Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Encyclopedia
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is an installment of the Ace Combat
arcade
combat flight video game series developed by Project Aces
and published by Namco Bandai
for the PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
.
Reeling from the discovery of Trinity and the defection of Stagleishov's pilots, the 108th scrambles to try and stop the SRN and Blatnoi, who have threatened to use Trinity on Dubai. While Warwolf Squadron intercepts bombers and fighters headed to the city, Shooter and Nomad Squadrons intercept rebel cargo ships in hopes of seizing their Trinity warheads. However, the threat against Dubai is revealed to be a false-flag operation. Blatnoi's true goal was to stage a coup in Russia, led by Stagleishov with the support of sixteen divisions of the Russian military. The New Russian Federation (NRF) quickly takes control of Moscow and several areas around Russia. The 108th, NATO and loyalist Russians work together to battle the NRF. Illich, who remained loyal with the 108th during the Russian defection in Africa, also helps Bishop throughout the campaign. The Allied forces eventually manage to liberate Moscow, despite the NRF's attempts to stop them by using Trinity. Bishop also gets his revenge on Markov by shooting him down during the battle. Stagleishov contacts the Allied forces to negotiate the NRF's surrender, but is suddenly assassinated by Markov. Unaware of the live video feed, Markov reveals his true intention was not to take control of Russia, but to take revenge on America for the death of his wife, who was killed in an American air strike during the Bosnian War. He steals the last remaining Trinity warhead and escapes to South America with his followers, where he plans to attack the United States directly.
Illich is revealed to have been in league with Markov since the events in Bosnia, and betrays the 108th by joining Markov's forces bound for the US. In order to counter Markov, Warwolf Squadron is immediately relocated to Miami to intercept Markov's forces if they attempt to attack. This makes Bishop uneasy, since he has had recurring nightmares of being killed by Markov in an aerial duel over Miami. As expected, Markov and his pilots attack Miami in full force, but are eventually repelled by Warwolf Squadron and the US Air Force. However, Markov manages to ambush Bishop, who is saved when Guts blocks Markov's missile with his own plane. Guts is forced to eject, while Bishop fires at Markov's plane, managing to damage the Trinity warhead before being forced to break off and refuel. Bishop catches up to Markov and Illich as they refuel off the coast of Florda. Bishop pursues Illich into a hurricane and engages in duel, which results in Illich's death. Bishop proceeds to Washington D.C. and finds the city already under attack by Markov's forces. Bishop and other USAF pilots struggle to repel the assault. When Markov's forces successfully neutralize all US ground defenses, Markov then reappears, intent on using Trinity on the White House. However, due to the damage he sustained in Miami, he can only fire the warhead at short range, forcing him to duel Bishop again. Markov manages to fire the warhead before being shot down and killed, but Bishop manages to intercept the warhead and destroy it. Upon landing his plane, Bishop is given a hero's welcome.
After the post credits, Guts is revealed to be still alive and being rescued.
, Dubai
, Paris
, East Africa
, the Middle East
, and Moscow
. Tokyo
and Hawaii
will be included as post-launch downloadable content
.
It will also take place in the Black Sea (where an A-10 Thunderbolt is seen in the teaser trailer). It is the first in the Ace Combat series on consoles to take place on the real Earth
(with Ace Combat Joint Assault being the first Ace Combat game to feature the real Earth), rather than on what longtime fans have dubbed "Strangereal", the setting for Air Combat through Ace Combat 6/Ace Combat X. It is also the first of the new generation of the AC series not to use fictional, "overpowered" aircraft such as flying super-fortresses (I.E. Gleipnir, XB-0, etc.)
The developers are using satellite imagery to accurately render the real-life locations, so it is possible for the player to pick out actual buildings and locations (such as individual houses) while playing the game.
Also new to the series are attack helicopter
missions, stealth bomber missions, and levels where the player controls a Black Hawk door gunner and an AC-130.
A new multiplayer mode called "Capital Conquest" involves two teams of 8 vs. 8 where each team takes turns either defending or attacking a world capital, such as Paris
and Washington, D.C.
. In this mode, fighters, attackers, attack helicopters, and bombers can fly together simultaneously. Each type of aircraft will have its advantages and disadvantages, having specific roles in the battlefield.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon makes the infamous "spamming missile" or "pixel shooting" techniques ineffective now especially when battling against humans. In order to shoot an ace the gameplay now requires the player to either surprise them or to enter close combat. The 'Optimum' mode makes it easier to learn.
In addition to these settings there are many options to tweak the controls and adapt to the player's style. It includes the choice of normal or reverse settings for the Pitch Control, Camera Control, Throttle, Yaw, and the order maps and weapons are cycled through. High G turns return from Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
, as well as Auto Pilot if both shoulder buttons are held down.
Last, the Flight Assistance provides opportunities to players such as Auto-leveling, Automatic Collision Prevention, Automatic Stall Prevention, Sight Assist, and Automatic Forward Target Selection. Flight Assistance can be turned on or off.
Ace Combat Assualt Horizon on XBOX 360 will support the Ace Edge Joysticks released with Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
(Note: A Flight
consists of three to six aircraft, while Squadrons
consist of three or four flights, with a total of 9 to 24 aircraft.)
Magic
Spooky 01:
Major Janice Rehl
Captain Jose "Guts" Gutierrez
Jack
James "Hawkgunner" Mitchell
In Japan, gamers who pre-order the game will get a code to download the F-4E Phantom II. In the United States, Gamestop is offering the plane as an exclusive pre-order bonus.
. In the trailer the US Air Force is engaged in dogfighting with Russian Navy fighters (or forces posing as such) over Miami. The player is in an F-22 engaging and destroying several enemies before being shot down himself. Pierre La Pointe, the commander of the 108th Task Force, briefs the Task Force on an Ace leading the attack on Miami named Col. Markov who has been nicknamed Akula (Russian for shark) because of the design on the nose of his plane. Russian involvement in the conflict has been described as "advisers and mercenaries" in the E3 Trailer. Another scene showed a US A-10 attacking a fleet of naval ships. The extended trailer had additional scenes of air battles with the player flying an F-35 and an F-16 over Dubai
and an attack on a desert oil facility. It is also revealed that the time is sometime in 2015 and will also take place in East Africa.
A demo was released on September 13, 2011. All PlayStation 3 players could download it for free; however, Xbox 360 players needed to have Xbox LIVE Gold for the first week in order to download it; it then migrated to Xbox LIVE Silver as well. The demo includes Mission 1 and Mission 3, with the iconic air battle over Miami from the trailers and the attack helicopter rescue operation in Africa, respectively.
Macross
creator Shouji Kawamori has been confirmed to be working on a fictional plane for the game, currently known as the "ASF-X Shinden II", which will be offered as downloadable content.
So far, the game has sold over 470,000 copies combined, with the PS3 at 310,000 sales and the 360 at 160,000 copies respectively.
Ace Combat
Ace Combat is a hybrid arcade-simulation flight action video game series featuring 12 games, published by the Japanese company Namco Bandai Games...
arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
combat flight video game series developed by Project Aces
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
and published by Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Plot
The story is written by author Jim DeFelice, and takes place in the year 2015. Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop is the leader of the Warwolf Squadron, which is part of the 108th Task Force, a large multinational U.N. military force composed of NATO and Russian forces that are sent to stop the SRN, a rebel insurgent group funded by the Russian crime syndicate Blatnoi, threatening the Eastern African continent. Tensions flare between the Russian and NATO forces, particularly between NATO General Pierre La Pointe and Russian General Ivan Stagleishov. Other soldiers, such as Russian Major Sergei Illich, are happy to serve with his American counterparts and strikes up a fast friendship with Bishop and his wingman, Jose "Guts" Gutierrez. However, during their attacks against the rebels, the Task Force learns the SRN possesses a fearsome weapon called "Trinity" which contains the power of a tactical nuclear weapon. When the SRN attacks the 108th Air Base, Stagleishov betrays the 108th when he and half of the Russian pilots defect and join the SRN. After fighting off Stagleishov's forces, Bishop encounters the leader of the SRN mercenaries, Colonel Andrei Markov, and engages him in a brief aerial duel, with Markov gaining the upper hand by severely damaging Bishop's fighter. Fortunately for Bishop, Markov runs low on fuel and retreats, but not without mocking his American rival. After Bishop returns to base, Markov demonstrates the power of Trinity by using it to destroy a nearby city.Reeling from the discovery of Trinity and the defection of Stagleishov's pilots, the 108th scrambles to try and stop the SRN and Blatnoi, who have threatened to use Trinity on Dubai. While Warwolf Squadron intercepts bombers and fighters headed to the city, Shooter and Nomad Squadrons intercept rebel cargo ships in hopes of seizing their Trinity warheads. However, the threat against Dubai is revealed to be a false-flag operation. Blatnoi's true goal was to stage a coup in Russia, led by Stagleishov with the support of sixteen divisions of the Russian military. The New Russian Federation (NRF) quickly takes control of Moscow and several areas around Russia. The 108th, NATO and loyalist Russians work together to battle the NRF. Illich, who remained loyal with the 108th during the Russian defection in Africa, also helps Bishop throughout the campaign. The Allied forces eventually manage to liberate Moscow, despite the NRF's attempts to stop them by using Trinity. Bishop also gets his revenge on Markov by shooting him down during the battle. Stagleishov contacts the Allied forces to negotiate the NRF's surrender, but is suddenly assassinated by Markov. Unaware of the live video feed, Markov reveals his true intention was not to take control of Russia, but to take revenge on America for the death of his wife, who was killed in an American air strike during the Bosnian War. He steals the last remaining Trinity warhead and escapes to South America with his followers, where he plans to attack the United States directly.
Illich is revealed to have been in league with Markov since the events in Bosnia, and betrays the 108th by joining Markov's forces bound for the US. In order to counter Markov, Warwolf Squadron is immediately relocated to Miami to intercept Markov's forces if they attempt to attack. This makes Bishop uneasy, since he has had recurring nightmares of being killed by Markov in an aerial duel over Miami. As expected, Markov and his pilots attack Miami in full force, but are eventually repelled by Warwolf Squadron and the US Air Force. However, Markov manages to ambush Bishop, who is saved when Guts blocks Markov's missile with his own plane. Guts is forced to eject, while Bishop fires at Markov's plane, managing to damage the Trinity warhead before being forced to break off and refuel. Bishop catches up to Markov and Illich as they refuel off the coast of Florda. Bishop pursues Illich into a hurricane and engages in duel, which results in Illich's death. Bishop proceeds to Washington D.C. and finds the city already under attack by Markov's forces. Bishop and other USAF pilots struggle to repel the assault. When Markov's forces successfully neutralize all US ground defenses, Markov then reappears, intent on using Trinity on the White House. However, due to the damage he sustained in Miami, he can only fire the warhead at short range, forcing him to duel Bishop again. Markov manages to fire the warhead before being shot down and killed, but Bishop manages to intercept the warhead and destroy it. Upon landing his plane, Bishop is given a hero's welcome.
After the post credits, Guts is revealed to be still alive and being rescued.
Setting
Confirmed locations in the game are Miami, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
will be included as post-launch downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
.
It will also take place in the Black Sea (where an A-10 Thunderbolt is seen in the teaser trailer). It is the first in the Ace Combat series on consoles to take place on the real Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
(with Ace Combat Joint Assault being the first Ace Combat game to feature the real Earth), rather than on what longtime fans have dubbed "Strangereal", the setting for Air Combat through Ace Combat 6/Ace Combat X. It is also the first of the new generation of the AC series not to use fictional, "overpowered" aircraft such as flying super-fortresses (I.E. Gleipnir, XB-0, etc.)
The developers are using satellite imagery to accurately render the real-life locations, so it is possible for the player to pick out actual buildings and locations (such as individual houses) while playing the game.
Gameplay
The major new gameplay feature is a system called "Close-Range Assault" (CRA), which aims to increase the intensity and bring the action closer to the player, without the feeling of "shooting at faraway dots" commonly seen in flight games. In the game, it is named "Dogfight Mode" (DFM) for air-to-air battles and "Air Strike Mode" (ASM) for air-to-ground targets. They are not optional, as certain planes cannot be destroyed without CRA. To initiate DFM, the player taps LB+RB on the Xbox 360 and L2+R2 on the PS3 when they have gotten close enough to the plane they are targeting. ASM is initiated by pressing the same buttons at specific points around the map.Also new to the series are attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles...
missions, stealth bomber missions, and levels where the player controls a Black Hawk door gunner and an AC-130.
A new multiplayer mode called "Capital Conquest" involves two teams of 8 vs. 8 where each team takes turns either defending or attacking a world capital, such as Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. In this mode, fighters, attackers, attack helicopters, and bombers can fly together simultaneously. Each type of aircraft will have its advantages and disadvantages, having specific roles in the battlefield.
Controls
There are two control schemes in the game: 'Original' and 'Optimum'.- The 'Original' control setting is similar to the controls in the previous titles under the name 'Expert'. As expected, it gives the player full control of the aircraft, with the left stick making it roll (not turn) when pushed right or left.
- The new 'Optimum' controls (the default mode and the one used in all the trailers released so far) is not the equivalent of the usual 'beginner/novice' control style of the series. It prevents the player from doing full rolls but this is to gain the stability needed to get the best of the new ‘Close Range Assault System’.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon makes the infamous "spamming missile" or "pixel shooting" techniques ineffective now especially when battling against humans. In order to shoot an ace the gameplay now requires the player to either surprise them or to enter close combat. The 'Optimum' mode makes it easier to learn.
In addition to these settings there are many options to tweak the controls and adapt to the player's style. It includes the choice of normal or reverse settings for the Pitch Control, Camera Control, Throttle, Yaw, and the order maps and weapons are cycled through. High G turns return from Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
is the sixth installment developed by Project Aces and published by Namco Bandai Games exclusively for the Xbox 360 as part of the Ace Combat franchise...
, as well as Auto Pilot if both shoulder buttons are held down.
Last, the Flight Assistance provides opportunities to players such as Auto-leveling, Automatic Collision Prevention, Automatic Stall Prevention, Sight Assist, and Automatic Forward Target Selection. Flight Assistance can be turned on or off.
Ace Combat Assualt Horizon on XBOX 360 will support the Ace Edge Joysticks released with Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.
Flights/Squadrons
Four squadrons are known at this time, and they are all elements of the 108th Task Force (which means they are all allied with the player). No enemy squadrons have been named as of yet (the only one referred to so far is the one led by Colonel Markov).108th Task Force
- Warwolf Squadron: A USAF squadron that is the player character's main squadron, flying F-15C Eagles, F-35B Lightning IIs, F-22 RaptorF-22 RaptorThe Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals...
s, F-15E Strike EagleF-15E Strike EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force F-15E Strike...
s, F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
s, F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
s, AV-8B Harrier IIAV-8B Harrier IIThe McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing ground-attack aircraft. An Anglo-American development of the British Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the Harrier II is the final member of the Harrier family that started with the Hawker Siddeley P.1127 in...
s, A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt IIThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
s, F-117 NighthawkF-117 NighthawkThe Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
s and other aircraft. - Razor Squadron: An Air Force flight that flies B-2 SpiritB-2 SpiritThe Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...
s and B-1B Lancers that is deplyed during NATOs defence of Russia. - Nomad Squadron: Part of the US Army, it consists of the group of MH-60 Black Hawks.
- Shooter Squadron: Another squadron of the US Army, the Shooter squadron flies AH-64D Apache Longbows.
- Tiger Squadron: Heard on the radio several times during the first mission. Aircraft unknown.
- Lion Squadron: A French detatchment of Mirage 2000s.
Antagonists
- Colonel Markov's Squadron: One of the enemy squadrons participating in the battle of Miami. Colonel Markov is leading a squadron to fight for African forces with Su-33s and Su-35s.
(Note: A Flight
Flight (military unit)
A flight is a military unit in an air force, naval air service, or army air corps. It usually comprises three to six aircraft, with their aircrews and ground staff; or, in the case of a non-flying ground flight, no aircraft and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel. In most usages,...
consists of three to six aircraft, while Squadrons
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
consist of three or four flights, with a total of 9 to 24 aircraft.)
Characters
108th Task Force
General Pierre La Pointe- The commander of the 108th Task Force. Voice by: Richard Doyle (actor)Richard Doyle (actor)Richard Doyle , sometimes credited as Richard Doyal, is an American actor and voice actor.- Early life :Richard Doyle was born in 1945 in Brockton, Massachusetts...
Magic
- A character asked to give a SITREP about the situation over Miami. He is probably the AWACS supporting the player.
Spooky 01:
- An US Air Force AC-130U serving as a fire support gunship. It is a playable aircraft during the campaign.
Major Janice Rehl
- The pilot of Razor 1, assigned to the operations over Africa by Colonel Bishop. Likes to tease Guts. Voice by: Kari WahlgrenKari WahlgrenKari K. Wahlgren is an American voice actress who has provided English language voices for dozens of anime titles and video games. Her debut role was as one of the main characters of FLCL, Haruko Haruhara. She had a live-action role as Tinker Bell in the 2003 Damion Dietz film Neverland...
Warwolf Flight
Lieutenant Colonel William Bishop- The player's character, being introduced in the first mission, flying in an F-22 over Miami. He is shot down by Col. Markov in the same mission, who seems to intend to ram him as he is parachuting. This is later to be revealed as a dream foreshadowing his encounter with the enemy ace. He is the leader of Warwolf Flight. Voice by: Paul Mercier (actor)
Captain Jose "Guts" Gutierrez
- Bishop's close friend and wingman in Warwolf Flight. Voice by: Philip Anthony-RodriguezPhilip Anthony-RodriguezPhilip Anthony-Rodriguez is an American actor and voice actor of Puerto Rican descent who is known for his roles on Jake 2.0 as Kyle Duarte and the voice of disc jockey Maurice Chavez in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. His voice is also heard in the 2010 video game Halo: Reach...
Nomad Squadron
Captain Doug "D-ray" Robinson- The commanding officer of Shooter Squadron and leader of Nomad Squadron.
Jack
- D-ray's co-pilot.
James "Hawkgunner" Mitchell
- He mans the M134 on his MH-60L Black Hawk, and a fellow soldier can be seen accessing his twitter in the opening scene of the debut trailer. He wears a skull mask over his face.
Antagonists
Colonel Andrei "Akula" Markov- An Ace, and leader of an enemy squadron during the attack of Miami. He is nicknamed Akula (Russian for sharkSharkSharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
) because of the design on the nose of his Su-35S and PAK FA.
Retail Editions
For European regions, Namco Bandai is releasing a "Limited Edition" that also includes the game's soundtrack, a redeemable code to download the F-4E Phantom II aircraft, and a notebook signed by the development team, all in a folded box. Gamers who pre-order this Limited Edition of the game will get it for the same price as the standard edition.In Japan, gamers who pre-order the game will get a code to download the F-4E Phantom II. In the United States, Gamestop is offering the plane as an exclusive pre-order bonus.
Development
The game was first hinted at by a trademark filing by Namco Bandai in April 2010. It was officially announced along with a gameplay trailer on August 9, 2010. Gameplay has been expanded to include the use of helicopters and possibly gunships as well. The trailer showed the player using a AH-64D Apache Longbow gunship, and occupying the gunner's position on the UH-60 Black Hawk while attacking a desert village. Additionally the setting appears to have shifted away from the conflicts between fictional nations from previous games to the 21st century EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. In the trailer the US Air Force is engaged in dogfighting with Russian Navy fighters (or forces posing as such) over Miami. The player is in an F-22 engaging and destroying several enemies before being shot down himself. Pierre La Pointe, the commander of the 108th Task Force, briefs the Task Force on an Ace leading the attack on Miami named Col. Markov who has been nicknamed Akula (Russian for shark) because of the design on the nose of his plane. Russian involvement in the conflict has been described as "advisers and mercenaries" in the E3 Trailer. Another scene showed a US A-10 attacking a fleet of naval ships. The extended trailer had additional scenes of air battles with the player flying an F-35 and an F-16 over Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and an attack on a desert oil facility. It is also revealed that the time is sometime in 2015 and will also take place in East Africa.
A demo was released on September 13, 2011. All PlayStation 3 players could download it for free; however, Xbox 360 players needed to have Xbox LIVE Gold for the first week in order to download it; it then migrated to Xbox LIVE Silver as well. The demo includes Mission 1 and Mission 3, with the iconic air battle over Miami from the trailers and the attack helicopter rescue operation in Africa, respectively.
Macross
Macross
is a series of science fiction mecha anime, directed by Shōji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982. The franchise features a fictional history of Earth/Humanity after the year 1999. It consists of three TV series, four movies, six OVAs, one light novel and five manga series, all sponsored by Big West...
creator Shouji Kawamori has been confirmed to be working on a fictional plane for the game, currently known as the "ASF-X Shinden II", which will be offered as downloadable content.
Reception
The game has garnered mostly positive reviews. Metacritic has garnered a 79 out of 100 (based on 56 reviews) for the Xbox 360 release and a 75 out of 100 (based on 18 reviews) for the PlayStation 3 release. Critics praised the real-world settings, graphics and the soundtrack, but was criticized for being repetitive and overly scripted. Critics also praised the voice-acting of the characters.Reception from the audience have also been positive.With Metacritic giving a 9.0/10 for the Xbox 360.Many gamers felt that the new gameplay elements kept the series "fresh and exciting". IGN gave it a 7.5 out of 10. However, Gamespot gave the game a 5.5 out of 10 and 1UP gave it a D+ (33 out of 100).So far, the game has sold over 470,000 copies combined, with the PS3 at 310,000 sales and the 360 at 160,000 copies respectively.