Review | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

Top Gun. Your enjoyment of the latest Ace Combat game may simply boil down to how much you enjoyed Top Gun and that film about a super-intelligent stealth jet that goes rogue. Because at the end of the day, this is a game about flying over familiar locations while firing missiles and making bad guys explode. To its credit, Assault Horizon handles this simple idea pretty damn well.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is something of a departure for the long-running series, part of Namco Bandai’s ongoing efforts to make their games appeal more to western audiences. The fictional settings of previous games are gone, replaced with more grounded locations like Paris and Miami – as well as a large serving of mountains and deserts. Also new is a shift from deeper mechanics like simulation-esque controls and orders to a more streamlined approach which cuts right to the action and explosions.

Assault Horizon is ridiculously easy to pick up and play, even for those with no experience in flight games. Controls lean heavily towards the arcade and eliminate a lot of the intricacies of actual flight control such as roll – although this can be re-enabled if players so choose. The game moves very fast, though, so the simpler controls are almost a necessary complement to the frantic missions. The biggest addition to the gameplay is dogfight mode, which involves two opposing jets trying to pop rockets into each other’s rear ends in close quarters. If you can lock on to an enemy for long enough you enter dogfight mode and the game will automatically help you follow the bad guy while you line up the kill shot.

It’s certainly more entertaining than sending missiles off to take out distant specks on the horizon, even if it does fly in the face of actual jet behaviour. Most of the process is automated, but you do need to control your aim, speed and watch out for missile locks. If you find yourself on the wrong end of a dogfight, a quick loop-de-loop backwards over the opponent’s head will turn the tables and make you feel like some sort of crazy air ninja. And when you land that final shot, the ensuing symphony of fire, glass and shrapnel is endlessly satisfying.

Sadly, the game sometimes tips its hand and you get the distinct feeling things are blowing up perfectly on cue. Often sequences are scripted to ensure a cinematic conclusion, which takes away your sense of achievement considerably.

Aside from the jet combat missions, other activities are included in the campaign, including Apache helicopter assaults requiring a rain of destruction on everything in sight. There is also an AC-130 section which will feel familiar to anyone who played Modern Warfare. These alternative jaunts into the ozone are nice diversions, but don’t really fit all that well with the overall experience or add anything substantial. That said, they do inject some variety into a game where missions can tend to outstay their welcome.

The promotional material for Assault Horizon boasts that the story for the game comes from the pen of New York Times best seller Jim DeFelice. Without disrespecting the Times list, don’t expect anything amazing in the narrative. You control a character called Colonel Bishop for most of the game, who commands his own squadron, and there are evil Russians. Most of us know the drill by now, having fought Russians in hundreds of different games already.

But perhaps it’s silly to worry about the quality of a story in a game about blowing up planes with other planes. Assault Horizon definitely does an excellent job on that scale, even if it might not hold your attention long. Once the campaign is over, there is some solid multiplayer available, including co-op missions and a fun deathmatch mode. Capitol Conquest mode pits two teams against each other – one attacking and one defending – and gives all players specific roles in either jets or other vehicles. Unlockable skills are included for your multiplayer account as well, ensuring those interested will have reason to keep booting up the game for a while.

The game might not satisfy those looking for a hardcore simulation of high speed flight, but if you like explosions and always wanted to be a fighter pilot like in the movies, this is a good place to start. Solid action.   [7]