Ace Combat: Assault Horizon: Dogfight in The Danger Zone

Growing up, I loved fighter jets, the open blue sky, and explosions. Aside from having an active imagination, I have Ace Combat to thank for that. Not sure how or why I acquired the first Ace Combat game back in 1995 - known then as Air Combat - but I did, and it was good. Fast forward to the year 2011, some 5 or 6 home console sequels later. Having not played any of Namco's recent air dominance titles, I wasn't too sure what to expect from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. After having logged hours in the sky, I can easily say Assault Horizon offers a surprisingly complex and unique experience that I will continue to revisit in the next few weeks, even ahead of Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3.

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Don't Get Sharked in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

Have a look at your primary dog fighting opponent in the upcoming ballet of missiles, vulcans, and shredded fuselages, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. His name is Markov, also known as The Shark. If you're lucky, you'll notice him on the battlefield by the shark teeth painted on the front of his fighter jet. Though it's more likely that The Shark will shoot you down before you even realize his sights are locked onto you. Step your game up, kid!

I've been looking forward to Ace Combat: Assault Horizon for some time now, if only for the intoxicating action and camera work, something I've always loved in the Ace Combat series. While that has always been a calling card of the franchise, the story has attempted to stay equally interesting, but most times it's come up a little short. Project Aces is looking to change those fortunes by recruiting New York Times’ bestselling military author Jim DeFelice. Honestly, dog fighting is the crack. Whatever story brought to the table is supplementary to the ratatatatatatating.

Take to the skies on October 11 of this year.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Makes Death at Mach 1 Look Good

I've always been a sucker for the Ace Combat series. Something about majestic metal birds soaring above the clouds at 1195 kilometers per hour, shredding the bloody hell out of each other with various high tech armaments floats my sails, man.

Though the story is never very riveting, the franchise has dog fighting down to an arcade art form, and that fact is just grossly exaggerated in this Ace Combat: Assault Horizon trailer, which focuses on close range combat. Laying back and locking on is a bore. Why let the missiles do all the work? Wouldn't you rather put your nosecone up a fighter's afterburner and pump the damn thing full of 30mm depleted uranium armor-piercing shells at a cool 3,900 rounds per minute? Of course you would.

Buildings taking damage from errant missiles, damaged aircraft splintering to oblivion as your vulcan viciously rips their fuselage apart, close calls, and the camera work! Whew, I'm feeling faint. No release date yet, but you can expect Namco Bandai's high-flying adrenaline rush sometime in 2011.

via VG247