Ace Combat: Assault Horizon [Enhanced Edition] (PC)
Welcome
Ladies and Gentlemen to Collectors
Archive, a place where we take the games of old and give them the full No
Holds Barred treatment, final verdict and all, in an attempt to see if these
games really do hold up to the memories we have of them. I’m the Guardian, and this is Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat: Assault Horizon [Enhanced
Edition].
Now
for the most part, my defining memories of this game stem from the overall
hatred thrown at it by the Ace Combat fan base, as well as a few friends of
mine, who claim it to be a horrible game. This got me thinking however, is this
game really as bad as people say it is or is it just fans of the series having
a knee-jerk reaction to people experimenting with their beloved franchise (much
like I do when the rumour mill starts to spin up every time a new Zelda game is
announced) and as such I though it imperative that I lay this demon to rest
once and for all and ask the eternal question…Is Ace Combat: Assault Horizon any good?
Well
first up we have the single player. Now right off the bat it should be said
that the game seems to suffer from some of the troupes that many other military
games seem to suffer from these days. You play the majority of the game as
Cornel William Bishop, head of Warwolf Squadron, working for NATO; starting off
the game in East Africa to help snuff out anti-government rebels in the
area…that is until Russian extremists show up with a new super-weapon called
“Trinity”. Pretty much the norm for most military games now days, Russians =
bad and USA = good, but thankfully it seems that the games writer (“New York
Times Best Seller and military author Jim DeFelice” – as all the promotional
material for this game likes to remind us constantly) seems to have one over on
the xenophobic nut jobs at DICE and Infinity Ward as he shows some restraint
and tact with the story, leading to the whole game being played from the
standpoint of NATO; complete with every major country in NATO playing some form
of role in the conflict, be it on or off screen, which in all honesty is a nice
change of pace for a game such as this.
A
story is nothing without characters however and thankfully we have a fair cast
of them. Now I’ve already talked about Col. Bishop so moving on we also have
Helicopter pilot (and possibly the most awesome person in the game) Doug
“D-Ray” Robinson, AC-130/Bomber pilot Janice Rehl and non-playable
character/wingman José “Guts” Gutierrez; all of whom have distinct
personalities and semi-memorable lines throughout the story. Unfortunately though, they all seem to lack
any form of character development, sans Bishop who grows a little throughout
the game, which makes it nigh on impossible to form any sort of attachment to
any of them. A shame really when its considered that pretty much every
character mentioned had the potential to be something great; if only they were
fleshed out a bit more. That being said however, I will give credit where
credits due and I can’t tell you how nice it was to have playable characters who
not only had faces but actual voices for a change rather than your standard silent
hero who always wears a mas/helemt, which was made even better by the fact that
they all interacted with one another during missions and thus giving the story,
and world as a whole, a much more interconnected feel than other games of its
ilk. At the same time however, it’s a
shame the devs couldn’t have applied this to the Co-Pilot characters that we
see in the helicopter and bombing run missions, especially when considering
that they are prominent figures in the missions as well as having their own
personalities to boot, and yet we never get a face to match up with the voice
nor any sort of expansion to their characters outside of the missions that they
are in…a wasted opportunity in every sense if you ask me.
Sadly
this flaw falls onto the opposite side of that spectrum as well, to be more
exact, onto the villains of the piece.
Led into the game by the mysterious Akula (Russian for “Shark”), we see
some of the most bland villains you can imagine with none of supposed villains
ever feeling like a major threat. Also, though I suspect the writer intended them
to be, none of them ever came across much of a shock…though this is hardly
helped by the betrayals being so teleported that you could see them from the
moon! And as for Senor Shark Mouth himself? Well…I will admit that his
backstory is a tragic one…but other than that he doesn’t really have much going
for him, especially when its considered that he isn’t well written, he doesn’t
have any form of strong motivation short of being you’re stereotypical “I’m
insane Russian mwahahaha, DEATH TO
AMERICANS!!!”. Also, while I’m at it, I would also like to point out that,
in my opinion, there is no reason for him to be Russian. Even more so when it’s
considered that for all his motivation is worth he could have been from any other
country in the world…it doesn’t always have to be Russians you know.
So
to basically sum it all up. The story is mediocre and a touch confusing at
times with characters that need a lot more development and villains who are
about as threatening as Marvin the Martian. Now under normal circumstances I’d
just put this down to a lack of skill on the writers part…but considering this
story is not only from a New York Times Best Seller but also from a writer who
has done plenty of good writing in the past…I can’t help but wonder what
happened for the story to end up the way that it did, be it mincing by the
editors or simply Mr DeFelice faltering under the situation of writing for a
videogame rather than for a novel. Either way though, the story we got was
nowhere as good as it should have been. A shame really as it has the makings of
being something truly epic…if only it was more developed.
Sadly it’s not just the games
story that’s lacking as the games graphics seem to also be lacking in many areas
as well, a troubling thing when it’s considered that I’m playing the Enhanced Edition of the Assault Horizon which claims to have
“Improved Graphics for PC”. For starters, the terrain beneath you quite literally
looks like it’s been painted onto the ground and short of a few trees and tall
buildings sticking up the entire base of the map is just a pixilated texture
with no hint of any rendering whatsoever…or at least it is on the jet fighter
missions, thankfully they did put a bit more effort into the helicopter
missions but even then that’s not saying much.
Vehicles also
seem to be an issues as well as anything that isn’t an aircraft seems to be
from a PS2 title with in-game animations that look like they were done by a
college student. Also while I’m at it, another large flaw with the game is that
the FoV is ridiculously low, and good luck finding an option to change it as
the games graphics options are almost none existent, which makes the Fighter
Jet missions that extra bit harder due to the lack of visibility. The
helicopter missions are also a damn chore to play through due to the blasted helicopter
model taking up half of the bloody screen thanks to the low FoV and the third person models for the Helicopters being
far too big, inevitable leading to more than a fair amount of disorientation as
the blasted Apache that you’re flying keeps blocking out alternating sides of
the screen. Thankfully this problem isn’t as bad in the Jet and Bomber missions
but even then the models are still on the large size and as for 1st
person mode…well the game is certainly playable in 1st person but
due to the low FoV, you may find it more of a hindrance than a help – though
this is only my own opinion on the matter, if you can make it work then more
power to you.
That being said however;
the game isn’t a total loss on the graphics front as the aircraft in the
game seem to be well designed with a good amount of detail...unfortunately
though even this is a bit of a let-down as being well designed does not always
translate to being “well made”, proven
here in great abundance as the aircraft models seem to also be lacking in the
quality department (hardly a big surprise), though thankfully nowhere near to
the same extent as some of the other in-game models. It should also be noted
that the rest of the graphical assets in the game are fairly well done with
explosions from missiles looking as fiery as ever and the vapour trial, machine
gun, and exhaust effects coming off the jets in flight adding those nice little
touches that may go un-noticed in the larger scheme but would defiantly be
missed by many if they were left out. The game also runs at 60fps, much to my
surprise, though it’s hardly stable and fluctuates all over the place at times,
even with V-Sync on.
Also, before moving on
from the graphics, I suppose I should also mention patented “Steel Carnage Destruction” mechanic (…their
name, not mine) which basically plays out like the x-ray mechanic in Sniper
Elite, only instead of seeing a bullet pass slowly through some poor saps head you
see the plane you have just destroyed brake up into many many pieces as oil and
fuel spill out of its burning remains, plummeting into oblivion. Unfortunately though
(seem to be saying that a lot in this review) the awesomeness of
watching a burning jet falling through the sky holds its appeal for only so
long before it becomes tedious…such as
watching this effect play out on next to every other kill which, as you might
expect, milks the mechanic to death. There is also an occasional “missile cam”
effect where you actually follow the missile in flight before watching it hit
its mark and obliterating the gitt that just had you flying around in circles
for what seem to be hours. All in all though, a great idea…though the execution
could have been better.
Thankfully not all of
the games aspects suffer such massive lapses in quality; as proven by the games
soundtrack which is brilliantly done and holds strong across the board. The
games voice acting and audio assets are both well placed and of a pretty good
level of quality and to be honest I’m quite blown away by it all, especially
when it’s considered how lazy some of the assets in the game actually are, and
yet here we are with some brilliant audio work such as this, almost a waste of
the sound departments talent if I’m brutally honest about the whole thing. Sadly
though a good soundtrack alone doesn’t make a good game so let’s see how the
gameplay stacks up, shall we?
For starters it has to be said that the jet
fighting sections of the game are fun and the mission length is far from short but the game does
lack in more than a few other areas. For one thing, the helicopter sections
feel clunky and, once again, I have to point out that whoever though it would
be a good idea to have helicopter missions where the damn helicopter takes up
half the bloody screen in third person mode is a moron. And speaking of morons
and their ideas, the game devs decided, for reasons I cannot even begin to
comprehend, to crowbar in some on rails turret sections…though if I had to
hazard a guess I would say it was probably to lengthen the games play time out
a bit – though considering that the campaign is at least 8 – 9 hours
long, I have to question why they would make that choice…if that’s even is
their reason at all.
As for the games
controls, they feel pretty good…or at least they do on a controller, on a
keyboard however they feel very clunky and not particularly well optimized. It
should also be mentioned that if you’re hoping to use a joystick/control stick to
play Assault Horizon then I’m afraid
you’re fresh out of luck because the game only hosts controller and keyboard
support - and yes, that does mean the mouse doesn’t work ether; which is a
stupid idea in my opinion and blatant proof (or at least further proof at any
rate) that this game is nothing more than a shoddily done port. The devs also
included an “optimum” control mode for players, such as myself, who have no prior
experience with the Ace Combat series as well as an “original” control mode for
veteran players who wish to use the classic control layout from the Ace Combat games
of old which is quite a nice touch really and quite possibly one of the
smartest things that they have done so far, though if they did this in a vain
attempt to win over the long terms fans of the franchise I think it may be too
little too late as even though the game controls fine (oversized models aside),
it has taken a definite leap into the realms of Call of Duty and become less of
a flying sim and more of an arcade shooter with jets in it.
And now, I suppose, it
is time for me to face Assault Horizons
elephant in the room: the “dog fight mechanic”. Panned by nearly every veteran
of the Ace Combat franchise, the dogfight mode is an on rails shooting system where
you chase down an enemy and try to shoot them out of the sky at close range. I
however am not a veteran of the series and as such see things a little
differently than the formally raging masses and personally I don’t find the
mechanic as bad as most would have you believe…though at the same time I can
hardly claim that the mechanic doesn’t come without its fair share problems.
For instance; I like how the interface switches to a more focused one when the
mode is activated. I also like how you have to try and keep up with the enemy
plane and pull off manoeuvres and counter-manoeuvres as you shoot across the
sky in an attempt to blow them to kingdom come. At the same time however I also
dislike how scripted so many of these moments are, leaving you incapable of
killing the enemy until the game says so. Also, as I’ve said previously, the
entire system is on rails which makes the idea nothing more than a glorified, player
activated, turret section which is quite a shame really as with some tweaking,
a bit more refining and a whole lot more freedom, this mechanic would have been
a very good one but unfortunately it, once again, seems Bandai Namco have
bugged it up at the final hurdle.
At least on a brighter
note, the games missions hold their own in terms of both gameplay and design,
with plenty variety across the entire campaign. I can hardly criticises the
missions for being short ether as nearly all the missions seem to be
multi-layered, having you complete several lengthy objectives over the course
of one mission – a nice change of pace from the usual 20 minute (or under)
levels that we see in most military games these days. The level design is also
nicely done, or at least it is for a handful of missions at any rate, and
actually challenges you when you’re trying to complete your objectives. Each
mission also has its own epic moments, though some blend better into the games
narrative and flow than others, such as defending an air force base from
incoming attack before having to land, hot refuel (basically refiling while the
jets engine is still on) while the battle rages on overhead before taking off
again right back into the fray; easily injecting a fair amount of awesome into
a game that desperately needed it - not to mention becoming one of my all-time
epic moments in gaming. Though with that being said, the final mission of the
game falls spectacularly short in this regard as for some unknown reason
(though I suspect it was the same one that lead to the graphics being in the abysmal
state they are in) Bandai Namco decided to make the last mission as scripted as
humanly possible…or at least the climax…as the final fight with Akula is not
only done entirely in dogfight mode but also locks you out of killing the mad
Russian gitt until game bloody well says
you can, basically turning the whole
final fight is nothing more than a glorified quick time event that you have to
do for about 10 minutes (with no check points I might add) before the game
suddenly goes “now you must shoot down Akula but do it quick because you only
have 10 seconds or you have to start this all over again”, only for you to be
dropped into another QTE directly after it …though thankfully
there is a check point after you shoot the bastard down but even then that’s
not saying much. I also have to consider this as slap to the face for every
player who had just spent hours trying to beat the game and I’m almost certain that this…this is hardly an accurate representation of how an Ace Combat game
should end…and if by some strange turn of events it is, then I have to question
what the fans see in the series because all I can see at the moment is another
Call of Duty clone with jets in it rather than solders.
Anger
at the ending aside however, I must admit that the gameplay is solid in many
regards and, though I may question a fair few of the design choices taken with
this game, I can’t deny that the controls work fluidly - even if it is only
when used with a controller. The gameplay is also fun, though I’d be lying if I
said it doesn’t get a touch repetitive at times, and the missions do present a
decent enough challenge to keep you on your toes…though be warned, some of the
mission objectives can get quite brutal at times and some missions more than a
bit repetitive. All in all though I have to grudgingly say well done to Bandai Namco as they have, at the very least, made a fun to play game.
As
for Assault Horizons multiplayer, we
find 4 game modes (Capital Conquest, Domination, Deathmatch and Mission Co-Op)
as well as a handful of multiplayer only maps, a very limited customization
system with a wide selection of aircraft to choose from - interestingly enough all
sorted into different class roles, and servers that are still populated - much
to my honest surprise.
Playing
pretty much like the single player portion of the game the multiplayer holds
strong in many regards though at the same time there are slight changes here
and there that shift up the play style slightly. For instance, you can’t just
solely rely on the dogfight mode to take down enemy jets like you would in the
single player campaign as other players will be more than capable of braking
out of the dogfight mode and blowing you out of the sky…or counter-manoeuvring
you and then blowing you out of the sky. Though as I said before, this changes the
players play style more than anything, leaving the core components of games
gameplay intact - for good or for ill. I have also found that there is a bit of
a learning curve to the multiplayer side of the game, partly because of the play
style differences between playing against an AI over another person (but
then…that’s a hurdle that must be faced in pretty every game that has a
multiplayer mode), and playing against a multiplayer community mostly made up
of Assault Horizons veterans who have
had a lot of practice at the game (or at least that’s what I’ve found as I’ve
played it) so be warned that you will have a fair amount of catching up to do
if you are not already well versed in the world of Ace Combat - Assault Horizon
or otherwise. I have also found that there is no setting in the options menu to
disable your microphone, if you have on plugged in, so expect a lot of nonsense
to be spewed over your speakers as you play
(So basically its PvZ: Garden Warfare all over again). Also, though the
choice of aircraft is vast, the majority of aircraft available for use in the
multiplayer are completely useless and seem to only be there as window dressing
- though I should stress that this is just my opinion and I’m sure there are
plenty of people who will correct me, especially considering I know next to
nothing about aircraft at the best of times.
And
with that we come to my final thoughts for this game and to be honest, it
wasn’t nearly as bad as some people had me believe it to be. Now granted, it
isn’t a particular good game nor is going to win any awards, or at least from
me at any rate, but much like I said in my Call of Duty: Ghosts review, just
because a game is bad doesn’t mean that the game can’t be fun and honestly…I
had fun playing Assault Horizon. Will
I play it again after I finish with
this review? Probably not, nor would I put this game on my favourite games lists,
but to say that it is one of the worst games ever made?...No, not by a long
shot. With that said though, I will agree with the Ace Combat fans if only in
one regard and that is that this game is not an Ace Combat game and in no way
do I believe it is deserving of the legacy of the Ace Combat franchise. Like it
or not however Assault Horizon bears
the Ace Combat name and shall forever be a part of it though, no doubt joining
the likes of Zelda 2 and Super Mario Bros. 2, marked down in history as the
black sheep of the franchise (or at least one of them – there is a 3DS spin-off to Assault Horizon after all), forever to be
looked upon every once in a while as fans eternally ask, “what were they
thinking when they made this?”. A shame really as I can’t help but wonder what
game we would have gotten if Bandai
Namco had never driven Project Aces away like they did but then I guess that
will have to wait until I review Ace Combat: Infinity I suppose…If I
ever review Ace Combat: Infinity that is. But enough of that, I set out to give
this game a full No Hold Barred Review and to answer the question of whether it
was any good and though I leave that particular answer up to you the reader, I
still have a review to wrap up.
And
so, with all said and done, it’s time for me to give my Final Verdict. I hereby give Ace Combat: Assault Horizon [Enhanced
Edition] a solid score of…
6/10
(Decent/Okay
Game)
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon [Enhanced
Edition] is available right now from Steam for the price £9.99, or your
regional equivalent.
And with that Ladies and Gentlemen, all that’s left
for me to say is a deep thank you to all of you for reading this review. I’m
the Guardian, stay safe out there and may we meet again.
