So, you've watched the trailers for Ace Combat 7, and it looks pretty cool...
...but what's all that stuff about made-up countries and some kind of anime princess?
Whether this is your first exposure to Ace Combat, or you've played one of them years ago and need a quick refresher,
here's everything you need to know about Ace Combat 7 in 4 minutes.
So what is Ace Combat?
Ace Combat is a series of arcade flight action games.
They're not flight simulators - Ace Combat is more concerned with fulfilling the fantasy of being an ace pilot than it is with emulating how fighter jets actually work.
The controls are easy to pick up, and they don't let realism get in the way of fun.
Your plane can carry hundreds of missiles, pull impossibly tight turns and shrug off a few hits without dying.
Typical missions will have you gunning down dozens, if not hundreds of enemies within a span of like 10 minutes.
Ace Combat 7 will feature over 25 real world aircraft as well as a new dynamic weather system.
You can fly into thick clouds to lose your pursuers, while strong winds and lightning strikes will keep you on your toes.
Ace Combat has by far, the most polished moment-to-moment gameplay of any flight action game,
but the thing that makes this series really stand out is a story.
Now there is a 7 at the end of the title,
but you don't need to have played any of the previous games to understand the plot; all the games have self-contained stories.
That being said, here's a quick summary:
Ace Combat takes place in the alternate reality universe of Strangereal.
One time, there was an asteroid about to hit the earth,
so every country built giant super weapons to shoot it down.
But then after the asteroid was destroyed, they started shooting at each other instead, leading to an endless series of giant wars.
Combine that with the fact that multi-million dollar fighter jets are the in-universe equivalent to 1995 Toyota Corollas,
and you have a recipe for massive aerial conflicts. You still fight plenty of tanks, battleships, planes and helicopters during typical missions,
but the series most memorable moments usually involve a boss battle against some kind of ridiculous super weapon.
Past entries have had you fly down the barrel of a giant railgun, dodge laser beams from a giant eye of Sauron looking thing, shoot down flying
battleships bristling with anti-air guns, and the final mission of pretty much every game is the Death Star Trench Run.
The games usually have over-the-top anime storylines, which have been compared to stuff like Metal Gear Solid.
They're full of corny dialogue and soldiers waxing philosophical about the nature of war,
but they still manage to deliver some poignant moments.
In Ace Combat 7 you play as a pilot flying for the country of Osea. You'll be fighting the kingdom of Erusea who alleged that Osea
unlawfully constructed a space elevator in Erusean territory.
The story looks like it'll be tackling the theme of automation in modern warfare,
and I would bet like ten bucks that there's gonna be a mission where you have to fly through that space elevator
Ace Combat 7 also has a PlayStation exclusive VR mode, which consists of three missions specifically made for VR.
Note that you cannot play the entire campaign in VR due to technical limitations - It's just those three missions
There will also be PvP Multiplayer with Team Deathmatch and Free-For-All modes.
If you're looking to dip your toes into the Ace Combat series, I highly recommend Ace Combat 4 or 5 and Zero for the PS2,
Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360, and Ace Combat X for the PSP.
Ace Combat is the kind of game that has fully licensed and beautifully detailed models of the world's most cutting-edge aircraft,
and then lets you slap anime girls on them.
It's the kind of game that has you save the city from a chemical gas attack, and then shoot down a bucket of fried chicken.
And I hope this video has helped you figure out whether it's the kind of game for you.
I think I've made my opinion pretty clear: Ace Combat is my favorite game series, but hey, don't just take my word for it.
Here's what the greatest game critic of all time had to say:
Out of all of the games that I regularly play, Ace Combat games are the most consistent for moments that have made me feel
so thrilled with gaming that hairs stand up on the back of my neck that I'm so goddamn excited to be playing it.
Ace Combat 7 comes out for PS4 and XBOX ONE On January 18th and for PC on February 1st.
For more information check out AceCombatFan on YouTube,
which is the channel you're watching right now, the Ace Combat subreddit (r/acecombat), and the ridiculously detailed Ace Combat wiki.
That's all for now. I'll see you in the skies!