'll be honest I don't know much about the story but I know its deep and well thought off. All I know is your flying a superb jet plane fully loaded and there is a made up island which is having problems and you are sent in. The graphics are lovely and fantastic. The PS2 shows off its graphics capability. Which are impressive. I strongly recomend this. Get this...
Beautiful, fast, and best console fighter combat game ever.
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 16 / 16
Date: November 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User
Before i start i would like to thank namco for releasing this gem of a game. I've played every game in the series, and always was thankful for them, since they were the only good fighter combat games out there. But this game goes above and beyond anything in the previous 3. First off the graphics are absolutly beautiful. The ground no longer looks pixelated, it's now perfectly blended. Although the cities look mostly the same as they did, with sky scrapers coming up and other buildings shown flat on the ground, it's still effective. But this time there's just so much more going on on the ground, guns firing at you are shown much more realistically. In the ground support missions tanks, artillery, and pillboxes are all shown perfectly as they fire on your landing or advancing troops. Coming down from 35,000 feet, through clouds onto land targets is still as exciting as ever.
But the greatest addition to the series is the story. In the others in the series i didn't really care about it, i just wanted to get to the blowing stuff up parts, but in this the story is very captivating. It's shown through a mixture of movies and still pictures narrated by a civilian who is living through the war. This makes it very interesting as he interacts with the enemy you are fighting.
Overall this game should take it's place in your collection of games simply because it's the best flight sim out there on any console, and i doubt x-box or gamecube will have anything better for a while or maybe not at all. If you like aerial combat or have an interest this is the game for you.
Yowza!
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 17 / 17
Date: November 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User
Unlike the rather disappointing US version of Ace Combat 3 for the Playstation, AC4 is awesome. If you like arcade flight sims, this one's an easy purchase. I originally set myself up for a disappointing experience, but I've been playing it for the last three hours and I'm one happy camper.It has a (amazingly) comprehensible story with enjoyable narration--something that was sorely lacking from AC3. The battles make some amount of sense; there's a definite flow and feeling of achievement after each mission, although it's still fixed in terms of the actual events that occur. (There were aspects of AC3 that were cool, but the whole branching storyline made no sense without any cutscenes--it was just weird.)
The money system is a great idea, especially since planes in AC3 seemed to show up at the whim of the designers or as a result of contrived storyline events. You earn extra money for shooting down additional planes and earning higher mission grades, which can be used to purchase alternate weapons and new planes. It gives some real motivation to do a better job on the missions other than just getting an "A" beside your name.
The difficulty levels are a nice change as well--there's a "very easy" level that is reasonably easy to play, but still presents a bit of a challenge. There's also a tutorial, which isn't that great but at least it's something--it was rough for beginners to get started with AC3. (The biggest problems with the tutorial are that the text goes by too slowly, and there's not much in the way of feedback. I was hoping for a way to practice various things like missile usage and bombing, but no such luck.)
Graphics: beautiful. They're good enough that I don't pay any attention, and that's precisely where they need to be. I haven't noticed any anomalies at all in fact--no funny popup problems, weird blurring effects, slowdowns, whatever. The sounds are quite good as well, tho the "pilot chatter" can be annoying at times...it's also useful (warns of enemy planes etc) so it's acceptable.
Of course it's still Ace Combat: flight isn't terribly realistic, near-insane amounts of ammunition, surprise storyline changes, an amazing array of airplanes to choose from. That just makes it all the more fun...sure, realistic flight sims have their place, but that isn't what AC is about and that's OK.
Don't be scared off if you were unhappy with AC3 for the Playstation--this is a totally different animal, and well worth it.
Great Arcade Fun
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 13 / 13
Date: March 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User
Ace Combat 4 is a perfect example of what video games are supposed to be. It's an arcade style fighter jet game, where you engage in dogfights, and various bombing missions in enemy territory. It also has an interesting storyline. But HERE are the details.The Controls: VERY simple. Each action has it's own button. You fly with the analog joysticks. Target Lock, Shoot, Accelerate, and Decelerate with seperate buttons. Give yourself 5 minutes and you'll have mastered the controls. The rumble pack is especially great for this game, shaking when you hit the afterburner, or take a missle in the rear end.
Graphics: Very nice. People who don't think these are good graphics have been playing too many computer flight sim games where the graphics are borderline insane (Jetfighter 4).
This is PS2 on your TV, the graphics are smooth, and the explosions are fun to see.
Sound: Great music. It's intense. Plane sounds are top notch. Missles wizzing by your plane sound great also.
The Game: FUN. It is NOT a flight simulator. You don't have to land, take off, or fly 15 minutes to your target desination. You put the game in and there you go. Pure arcade style fighter jet fun.
Extra Info: There are 18 missions, all of which are different. You can also purchase new, better planes, and more advanced weapons as each mission passes, and you obtain more money.
If your looking for a good fun game, this is for you. If you want a complicated flight sim, look elsewhere. Enjoy!
Beautiful
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 13 / 21
Date: August 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User
I cannot believe how good this game is.Presentation 10/10
This game has minimal load times. A lot of ps2 games have annoying twelve or even twenty second load times but none of the load times are more than five seconds and most load times are three seconds. There is a nice selection of planes.
Graphics 10/10
Simply beautiful. The framerate runs at 60 frames per second and never drops. The locales are nice and varied, deserts, cities, mountains, canyons and oceans are the settings for missions. Aside from Ico I think Ace Combat 4 is the best looking ps2 game. Take a look at amazon's screenshots.
Sound 9/10
The radio chatter is incredible. The music is good but somewhat cheesy. The sound effects are decent and the sound of the wind as you fly is very powerful.
Gameplay 10/10
This game is not a simulation it is an arcade game. As other reviewers have mentioned your machine guns are ridiculously accurate. The gameplay is very exciting and the missions are well varied.
Lasting Appeal 9/10
The two player dog fights are a nice addition since so many ps2 games don't have multiplayer. Once you beat the game you have the ability to replay any mission which is very nice. I know this feature should be customary but other mission based ps2 games have not included it so I was scared this game wouldn't have it.
I like this game more than I like Grand Theft Auto III and Gran Turismo 3. If you are even remotely interested in a flying game, buy this you won't regret it.
Engage, Mobius 1!
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 13 / 15
Date: January 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User
The Erusians have built a weapon of mass destrution, Stonehenge. ISAF is at war because of this cannon. Stonehenge was originally built to shoot down astroids but Erusia discovered it could be used as a anti-aircraft weapon. So you, Mobius 1, must fight for the mainland. Buying fighters of speed and weapons of destruction you defend the Independent Allied Forces. Dog-fight the fearless Yellow 13. Buy F-15s and SU-37s. Use Quick Maneuver Missiles and Advance Air-to-Ground Bombs. With 18 combat missions you drop bombs and fire missiles. With 18 jets to buy from you are totally in the action. With a great replay you can watch yourself defeat the Erusians. With radio transmissions you can hear SkyEye and other fighters talk throughout the missions. I have beaten AC04 five times now. I recieved it last Christmas. Rating AceCombat 04: Shattered Skies
Graphics 10/10
Jet Details 9/10
Mission Difficulty 8/10
Realistic Controls 10/10~
Realistic Environment 10/10*
~There is also a EASY MODE for the control.
*Realistic Enviroment includes explosions, buildings, etc.
Awesome Game
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 7 / 8
Date: September 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User
This game is the best modern-day flight simulator I have ever played for any console! The graphics are awesome, except that the terrain isn't very detailed when viewed from an altitude of 1000 feet or below. The sound is great; I heard that they recorded actual jet engine sounds for this game. The gameplay is really fun. I didn't really like the anime style that they used to tell the story in. I'm one of those people who are really into the military and airplanes and that kind of stuff, so I really wasn't expecting it to be told like a cartoon. I would have liked it better if they had life-like animations in the cut-scenes instead of the cartoony look, but the gameplay, graphics, and sound more than make up for it. Also, I didn't really like how you got to tote around 50-60 missiles in the game, but it would probably be really hard without them. Overall, this is a really great game and I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys flight sims or just wants to play a good game.
AC4
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User
AMAZING!!!!!!!!! Let's start with the storyline shall we. It's pretty amazing a kid growing up on a farm during a war witnesses a plane crash into his farm killing everyone. Then follows Yellow Squadron and has intresting adventure. The Graphics are so good they'll kill you as are the noises and radio talk during missions. You also get a selection of planes with good ratings like Air-to-Ground Air-to-Air mobility durability that kind of stuff. Some of the planes are A-10 X-02 F117A and although not flyable the B-2. The special weapons are excellent. You can chose from Precision Guided bombs spread bombs rocket launchers incendinaries QUAM even bobmlet dispensers. Even after you beat the game on easy difficulty it's fun if you reach expert mode you earn new paint schemes to for your aircraft too. The missions you fly are strike,close air support,dogfighting you name it! WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS IF YOU LIKE A GAME THAT HAS GRAPHICS SOUND STORYLINE VARIETY OF PLANES WEAPONS AND MISSIONS THAN AC4 IS FOR YOU111111111111
GREAT! GREAT! GREAT!
5
Rating: 5,
Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User
From the lowly Vietnam Fighter, The F-4 Phantom, to the new highly advanced forward swept wing fighter, Russia's S-37, This game has got it all. Pitting yourself against some of the best fighters of the modern age, like Yellow 13, or the deadly Smirnova, and many more. Cruising around the skies at 1000 MPH and more, with an exciting storyline to go along with it. I will tell you about 4 parts of this game: Graphics, Sound, Replay Value, and Game play.GRAPHICS: 4 1/2 Stars
Amazing is all I can say. When you hit the afterburners, look at those puppies squeeze in and then burn baby! They light up and cook, while leaving heat trails behind you. You can actually see where the wires heat up and form thrust. Each plane is like a picture from a book, and the backdrops are equally as diverse and amazing. You can fly across deserted deserts, skyscrapers and bridges in cities, across mountains with radar domes bristling across ridges and snow swept hills, over prairies and lakes, islands and oceans, plus a lot more. The only reason I graded this 1/2 a point down is because when viewed from a very low altitude, it gets blurred out, but not as bad as this may make it sound, and the explosions are worth nothing to me, except for the little shrapnel pieces flying from them. You can see the missiles drop from the bays, and the secondary bombs sink in to a target and detonate. There is very little if any at times, any pixilated pictures.
Sound: 5 stars
With real audio clips of jets flying by, and the whizzing of missiles flying out of their bays and targeting your plane, you feel scared and almost alone. The dancing techno music adds thrill and excitement to this already blistering blast of a game. I really think the great audio clips, and music will help the game get a smooth flow, and Namco really took a lot of attention to detail on this, and many other games.
Replay Value: 5 stars
With multiplayer, secret objectives, 18 missions, and techno music and dancing missiles will keep you interested for a while. The amount of hidden planes is astounding, leaving you to start with an F-4 Phantom, going all the way through carrier based planes, Russian Migs and SU series planes, plus a numerous amount of multiple roll fighters and fighter bombers like the A-10 Tank Buster Warthog, F-14 Tomcat (Wings actually Move) and the F-18 hornet, and many more, the length of the game seems adequate. The Missions steadily increase in difficulty, and for a Veteran, most levels (Very Easy, Easy, Difficult, and Hard) will be easy if not fun-easy.
Game play: 5 stars
(...) This game is an ultimate buy because of the mask is backed up with twirling dogfights, dangerous bombing runs, missile dodging barrel rolls, and summer salts to get away from enemy jets all throw you right smack dab in the middle of a war with over 30 jets on screen, and not slowing down for a second! The wings move on the F-14 Tomcat, and the SE-2000 Tornado, so it feels like your actually there fighting it out with the greats. The easy targeting system, and machine gun carnage make this game even greater. In one mission, you fly through side winding canyons, and over plateaus to destroy numerous enemy outposts. The early warning system for missiles, and lack of altimeter and etc. make this game an Arcade/Sim, with amazing results. I like the fact that there isn't so much stuff in the cockpit that you would have to be a pilot to play the game.
Overall: 5 stars
This game wins my heart, and I recommend it to any person who has liked other Ace Combat games, or just wants an encouraging flight game to suck you in and never spit you out. Happy Dog fighting!!!!!!!!
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