Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War

7.0
Good

Gameplay	7.0	"Morgan jumps into the cockpit in Ace Combat."
Graphics	6.0
Sound	7.0
Value	6.0

By Morgan Bates

There is only one rule in war… Survive.
Namco’s Ace Combat series has been considered the definitive Arcade flight combat game since it started on the PS1. This installment does little to improve on its PS2 predecessor, Ace Combat 5. It does however deliver the same action-packed fun fans have come to expect from an Ace Combat title and answers questions left open in previous games.

The Belkan War is set 15 years before the events of Ace Combat 5. In this installment of the series, players take on the role of a mercenary going by the nick-name Solo Wing Pixy, who has been hired to fly for a city near Belkan called Ustio - after Belkan invades. The only thing standing between Belkan and victory is you - no pressure, eh.

Taking control of more than 30 licensed high-performance aircraft in the campaign mode, players take on ace pilots, all with different personalities and tactics, making a different strategy necessary for each dog fight. As the player progresses, opponent data is collected and added to the Ace Style menu where it is displayed and - coupled with your own fighters data - can help in formulating new strategies.

The Belkan War doesn’t really push the PS2, with aliasing on all fighters and bland textures. However, once you’re cruising through the skies gunning down enemies you don’t notice these flaws.

Prior to each mission, players select their fighter and ammo, or if they have enough money, buy or sell aircraft in the hanger, then head out to take on the awaiting ace. Combat is intense but the controls are easy to pick up, even for beginners. There are two styles of control, novice and normal, which are selected at the start of a game; this helps beginners get to grips with the game, without getting too complex.

A feature that seems to be available in almost every other game of this genre, auto-save, seems to be lacking in this. It’s a minor annoyance to have to save in the options screen each time, and is an oversight in an otherwise great arcade flight-shooter.

In two player mode, gamers can go head-to-head in their unlocked fighters. However, since the new PS2s have network adaptors built in it seems strange that a game like this would be lacking in that network play, a feature that would have given this more replay value.

As is stands, Ace Combat: The Belkan War is a fun arcade flight sim with plenty of great single player action. However, multiplayer modes fall short of online play. What it does do well is tell a good war story.

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