Verdict - Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

Ace Combat - of the few game series that have lived a long and fruitful life in the gaming industry. At the moment, were 8 games for the major and more than 5 - to portable platforms. Anyone who has sat quiet winter evenings near a TV with a joystick on the first PlayStation in his hands, always playing Ace Combat. And certainly today, as an adult, he still goes every time to the store where the shelves there is a new game in the series. And for good reason. Ace Combat - it's always a few evenings a guaranteed pleasure, that awaken in any man to the inner child. It's colorful, dynamic, arcade simulator that gives an opportunity to shoot between the skyscrapers of the most modern aircraft, exciting plot, they fill the player with unique situations and a couple dozen times exploding brain.

I'm running scorched earth on

For a long time, Ace Combat was at altitude. But even in the absence of competitors faced a series of problems of its own growth - as it happened with, say, Need for Speed. Corporate gameplay started to become outdated, the next part was given less and less new experiences, because, truth be told, starting with the first part and up to the Ace Combat 6 in the game we did about the same. Very long author managed to maintain interest in what is happening at the expense of plot. Many players are unfamiliar with the series often wonder: what sort of story in the simulator? But in the case of Ace Combat has always been one of the main advantages of the game.




The authors devised a fictional world with allusions to contemporary reality and constantly played him in the wildest scenario. Ace Combat 3 and 5 will remain forever in the memory of playing in them as a delicious, full of drama and emotion of adventure. True, emphasizing the story, the developers of Project Aces finally reached an impasse. The spy thriller with showdowns corporations they already had, a global epic - was, and even the background of the universe they had to cover. Creative experiments also may have failed - so, in Ace Combat 6 authors decided to dissolve the plot and gameplay, and while we do the mission in the ads simply telling stories of several characters who are victims of war.


Perhaps at this very moment I first realized - flying in the "naked» Ace Combat, when going on missions is not motivated by anything except the briefing, I'm not interested. At the same time appeared on the scene Tom Clancy's HAWX, which was extremely weak game, offering real-world mission, boring plot, boring gameplay and a really interesting, but poorly implemented idea with interceptions and the execution of aerobatic maneuvers. But that was enough to the audience preferred Hawx.

Now I am very pleased that HAWX was released: the Project Aces realized that their cozy niche to eat, the position is not as strong as we would like, but Ace Combat needs to be changed, including in order to get closer to Western audiences and new generation of players. Even the game's producer Kazutoki Kono did not hide the problems the show: "The question was an edge - or to stop the development of Ace Combat, or do something completely new, a new level. And then someone told me that the only person who has the right to destroy the old Ace Combat, - he who created it. And I realized that I must deal with his own offspring, and invent a new one. "

The result? In Assault Horizon gameplay formula is reversed, and the action moved to the real world. As a result, the light appeared furious, beautiful, bright arcade simulator that continuously generates mad scene, keeps the screen on until the last second and leads to ecstasy, as the best moments of the film by Michael Bay. But something in him after all may disappoint, especially fans of the series.

Bend over on the gun, and rocket race to the goal

In the first place loses much previous games story. And the reason for it all the same desire to be Japanese developers closer to the Western audience. For writing the script Project Aces hired a top writer of thrillers manmade - Jim DeFelisa. He gave quite an ordinary story about conspiracies and Russian separatists, which can easily be confused with the scenario of the next Call of Duty. The combined forces of NATO and Russia are facing in Africa with the terrorists who seized a new destructive weapon Trinity («Trinity"). It turns out that they are supported by Russian mercenaries led by ace Markov named Shark. Further investigation leads to a full-fledged military conflict in the UAE, Russia and America.

In general, the plot Assault Horizon here and there remained a hallmark series: the villain, as it turns out, is also a man - and he has a weighty motive (in contrast to the same cardboard Makarova in CoD); early in the game the main character sees his own death in a dream - and the game we are waiting in suspense the moment when that happens, during the attack on the U.S. president himself is on the air with patriotic speech - right fervor and style have always been a strong point of Ace Combat. Unfortunately, all this "brand" in the Assault Horizon is too small. The game is not truly memorable characters, no drama, almost a traitor wears a shirt with the inscription "I am for Markov," a story in the end like the movie Top Gun, where all problems are far-fetched, the characters are flat, but a lot of simple emotions, and all happily applaud landed with a punctured fuel tank hero. It is not that bad, considering the genre of the game, but ... we remember something that once was not.

What is surprising - from a political point of view, plot sverhakkuratny. Russian, of course, the goats, but only part - the rest are trying to stop them. Even when it comes to the bombing of Moscow, the characters do is not to punish, but to free the captured separatists city. Americans receive their just deserts - in retaliation for the bombing of Bosnia. Agree, not every day of the games you see things like that. Especially with a script from the author of the book Rogue Warrior.

In contrast to the plot, the updated gameplay can only pick on nerds. Old Ace Combat were very accessible and never threw a special player to call. He just flew in circles, captured enemy aircraft in sight and blew two missiles. It got very very rarely, and had to replay only when the allotted time could not perform any task. Interest in an event supported not only by the plot, but also due to the huge amount of original situations. Since the action of Ace Combat place in a fictional world, the authors were able to afford the most daring of madness - the sky was falling giant satellite appeared flying aircraft carrier, or in the middle of the mission began bombing EMP-shells, from which it was necessary to take refuge in the canyons and striking at the enemy only in between the bombings. In this case, at any time subject could give a sharp turn and leave the player with nothing - in Ace Combat 5 had to flee at dawn with his own base on the training planes without weapons and fly at the minimum height, and kept hiding from patrols in the caves.

Heart in heels - I'm going into a tailspin

Transfer of the real world put on quite a few restrictions the authors, strongly reducing the number of bright and delirium at the same time - fun. But in the new conditions the authors seem to have done everything to amaze and dumbfound player. Corporate writing AU is recognized with ease. For the second mission to the airfield falls civilian vehicles, procherchivaya on the ground and demolishing half of the wing aircraft. When later a player is preparing for a quiet landing at the airport - to meet him on alert soars ten fighters, among whom must maneuver quickly. During the intense pursuit of enemy aircraft suddenly flying towards the skyscrapers inappropriately taking off, "Boeing". All this happens at such speeds that sincere amazement guaranteed.

Assault Horizon puts the player in a really crazy situation. Only then sitting down for refueling buddy can go to the tail of two "MiGs", which should bring down frantically as they did not get to it. And of course, the last enemy will explode just above the take-off field - sat down in meters from the partner. Still be prepared to pursue afterburner for nuclear missiles to shoot accurately fixing the damaged aircraft cabin at colleagues, that he fell out of it, and hide on Kutuzov Avenue from fighters. Battle with the aces in the midst of a giant tornado included. Of course, all described - fantastic nonsense, but it gives a lot of positive emotions and adrenaline.

The gameplay is largely the authors really re-invented and made perhaps the best game in the genre. The fact that every moment is happening on the screen in Assault Horizon, difficult to describe in words, the fighters lay down crazy turns, constantly scribbling machine guns, enemies magically falls apart, and the sky is filled with endless loops of missiles. Now the enemies boldly sit on the tail and knock a player in virtually every mission will die at least once. From now on, all the fights in the air tied to the mode Dogfight - in their relation to hold two buttons, and then begins stalking, in which aircraft automatically follow the enemy. True, the player will still need to stay on the tail and adjust the speed of the chase. The enemy is sure to fly on some crazy route among the skyscrapers, knocking chunks out of buildings and bringing down construction cranes. At the same time it could take calmly from prosecution, and other opponents may themselves take the player on the tail.

At this point, begins to work the system moves. Having made a number of frills, you can perform aerobatics and sit on the tail already pursuers. Later enemies also begin to make interceptions, and skirmishes in the air become fantastically beautiful and full of adrenaline dancing aces. It is impossible to convey in words the feelings that you experience when making kontrperehvat, immediately let the two missiles at the enemy in the ass, it would switch to missiles multinavedeniem and drops to the ground three aircraft caught in sight.

But the gameplay is not limited to, and of the 16 missions, only half is devoted to the fighters. First, there were missions by helicopter AH-64D Apache, which has successfully reminded of Desert / Jungle / Urban / Soviet / Nuclear Strike'ah (popular in the 90 series helicopter arcade games from EA). Manage "Apache" is not very convenient, but it will only perform two tasks. In addition, the effect of one of them takes place in Moscow, so that such a "makeweight" - in joy.

Another is the mission of the bombing at the AU-130 - Hi edakii Call of Duty, just everything has been done at times interesting and stylish. Ace Combat engine will create much more detail and highlights displays not only the aircraft, but also building and running around the earth people, so every break shells elegantly demonstrated with exterior cameras. Later give a more meaningful vrazhin burn - this time on a jet bomber with carpet bombing. Victims of all-consuming fire also finally nice pose for the camera. Just a couple of missions to be done for the minigun in another helicopter, Blackhawk, - here it is absolutely everything in Call of Duty and Ghost Recon: Advance Warfighter, only bigger and more fun. In general, for the gameplay - a solid ten.

Kohl, PUSH, and I covered

Add to this the multiplayer, where there are different types of gameplay, while planes and helicopters converge in the Battle of the various world capitals. Actually, the main thing that won the Ace Combat on the transfer of the real world - carefully recreated the city is fascinating. In the first mission I stupidly flew over Miami Beach and surrounding joyfully yelled: "Here I was living on vacation!" When the mission in Dubai - the first thing to look at the hotel flew the sail-and-palm artificial island in the ocean villas with Russian officials. But when it came to Moscow - here was a real ecstasy. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon worth buying just for the opportunity to fly the Su-47 between the skyscrapers of Moscow City, not to mention the clean-up to "Apache" Kutuzov Avenue from the tanks. Words can not convey. In Assault Horizon - the most plausible Moscow, which you could only see in video games, start up and recreated it entirely. Of course, all the streets in the ice and no famous traffic jams, but the plot is argue.

The final mission and chic at all - it takes place in the sky over Alexandria and Washington. Two ace there in the sky, their meeting is shown in slow-mo 'cabin to cabin. " One of the Su-47 (if you will choose), the other - on the PAK FA (quite rightly - the most recent Russian prototype in the role of the coolest aircraft in the game). Playing music with touching words in Russian. The end is near. Voltage increases. At high speed sweeps past a small airport of Alexandria and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, and the building of the CIA and the Pentagon, and the obelisk in Washington. It's fantastic.

Well, once we have gone so far - local final credits under the original crown rock song Gotta Stay Fly will not leave anyone indifferent. Standard on how to end these games. Actually, the soundtrack - one of two of the best musical works for video games this year (second - Battlefield 3). That is, it shows how carefully the Japanese are working on their games. It's full of energy, style, soul and firm handwriting Project Aces. The mere fact that the central theme of the game sounds in Russian with the meaning laid down in the text, knowing that you regret not help at the last moment of his enemy, - speaks volumes.