Written by John Edward Betancourt The Alpha Quadrant: |
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The first game in the series released on the Playstation console in 1995. Despite being titled Ace Combat in Japan, it was called Air Combat in North America. Previously released as an arcade game, it introduced many of the gameplay aspects that would become pillars of the series, from the roster of aircraft spanning many countries and plane generations to the objectives of the missions themselves. Although it lacked the special weapons and more detailed controls of later games, it did set the groundwork for the unique playstyle of the series with the quick, flashy lightness of an arcade game mixed with the control and precision of a simulator. Fun Fact: a mobile version of this was developed in 2005 for the ‘Namco Service,’ game distribution service. This was only available in Japan, however, and vanished alongside the Namco Service in 2006.
Ace Combat 2, other than incrementing the graphics and environments in the ways typically expected of a sequel, also introduced some new staple features to the series. The plot was more closely tied to the player character and their supporting wingmen, who were given more personality than the generic helper plane from the first game. It was the first game to introduce futuristic fictional aircraft, and we’ve seen at least one sci-fi-like fictional plane as an available unlock in all of the main entries since. Ace Combat 2 is also the first game of the series to introduce ‘Ace Pilots,’ these specially named enemy aircraft, usually one per level, are far more deadly and dangerous than typical enemies and sometimes hidden in out of the way places. Finding and shooting them down will unlock their special unique paint job for the plane they were flying.
This entry in the series also sees the introduction of Usea, a fictional continent in the Ace Combat universe, which would return in later games. The next two main entries would both be set on this continent, and it would eventually be one of many in the Ace Combat fictional world of Strangereal. This world is really just Earth with its landmasses rearranged and new political entities drawn onto them. These countries and the natural laws of Strangereal are grounded in the real world, providing Strangereal with a comfortable framework of familiarity through which players can immerse themselves in the wartime machinations of fictional nations. The countries of Strangereal are based on real world nations and some, like Sapin or the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, bear close cosmetic resemblances to real-world entities. However, most Strangereal nations are a mixture of cultural, military, social and economic histories from a variety of real-world countries.
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere remains, to this day, distinct from the rest of the numbered entries in the franchise.
Ace Combat 3 is a bit of a break from the otherwise natural progression from the original to Ace Combat 4. While the 1st, 2nd, and 4th games present a natural progression of a game series, with each entry bringing bigger environments, more aircraft, better graphics, and more polish and detail, Electrosphere does this while also taking a great narrative deviation, and more firmly drawing on elements of other Japanese media. Sticking with Strangereal and the Usean continent from the 2nd game, 3 jumps far forward in time to present a cyberpunk-inspired corporate future, where two dominant companies are about to go to war, a future version of the United Nations is doing its best to mitigate the conflict, and a terrorist organization attempting to force the human race forward into some new form, supposedly free of human flesh and desires. The plot and setting took great inspiration from popular works like Ghost in the Shell, and even worked with Production I.G., the animation studio responsible for famous sci-fi works like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, FLCL, and End of Evangelion.
One of the many unique features of Ace Combat 3 is its branching story, driven by player choice. Depending on which of the four organizations the player swears allegiance to, what missions they undertake, and which objectives they complete, players can access five different endings. Upon completion of all endings, it is revealed the player is an Artificial Intelligence in a simulation being run by a scientist to determine possible outcomes of a choice he is considering. To help facilitate this, Ace Combat 3 allows the player to fail certain missions or objectives but still continue to the next mission, as the consequences of your actions play out in the story.
In keeping with its futuristic setting and sci-fi inspirations, Electrosphere has many more fictional aircraft than other games in the series, some of which are simply futuristic imaginings of present-day planes (the F-22 Raptor is extrapolated into the F-22C Raptor II, for example,) while others are completely new original designs. One level even takes place in space, with physics changing appropriately to accommodate the zero-gravity of the environment.
Ace Combat 3 is still infamous among fans for its Localization debacle: partway through the localization process, localization efforts were cancelled, resulting in only a partial experience being sold outside of Japan, with different and fewer missions and a watered-down story. Electrosphere would sell worse than either of its predecessors, especially internationally. Whether this is due to how steeped in Japanese media culture the story and world were or to the abrupt cancellation of localization efforts for all versions outside Japan is unclear, but it was perhaps these lukewarm sales that nudged developer Project Aces to return to a more modern setting and more general appeal with subsequent entries. To this day, Ace Combat 3 localization efforts are ongoing by fans, in an attempt to finally bring the full story experience to English-language fans, and to make the full story available outside Japan. The Head of Project Aces has said that completing the localization of Electrosphere and releasing it would be more difficult than re-releasing the entire next three games combined, so Electrosphere is unlikely to see the light of day again, unless fan efforts bear fruit. It is a testament to uniqueness and influence of Electrosphere that fans continue their efforts to this day, devoted and unwavering.
Ace Combat 2, other than incrementing the graphics and environments in the ways typically expected of a sequel, also introduced some new staple features to the series. The plot was more closely tied to the player character and their supporting wingmen, who were given more personality than the generic helper plane from the first game. It was the first game to introduce futuristic fictional aircraft, and we’ve seen at least one sci-fi-like fictional plane as an available unlock in all of the main entries since. Ace Combat 2 is also the first game of the series to introduce ‘Ace Pilots,’ these specially named enemy aircraft, usually one per level, are far more deadly and dangerous than typical enemies and sometimes hidden in out of the way places. Finding and shooting them down will unlock their special unique paint job for the plane they were flying.
This entry in the series also sees the introduction of Usea, a fictional continent in the Ace Combat universe, which would return in later games. The next two main entries would both be set on this continent, and it would eventually be one of many in the Ace Combat fictional world of Strangereal. This world is really just Earth with its landmasses rearranged and new political entities drawn onto them. These countries and the natural laws of Strangereal are grounded in the real world, providing Strangereal with a comfortable framework of familiarity through which players can immerse themselves in the wartime machinations of fictional nations. The countries of Strangereal are based on real world nations and some, like Sapin or the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, bear close cosmetic resemblances to real-world entities. However, most Strangereal nations are a mixture of cultural, military, social and economic histories from a variety of real-world countries.
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere remains, to this day, distinct from the rest of the numbered entries in the franchise.
Ace Combat 3 is a bit of a break from the otherwise natural progression from the original to Ace Combat 4. While the 1st, 2nd, and 4th games present a natural progression of a game series, with each entry bringing bigger environments, more aircraft, better graphics, and more polish and detail, Electrosphere does this while also taking a great narrative deviation, and more firmly drawing on elements of other Japanese media. Sticking with Strangereal and the Usean continent from the 2nd game, 3 jumps far forward in time to present a cyberpunk-inspired corporate future, where two dominant companies are about to go to war, a future version of the United Nations is doing its best to mitigate the conflict, and a terrorist organization attempting to force the human race forward into some new form, supposedly free of human flesh and desires. The plot and setting took great inspiration from popular works like Ghost in the Shell, and even worked with Production I.G., the animation studio responsible for famous sci-fi works like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, FLCL, and End of Evangelion.
One of the many unique features of Ace Combat 3 is its branching story, driven by player choice. Depending on which of the four organizations the player swears allegiance to, what missions they undertake, and which objectives they complete, players can access five different endings. Upon completion of all endings, it is revealed the player is an Artificial Intelligence in a simulation being run by a scientist to determine possible outcomes of a choice he is considering. To help facilitate this, Ace Combat 3 allows the player to fail certain missions or objectives but still continue to the next mission, as the consequences of your actions play out in the story.
In keeping with its futuristic setting and sci-fi inspirations, Electrosphere has many more fictional aircraft than other games in the series, some of which are simply futuristic imaginings of present-day planes (the F-22 Raptor is extrapolated into the F-22C Raptor II, for example,) while others are completely new original designs. One level even takes place in space, with physics changing appropriately to accommodate the zero-gravity of the environment.
Ace Combat 3 is still infamous among fans for its Localization debacle: partway through the localization process, localization efforts were cancelled, resulting in only a partial experience being sold outside of Japan, with different and fewer missions and a watered-down story. Electrosphere would sell worse than either of its predecessors, especially internationally. Whether this is due to how steeped in Japanese media culture the story and world were or to the abrupt cancellation of localization efforts for all versions outside Japan is unclear, but it was perhaps these lukewarm sales that nudged developer Project Aces to return to a more modern setting and more general appeal with subsequent entries. To this day, Ace Combat 3 localization efforts are ongoing by fans, in an attempt to finally bring the full story experience to English-language fans, and to make the full story available outside Japan. The Head of Project Aces has said that completing the localization of Electrosphere and releasing it would be more difficult than re-releasing the entire next three games combined, so Electrosphere is unlikely to see the light of day again, unless fan efforts bear fruit. It is a testament to uniqueness and influence of Electrosphere that fans continue their efforts to this day, devoted and unwavering.
The Holy Trinity:
Ace Combat 4, Ace Combat 5, and Ace Combat Zero
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With Ace Combat 4, (stylized as Ace Combat 04) the franchise moved onto the next generation of consoles. Releasing on the Playstation 2 in November 2001 in North American, and subtitled ‘Shattered Skies,’ (but subtitled in Europe as ‘Distant Thunder,’) Ace Combat 04 is the first of what is often referred to by fans as the ‘Holy Trinity’ of Ace Combat games: the three considered by many to be the best of the series. The new hardware of the PS2 made possible a major graphical improvement that leaves us with aircraft models that still look good today, and the large, target-filled maps and magnificent soundtrack enhanced and expanded the core Ace Combat gameplay experience into the standard by which other entries of the console generation would be judged. The huge, sprawling levels filled with multitudes of enemies created a grand sense of scale for the combat. However, specific squadron wingmen did not appear in this entry, and the ability to give wingman commands vanished with them. Ace Combat 4 is also the first game to feature a Return Line which can be crossed during missions to return to an airbase or aircraft carrier. Successfully landing and taking off from these will repair damage to your plane and refill your weapons. This new mechanic helped facilitate longer missions on larger maps filled with a greater-than-usual number of enemy targets.
The story, set once again on the continent of Usea, revolved around the country of Erusea, on the western coast, invading all its neighboring nations and attempting to conquer the entire continent. It also introduced us to ‘The Ulysses Event,’ a major world-altering event which took place in Strangereal when a massive asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere, breaking apart as it did so and causing major destruction in several parts of the globe. In addition to creating scenic craters which litter our games’ levels, the Ulysses Disaster also acts as a catalyst for many political events, some of which would lead to the wars we participate in over the coming games. In the case of Ace Combat 4, the countries of Usea built a circular network of railguns designed to shoot asteroids out of the sky called Stonehenge. Erusea, recognizing its potential as an anti-aircraft weapon, took control of Stonehenge and used it to achieve air superiority over the mainland continent, and press that advantage to assist their land conquest. Much of the story revolves around Stonehenge and Erusea’s elite Yellow Squadron, who defend the railguns.
The main story of Ace Combat 4 actually splits its focus. While the player fights their way through the war, tracking the allied nations defense and eventual liberation of the continent, between missions are interludes telling the story of a boy living in an occupied city. These beautiful, artistic interludes inject a note of perspective and humanity into the war, as events unfold in the boy’s life as a direct result of the player character’s actions in the war. As the story progresses, the player and the ‘Storyteller Boy’ begin to merge, moving closer and closer until the game’s climax. Ultimately, Ace Combat 4’s huge levels, wide selection of aircraft and weaponry, touching story, and captivating soundtrack combined to make a standout game which catapulted the franchise onto the PS2.
Ace Combat 5 followed only three years after 04, releasing in October 2004. Like its predecessor, it had different titles for North America and Europe: The Unsung War and Squadron Leader, respectively. It branched out from the standard continent of Usea to deal with one of the larger nations in Strangereal: Osea. Casting Osea as a rough analogue to the United States, a nation called the Union of Yuktobanian Republics as a rough analogue to the Soviet Union, and the country of Belka as a rough analogue to Germany, (albeit still taking place in the present day,) the opening cinematic tells a tale of the two superpowers of Yuktobania and Osea (along with several allied nations,) crushing Belka’s last great attempt to conquer the world. The game begins fifteen years after this war, as strange military events and a series of mysterious attacks set Osea and Yuktobania on the path to war against each other. Unlike Ace Combat 4, the story of Ace Combat 5 takes place centered around the player character and their squadron of allies, who fly with you into combat once again as wingmen and wingmen commands make their return to the series. In keeping with the series’ themes, no fewer than three different superweapons appear throughout the campaign.
Although the gameplay was very similar to 04, it added interesting new flourishes like first-person storytelling (including a moment when you eject from your aircraft,) and aircraft restrictions for certain missions. (Missions that see you launch from an aircraft carrier limit you to using only the carrier-capable aircraft in your inventory, for example.) And, of course, the return of Wingmen and Wingmen commands, as mentioned earlier. In addition to fleshing out your squadron-mates as the main characters of the story, Ace Combat 5 gave you a way to interact with them, albeit a limited one. Throughout missions, the player receives yes/no questions, and get to answer them with the same buttons used to give wingman commands (or stay silent, if preferred.) Your responses elicit different responses from the other characters, providing flavor, story snippets, and character background. Ace Combat 5 also had two points where your mission path would diverge - your response to a particular question determining your next one or two missions. Additionally, there was one new wrinkle to purchasing new aircraft: having enough money could purchase base aircraft, with their variants (each equipped with different special weapons) only unlocked by getting enough points with the base aircraft. In this way, you had to get to know a plane thoroughly before you were allowed to fly all its different versions. Ace Combat 5 also came with a bonus Arcade Mode that let you play as Mobius 1, the player character from Ace Combat 04, as they cleaned up the last remnant Erusian holdouts from that game’s war.
Ace Combat 5 is considered by many to be the peak of the franchise - its centrally focused and plot-twisty story, the variety of missions, the in-mission storytelling, and the broader world it built and characters it introduced have given it a lasting place in many players hearts, and the worldbuilding especially has let Ace Combat 5 leave fingerprints on many subsequent titles.
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War was the final PS2 entry and brought the ‘Holy Trinity’ to completion. In keeping with its out-of-order number, the game’s plot acts as a tie-in prequel to the Ace Combat 5, (for a specific example, the music during Zero’s climactic battle uses lyrics from 5’s climax, and reprises many of the same musical themes,) although Zero’s story stands on its own if you’re unfamiliar with the other game.
New to Ace Combat Zero, however, was a gameplay mechanic called The Ace Style Gauge. This was intertwined with another new mechanic: optional targets. During missions, you would encounter optional targets - storage buildings, disarmed or disabled enemy vehicles, or ancillary facilities. Rather than appearing red like enemies or green like allies, these were displayed in yellow. Destroying them earned you more points, (and therefore more money with which to buy new weapons and aircraft,) but would also influence your standing on the Ace Style Gauge. Sparing optional targets would slide you towards the honorable ranking of ‘Knight,’ who upheld noble standards of honorable warfare and flight. Destroying them would push you towards the ruthless ‘Mercenary,’ who would do anything for a greater payout and a more fearsome legend. Balancing the two would label you a ‘Soldier,’ who could read the tide of battle and respond as necessary to changing situations.
The Ace Style Gauge wasn’t just for flavor, however. Throughout the story of Ace Combat Zero, certain missions would see you encountering particularly tough enemy ‘Ace Squadrons,’ with unique emblems, paint jobs, and who were much tougher than other enemies in the level. While some of these Ace Squadrons were set in stone, others were determined by your position on the Ace Style Gauge. These characters will all fly different planes, use different weapons, and use different tactics against you. Further, the story is told through a series of interviews as a reporter speaks to people who encountered the player character during the war. Which Ace Squadrons you fly against determines which survivors the reporter speaks to, which determines what cutscenes you see, what story information you learn, and how you are remembered by history. Unlike Ace Combat 3, where your player choices determined the outcome of the story, in Zero the main story events remain the same, and instead the people you encounter and the postwar lives they lead are determined by your actions on the battlefield. The Ace Style Gauge and selectable story are less about rewriting history than they are about forging your own legend; the focus shifted from the global stage to the postwar roles of the actors who carried out a war.
One of the largest changes was the inclusion of different ‘Operations’ for certain missions. Several story missions were part of larger, multi-stage military operations, and players have the option to select which section of the mission they will undertake. In one mission, for example, where the larger military goal is to help a new aircraft carrier safely transit a canal, there are three Operations to select: destroying enemy forces guarding the canal, cripple the enemy naval force waiting to ambush your allies on the far side of the canal, or stay with the carrier itself, protecting it from any remaining enemy forces after the other two operations have completed. Selecting one of these operations effectively means there are three optional levels on the same map, each with their own challenges and optional targets and therefore allowing for a measure of replayability. There was real aesthetic consistency, too: if you select the third option to escort the carrier, for example, you will see the wreckage and destroyed remains of the other two operations: fires and damage along the canal, and sunken enemy ships on the far side. These options helped to spice up multiple playthroughs, (which you are also encouraged to do in order to change your Ace Style Gauge, meet all the enemy Ace Squadrons, and see all the stories,) and they would return in a more smoothly-integrated way in Ace Combat 6.
While The Belkan War’s focus on player choice and individual characters may have meant the larger war story was less visible, (not helped by the addition of a deeply-woven and far-reaching conspiracy, the remnants of which were driving the plot of Ace Combat 5,) many players appreciated the tighter focus and emphasis on player choice, and the new features proved that Project Aces was not running out of steam or ideas, but could forge ahead strongly with new Ace Combat content and was not going to let the games get stale.
Overall, the Holy Trinity of Ace Combat 04, Ace Combat 5, and Ace Combat Zero represents the pinnacle of the series for many fans. Unfortunately, whatever bright future was planned had to be delayed. As we will see, some behind-the-scenes issues would mean stepping off this successful path and onto some shaky footing, but Project Aces’ determination, flexibility, and mindfulness would manage to carry the Ace Combat Franchise through the storm, and have it come out with some important lessons learned and even some fun new additions.
The story, set once again on the continent of Usea, revolved around the country of Erusea, on the western coast, invading all its neighboring nations and attempting to conquer the entire continent. It also introduced us to ‘The Ulysses Event,’ a major world-altering event which took place in Strangereal when a massive asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere, breaking apart as it did so and causing major destruction in several parts of the globe. In addition to creating scenic craters which litter our games’ levels, the Ulysses Disaster also acts as a catalyst for many political events, some of which would lead to the wars we participate in over the coming games. In the case of Ace Combat 4, the countries of Usea built a circular network of railguns designed to shoot asteroids out of the sky called Stonehenge. Erusea, recognizing its potential as an anti-aircraft weapon, took control of Stonehenge and used it to achieve air superiority over the mainland continent, and press that advantage to assist their land conquest. Much of the story revolves around Stonehenge and Erusea’s elite Yellow Squadron, who defend the railguns.
The main story of Ace Combat 4 actually splits its focus. While the player fights their way through the war, tracking the allied nations defense and eventual liberation of the continent, between missions are interludes telling the story of a boy living in an occupied city. These beautiful, artistic interludes inject a note of perspective and humanity into the war, as events unfold in the boy’s life as a direct result of the player character’s actions in the war. As the story progresses, the player and the ‘Storyteller Boy’ begin to merge, moving closer and closer until the game’s climax. Ultimately, Ace Combat 4’s huge levels, wide selection of aircraft and weaponry, touching story, and captivating soundtrack combined to make a standout game which catapulted the franchise onto the PS2.
Ace Combat 5 followed only three years after 04, releasing in October 2004. Like its predecessor, it had different titles for North America and Europe: The Unsung War and Squadron Leader, respectively. It branched out from the standard continent of Usea to deal with one of the larger nations in Strangereal: Osea. Casting Osea as a rough analogue to the United States, a nation called the Union of Yuktobanian Republics as a rough analogue to the Soviet Union, and the country of Belka as a rough analogue to Germany, (albeit still taking place in the present day,) the opening cinematic tells a tale of the two superpowers of Yuktobania and Osea (along with several allied nations,) crushing Belka’s last great attempt to conquer the world. The game begins fifteen years after this war, as strange military events and a series of mysterious attacks set Osea and Yuktobania on the path to war against each other. Unlike Ace Combat 4, the story of Ace Combat 5 takes place centered around the player character and their squadron of allies, who fly with you into combat once again as wingmen and wingmen commands make their return to the series. In keeping with the series’ themes, no fewer than three different superweapons appear throughout the campaign.
Although the gameplay was very similar to 04, it added interesting new flourishes like first-person storytelling (including a moment when you eject from your aircraft,) and aircraft restrictions for certain missions. (Missions that see you launch from an aircraft carrier limit you to using only the carrier-capable aircraft in your inventory, for example.) And, of course, the return of Wingmen and Wingmen commands, as mentioned earlier. In addition to fleshing out your squadron-mates as the main characters of the story, Ace Combat 5 gave you a way to interact with them, albeit a limited one. Throughout missions, the player receives yes/no questions, and get to answer them with the same buttons used to give wingman commands (or stay silent, if preferred.) Your responses elicit different responses from the other characters, providing flavor, story snippets, and character background. Ace Combat 5 also had two points where your mission path would diverge - your response to a particular question determining your next one or two missions. Additionally, there was one new wrinkle to purchasing new aircraft: having enough money could purchase base aircraft, with their variants (each equipped with different special weapons) only unlocked by getting enough points with the base aircraft. In this way, you had to get to know a plane thoroughly before you were allowed to fly all its different versions. Ace Combat 5 also came with a bonus Arcade Mode that let you play as Mobius 1, the player character from Ace Combat 04, as they cleaned up the last remnant Erusian holdouts from that game’s war.
Ace Combat 5 is considered by many to be the peak of the franchise - its centrally focused and plot-twisty story, the variety of missions, the in-mission storytelling, and the broader world it built and characters it introduced have given it a lasting place in many players hearts, and the worldbuilding especially has let Ace Combat 5 leave fingerprints on many subsequent titles.
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War was the final PS2 entry and brought the ‘Holy Trinity’ to completion. In keeping with its out-of-order number, the game’s plot acts as a tie-in prequel to the Ace Combat 5, (for a specific example, the music during Zero’s climactic battle uses lyrics from 5’s climax, and reprises many of the same musical themes,) although Zero’s story stands on its own if you’re unfamiliar with the other game.
New to Ace Combat Zero, however, was a gameplay mechanic called The Ace Style Gauge. This was intertwined with another new mechanic: optional targets. During missions, you would encounter optional targets - storage buildings, disarmed or disabled enemy vehicles, or ancillary facilities. Rather than appearing red like enemies or green like allies, these were displayed in yellow. Destroying them earned you more points, (and therefore more money with which to buy new weapons and aircraft,) but would also influence your standing on the Ace Style Gauge. Sparing optional targets would slide you towards the honorable ranking of ‘Knight,’ who upheld noble standards of honorable warfare and flight. Destroying them would push you towards the ruthless ‘Mercenary,’ who would do anything for a greater payout and a more fearsome legend. Balancing the two would label you a ‘Soldier,’ who could read the tide of battle and respond as necessary to changing situations.
The Ace Style Gauge wasn’t just for flavor, however. Throughout the story of Ace Combat Zero, certain missions would see you encountering particularly tough enemy ‘Ace Squadrons,’ with unique emblems, paint jobs, and who were much tougher than other enemies in the level. While some of these Ace Squadrons were set in stone, others were determined by your position on the Ace Style Gauge. These characters will all fly different planes, use different weapons, and use different tactics against you. Further, the story is told through a series of interviews as a reporter speaks to people who encountered the player character during the war. Which Ace Squadrons you fly against determines which survivors the reporter speaks to, which determines what cutscenes you see, what story information you learn, and how you are remembered by history. Unlike Ace Combat 3, where your player choices determined the outcome of the story, in Zero the main story events remain the same, and instead the people you encounter and the postwar lives they lead are determined by your actions on the battlefield. The Ace Style Gauge and selectable story are less about rewriting history than they are about forging your own legend; the focus shifted from the global stage to the postwar roles of the actors who carried out a war.
One of the largest changes was the inclusion of different ‘Operations’ for certain missions. Several story missions were part of larger, multi-stage military operations, and players have the option to select which section of the mission they will undertake. In one mission, for example, where the larger military goal is to help a new aircraft carrier safely transit a canal, there are three Operations to select: destroying enemy forces guarding the canal, cripple the enemy naval force waiting to ambush your allies on the far side of the canal, or stay with the carrier itself, protecting it from any remaining enemy forces after the other two operations have completed. Selecting one of these operations effectively means there are three optional levels on the same map, each with their own challenges and optional targets and therefore allowing for a measure of replayability. There was real aesthetic consistency, too: if you select the third option to escort the carrier, for example, you will see the wreckage and destroyed remains of the other two operations: fires and damage along the canal, and sunken enemy ships on the far side. These options helped to spice up multiple playthroughs, (which you are also encouraged to do in order to change your Ace Style Gauge, meet all the enemy Ace Squadrons, and see all the stories,) and they would return in a more smoothly-integrated way in Ace Combat 6.
While The Belkan War’s focus on player choice and individual characters may have meant the larger war story was less visible, (not helped by the addition of a deeply-woven and far-reaching conspiracy, the remnants of which were driving the plot of Ace Combat 5,) many players appreciated the tighter focus and emphasis on player choice, and the new features proved that Project Aces was not running out of steam or ideas, but could forge ahead strongly with new Ace Combat content and was not going to let the games get stale.
Overall, the Holy Trinity of Ace Combat 04, Ace Combat 5, and Ace Combat Zero represents the pinnacle of the series for many fans. Unfortunately, whatever bright future was planned had to be delayed. As we will see, some behind-the-scenes issues would mean stepping off this successful path and onto some shaky footing, but Project Aces’ determination, flexibility, and mindfulness would manage to carry the Ace Combat Franchise through the storm, and have it come out with some important lessons learned and even some fun new additions.
Adrift Amongst the Clouds:
Ace Combat 6, Assault Horizon, and Infinity
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Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation - The Red-Headed Stepchild
For its lifespan, the Ace Combat franchise has been a major moneymaker in its homeland of Japan. After three games on the PS2, it was clearly time for Ace Combat to move onto the next generation of consoles. Meanwhile, over at Microsoft, their Xbox and Xbox 360 weren’t able to crack into the Japanese market as strongly as Microsoft wanted - struggling against the home-field advantage of Sony and Nintendo. In an effort to bolster their sales, Microsoft successfully courted Ace Combat’s publisher Bandai Namco to make Ace Combat 6 release only on Xbox 360. This would prove to be devastating to the Ace Combat franchise; very few fans (who had been anticipating the thus-far Playstation Exclusive series to release on the PS3) were swayed to purchase an entirely new console for one game, and the 360’s struggles in Japan needed more than one popular title to fix them. In the end, the 360 couldn’t recover its lost ground in Japan, and Ace Combat 6 performed much more poorly than the previous titles, shaking Bandai Namco’s faith in the franchise and bringing Ace Combat its own fight: one for survival.
Despite its placement on a different console limiting access for many fans and the circumstances surrounding it causing great setbacks for the franchise, Fires of Liberation is still looked upon fondly by many of those who’ve played it, as its gameplay was representative of evolutions and improvements on many aspects of the franchise. Although the number of aircraft was fewer than usual, the graphics were worthy of the improved hardware, and the large battle maps were filled with more individual units than ever before, each tank and plane and truck acting independently and realistically. The player had the ability to direct not only their own wingman, but whole allied units in combat, including fighter squadrons, ground units, and naval warships. The Operations of Ace Combat Zero returned, but rather than each one being its own level, many missions were now filled with different operations scattered across the battlespace, each one to be completed at will as the war continued all around you. Resupply was also enhanced; for the first time the player didn’t need to leave the level to land at a base or carrier and restock their ammunition. Airstrips within the levels, if captured or held by allied ground forces, allowed the player to land, resupply, and takeoff all without leaving the level and even while taking enemy fire. These new features combined with the large, unit-filled maps greatly improved the feeling of being part of an expansive battle and contributing to a larger, united effort. Ace Combat 6 also introduced multiplayer to the franchise, both co-op and competitive modes, and these were generally well-received.
Fires of Liberation’s greatest single failing is generally agreed to be the story, often considered less sensible and less engaging than those of previous entries. This is certainly in part due to the structure: the main thrust is about a nation being invaded and fighting to reclaim its homeland and drive out the invaders, but the presentation involves several different sets of characters who begin their stories unrelated to each other and eventually see their tales interwoven. This took the basic idea of Ace Combat 04’s storytelling and expanded it to encompass five different groups of characters, rather than two. Unfortunately, stuffing so much plot development in the limited between-mission storytelling space left many aspects truncated or otherwise rushed along so they could all come together in time for the finale. Without sufficient room to breathe, the story felt less fleshed-out and less emotionally impactful than the more focused stories of previous games. Gameplay-wise, however, Ace Combat 6 is another solid entry in the series, standing firm as a contributor of new ideas and new spins on old ideas. Fires of Liberation may have jumped ship to play for another team, but at its core it is still very much Ace Combat.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - The Black Sheep of the Family
After the misstep of Fires of Liberation and the resultant sales hit, the next major title in the Ace Combat series wouldn’t be released for 4 years, until 2011. When it finally did come, it took the form of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Deciding to forego the pitfalls of exclusivity, Assault Horizon would be multiplatform, releasing on both the PS3 and Xbox 360, and even be released on PC. However, this was not another numbered entry in the main series, but was actually a spinoff, taking a major departure from the core of the Ace Combat franchise to play with new ideas and gameplay elements.
As such, Assault Horizon’s gameplay and setting both differ quite drastically from Ace Combat tradition. Rather than taking place in the usual fictional realm of Strangereal, it takes place on Earth in the real world, involving NATO, nationalist separatists, terrorists, and a Tom Clancy-worthy supervillain plot. It also contains a couple of on-rails shooting segments where the player takes control of a door-gunner in a Blackhawk helicopter, and even has several missions where you fly an Apache Attack Helicopter. The biggest and most impactful new feature, however, was undoubtedly a new gameplay mechanic introduced for fighter-jet missions called ‘Dog-Fight Mode,’ in which your plane is largely piloted for you in pursuit of one or more enemy aircraft. The player retains control over the weapons and to fine-tune their aim, while the plane’s speed and direction are handled automatically. The loss of control of your aircraft presented by Dog-Fight Mode (abbreviated DFM,) and with missions designed around using it very frequently, was discomforting and disappointing to many long-time fans who were more used to needing to learn to control throttle, altitude, direction, and weapons all at once; to many it felt like a watered-down experience, an ‘Ace Combat Lite.’ Had Assault Horizon followed on the heels of a more successful title than Ace Combat 6, it might have fared better. Ace Combat 6 had already been hurt by being unavailable to many fans of the series, and while Assault Horizon has many merits and is by no means a bad game, it was certainly a disappointment to many fans who had waited since Ace Combat Zero in 2006 to play another Ace Combat game, only to receive a spinoff instead of a full sequel.
Despite the mixed reaction from the fanbase, Assault Horizon fared well as a whole, and its multiplatform availability and relatively large marketing campaign have turned it into the entry point for many new fans who were then inspired to explore the broader franchise. On its own merits Assault Horizon is certainly fun - the voice acting is excellent, the graphics were the best in the series, and lots of new technology had gone into making the action more detailed and spectacular than ever before. DFM would work to highlight this action, watching as missiles launched from aircraft, zooming in on the gun port as bullets blazed, and showing off all the little bits and pieces ripping off of enemy aircraft as you chewed them apart, metal and hydraulic fluids zooming past your plane or splattering on the screen. Assault Horizon may have been jarringly different from a gameplay perspective, but as a cinematic experience it remains unrivaled. It also maintained the series high standard for original music, and tracks from the Assault Horizon soundtrack are fondly remembered and even found their way into subsequent games in the series. Additionally, it retained and enhanced the multiplayer introduced in Fires of Liberation, adding a couple of popular new game modes. Perhaps most importantly, Assault Horizon served to show that, even after the missteps of Ace Combat 6, there was still plenty of interest in the series, plenty of fans eagerly awaiting subsequent games, and that the franchise had both the creativity to experiment and the potential to expand and reach out to new players.
Ace Combat: Infinity - Signs of Life and a Show of Faith
The next Ace Combat game to come to consoles would be unique, a mixture of experimentation and preparation, a request for support and a love and thank-you letter all in one. Ace Combat: Infinity was a competitive co-op free-to-play online multiplayer game. Although it included a small single-player campaign, those missions served largely as an introduction to the multiplayer mechanics. Now two teams of up to four pilots each would be unleashed upon a map filled with enemies, and the team with the highest score at the end would be the winner. After each round, players were awarded ‘research’ and money; research was used to unlock new planes, weapons, and upgrades, and money was used to purchase those things after they were unlocked. Playing was based on a Fuel system, where it cost 1 Fuel to play 1 mission. Fuel was drip-fed to players over time or could be purchased for real-world money. Fuel could also be earned in random loot drops or for completing in-game challenges. Although this semi-pay-to-play system limited total play-time, it was still possible to get several hours of play-time a day without using a cent of real money. There were, of course, also plenty of cosmetics for purchase, both with in-game currency and real money.
Although Infinity showed that the Ace Combat franchise was still alive, even after the reception for Assault Horizon, the money-based system frustrated some players, as did the multiplayer focus and the ‘watered-down’ nature of the game (although post-release content would greatly increase the number of missions, aircraft, and other features.) Some detractors felt Infinity was a grab for money. In reality, Ace Combat: Infinity was a call for help from the developers, asking the fans to show support and provide financial backing and incentive to revive the series. After the sidetracks of Fires of Liberation and Assault Horizon, Infinity proved not only that there were still large numbers of interested fans, but that they were still willing to spend money on the franchise. In return, Project Aces made Infinity into a sort of Greatest-Hits of the franchise, taking all the best moments and fan-favorite aircraft and missions from every previous entry, and remaking them in glorious high-definition for Infinity. They came with better textures, more detailed animations, levels packed to the brim with enemies and allies, the most popular songs from all the prior soundtracks, and all of it even better than our nostalgia remembered. Ace Combat: Infinity was a show of faith, from both players and developers: ‘Show us you are still interested,’ they said, ‘and we’ll show you are not forgotten, we’ll show that we know what you like. And we’ll give it to you.’
And the support came. Infinity was popular enough and made enough money that it not only grew to a multi-year lifespan and almost doubled in size through post-launch content additions, but it helped Project Aces earn the greenlight to make another main entry in the series: Ace Combat 7. Finally, after over a decade, Ace Combat would have another core title.
For its lifespan, the Ace Combat franchise has been a major moneymaker in its homeland of Japan. After three games on the PS2, it was clearly time for Ace Combat to move onto the next generation of consoles. Meanwhile, over at Microsoft, their Xbox and Xbox 360 weren’t able to crack into the Japanese market as strongly as Microsoft wanted - struggling against the home-field advantage of Sony and Nintendo. In an effort to bolster their sales, Microsoft successfully courted Ace Combat’s publisher Bandai Namco to make Ace Combat 6 release only on Xbox 360. This would prove to be devastating to the Ace Combat franchise; very few fans (who had been anticipating the thus-far Playstation Exclusive series to release on the PS3) were swayed to purchase an entirely new console for one game, and the 360’s struggles in Japan needed more than one popular title to fix them. In the end, the 360 couldn’t recover its lost ground in Japan, and Ace Combat 6 performed much more poorly than the previous titles, shaking Bandai Namco’s faith in the franchise and bringing Ace Combat its own fight: one for survival.
Despite its placement on a different console limiting access for many fans and the circumstances surrounding it causing great setbacks for the franchise, Fires of Liberation is still looked upon fondly by many of those who’ve played it, as its gameplay was representative of evolutions and improvements on many aspects of the franchise. Although the number of aircraft was fewer than usual, the graphics were worthy of the improved hardware, and the large battle maps were filled with more individual units than ever before, each tank and plane and truck acting independently and realistically. The player had the ability to direct not only their own wingman, but whole allied units in combat, including fighter squadrons, ground units, and naval warships. The Operations of Ace Combat Zero returned, but rather than each one being its own level, many missions were now filled with different operations scattered across the battlespace, each one to be completed at will as the war continued all around you. Resupply was also enhanced; for the first time the player didn’t need to leave the level to land at a base or carrier and restock their ammunition. Airstrips within the levels, if captured or held by allied ground forces, allowed the player to land, resupply, and takeoff all without leaving the level and even while taking enemy fire. These new features combined with the large, unit-filled maps greatly improved the feeling of being part of an expansive battle and contributing to a larger, united effort. Ace Combat 6 also introduced multiplayer to the franchise, both co-op and competitive modes, and these were generally well-received.
Fires of Liberation’s greatest single failing is generally agreed to be the story, often considered less sensible and less engaging than those of previous entries. This is certainly in part due to the structure: the main thrust is about a nation being invaded and fighting to reclaim its homeland and drive out the invaders, but the presentation involves several different sets of characters who begin their stories unrelated to each other and eventually see their tales interwoven. This took the basic idea of Ace Combat 04’s storytelling and expanded it to encompass five different groups of characters, rather than two. Unfortunately, stuffing so much plot development in the limited between-mission storytelling space left many aspects truncated or otherwise rushed along so they could all come together in time for the finale. Without sufficient room to breathe, the story felt less fleshed-out and less emotionally impactful than the more focused stories of previous games. Gameplay-wise, however, Ace Combat 6 is another solid entry in the series, standing firm as a contributor of new ideas and new spins on old ideas. Fires of Liberation may have jumped ship to play for another team, but at its core it is still very much Ace Combat.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon - The Black Sheep of the Family
After the misstep of Fires of Liberation and the resultant sales hit, the next major title in the Ace Combat series wouldn’t be released for 4 years, until 2011. When it finally did come, it took the form of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Deciding to forego the pitfalls of exclusivity, Assault Horizon would be multiplatform, releasing on both the PS3 and Xbox 360, and even be released on PC. However, this was not another numbered entry in the main series, but was actually a spinoff, taking a major departure from the core of the Ace Combat franchise to play with new ideas and gameplay elements.
As such, Assault Horizon’s gameplay and setting both differ quite drastically from Ace Combat tradition. Rather than taking place in the usual fictional realm of Strangereal, it takes place on Earth in the real world, involving NATO, nationalist separatists, terrorists, and a Tom Clancy-worthy supervillain plot. It also contains a couple of on-rails shooting segments where the player takes control of a door-gunner in a Blackhawk helicopter, and even has several missions where you fly an Apache Attack Helicopter. The biggest and most impactful new feature, however, was undoubtedly a new gameplay mechanic introduced for fighter-jet missions called ‘Dog-Fight Mode,’ in which your plane is largely piloted for you in pursuit of one or more enemy aircraft. The player retains control over the weapons and to fine-tune their aim, while the plane’s speed and direction are handled automatically. The loss of control of your aircraft presented by Dog-Fight Mode (abbreviated DFM,) and with missions designed around using it very frequently, was discomforting and disappointing to many long-time fans who were more used to needing to learn to control throttle, altitude, direction, and weapons all at once; to many it felt like a watered-down experience, an ‘Ace Combat Lite.’ Had Assault Horizon followed on the heels of a more successful title than Ace Combat 6, it might have fared better. Ace Combat 6 had already been hurt by being unavailable to many fans of the series, and while Assault Horizon has many merits and is by no means a bad game, it was certainly a disappointment to many fans who had waited since Ace Combat Zero in 2006 to play another Ace Combat game, only to receive a spinoff instead of a full sequel.
Despite the mixed reaction from the fanbase, Assault Horizon fared well as a whole, and its multiplatform availability and relatively large marketing campaign have turned it into the entry point for many new fans who were then inspired to explore the broader franchise. On its own merits Assault Horizon is certainly fun - the voice acting is excellent, the graphics were the best in the series, and lots of new technology had gone into making the action more detailed and spectacular than ever before. DFM would work to highlight this action, watching as missiles launched from aircraft, zooming in on the gun port as bullets blazed, and showing off all the little bits and pieces ripping off of enemy aircraft as you chewed them apart, metal and hydraulic fluids zooming past your plane or splattering on the screen. Assault Horizon may have been jarringly different from a gameplay perspective, but as a cinematic experience it remains unrivaled. It also maintained the series high standard for original music, and tracks from the Assault Horizon soundtrack are fondly remembered and even found their way into subsequent games in the series. Additionally, it retained and enhanced the multiplayer introduced in Fires of Liberation, adding a couple of popular new game modes. Perhaps most importantly, Assault Horizon served to show that, even after the missteps of Ace Combat 6, there was still plenty of interest in the series, plenty of fans eagerly awaiting subsequent games, and that the franchise had both the creativity to experiment and the potential to expand and reach out to new players.
Ace Combat: Infinity - Signs of Life and a Show of Faith
The next Ace Combat game to come to consoles would be unique, a mixture of experimentation and preparation, a request for support and a love and thank-you letter all in one. Ace Combat: Infinity was a competitive co-op free-to-play online multiplayer game. Although it included a small single-player campaign, those missions served largely as an introduction to the multiplayer mechanics. Now two teams of up to four pilots each would be unleashed upon a map filled with enemies, and the team with the highest score at the end would be the winner. After each round, players were awarded ‘research’ and money; research was used to unlock new planes, weapons, and upgrades, and money was used to purchase those things after they were unlocked. Playing was based on a Fuel system, where it cost 1 Fuel to play 1 mission. Fuel was drip-fed to players over time or could be purchased for real-world money. Fuel could also be earned in random loot drops or for completing in-game challenges. Although this semi-pay-to-play system limited total play-time, it was still possible to get several hours of play-time a day without using a cent of real money. There were, of course, also plenty of cosmetics for purchase, both with in-game currency and real money.
Although Infinity showed that the Ace Combat franchise was still alive, even after the reception for Assault Horizon, the money-based system frustrated some players, as did the multiplayer focus and the ‘watered-down’ nature of the game (although post-release content would greatly increase the number of missions, aircraft, and other features.) Some detractors felt Infinity was a grab for money. In reality, Ace Combat: Infinity was a call for help from the developers, asking the fans to show support and provide financial backing and incentive to revive the series. After the sidetracks of Fires of Liberation and Assault Horizon, Infinity proved not only that there were still large numbers of interested fans, but that they were still willing to spend money on the franchise. In return, Project Aces made Infinity into a sort of Greatest-Hits of the franchise, taking all the best moments and fan-favorite aircraft and missions from every previous entry, and remaking them in glorious high-definition for Infinity. They came with better textures, more detailed animations, levels packed to the brim with enemies and allies, the most popular songs from all the prior soundtracks, and all of it even better than our nostalgia remembered. Ace Combat: Infinity was a show of faith, from both players and developers: ‘Show us you are still interested,’ they said, ‘and we’ll show you are not forgotten, we’ll show that we know what you like. And we’ll give it to you.’
And the support came. Infinity was popular enough and made enough money that it not only grew to a multi-year lifespan and almost doubled in size through post-launch content additions, but it helped Project Aces earn the greenlight to make another main entry in the series: Ace Combat 7. Finally, after over a decade, Ace Combat would have another core title.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Beyond Infinity
Now, finally, in January 2019, the Ace Combat franchise returns to full life with its first numbered entry since 2007. And, early indications seem to show it as a glorious return to form, with a full story campaign which returns to the Strangereal setting and features countries from previous games. Specifically, Erusea, the antagonist nation from Ace Combat 04, and Osea, the protagonist nation from Ace Combat 5, are going to war, and what story hints and small pieces we’ve seen from trailer and press announcements are hinting at deeper connections to prior titles. All in all, Ace Combat fans are very excited to return to Strangereal and have a new story to experience. Ace Combat 7 will also have multiplayer, no doubt utilizing elements from Infinity and from the multiplayer parts of Ace Combat 6 and Assault Horizon. I, for one, am indescribably excited to take to the skies once again, and I hope I’ve inspired some of you to come join me, or at least given you some insight into this venerable franchise.
Written by John Edward Betancourt
Exploring the Beta Quadrant – Part I:
The Down Side to Deep Space Travel
Well hello again my fellow geeks and nerds and Trekkers (or Trekkies, if you prefer) and a Happy New Year to all of you! I must admit, that I’ve missed each and every one of you during my brief break when it comes to The Admiral’s Log, but…the hiatus has come to a close and I have some wonderful new stories about my travels in deep space to share with all of you. Now, to refresh everyone since it’s been a hot light year since we last talked, when I closed out this blog in 2018, I made mention of my plan to basically explore the entire galaxy in Star Trek Online, because why not? And that’s really what I’ve spent the last few weeks doing, seeing all the sights in the Milky Way Galaxy.
However, before the Galactica set out on such a lengthy venture, I made sure to visit Earth to see all that Earth Spacedock had to offer and to see San Francisco one more time. Because the plan was to visit every inch of the Beta Quadrant before we ever returned to Earth, so it was important to enjoy the creature comforts of home before seeing nothing but the void of space and once I felt ready to go, it was off to the stars once again and well, I won’t lie. I just kind of stared at the galactic map for a bit because, where does one start when it comes to an adventure this grand? So, I simply took a queue from Captain James T. Kirk and told my helmsman to set a course for a second star to the right and stay that course straight on until morn…
Actually, I kid, because that would have been silly since it would have put us on course for Vulcan, which while cool…wouldn’t have been much of a deep space mission. So instead, we set course for the Ponor Sector and the plan was simple, we go left to right on the map, moving through every single star system in the respective sector until we eventually clear the map and well at first, this was an outright blast. I mean, this was it, I was finally seeing the galaxy on my terms, just traveling through the wonder of space, seeing what the galaxy had to offer, which included some sobering sights, since our travels took us to the remains of Romulus and Remus, which were destroyed by the Hobus Supernova, and I suppose seeing the devastation and hearing the silence of that system, should have served as a harbinger of things to come.
Because, the further we traveled into the depths of the Beta Quadrant, the less we saw of civilization, and the systems on the map, were spread pretty thin, which is when an interesting reality settled into my mind when it comes to this game. Because for the most part, there’s a real safety and security net present in the game, in regard to the fact that we can call Starfleet on a moment’s notice or find a Starbase or a friendly world with ease. But when you choose to remove yourself from that, the safety net fades and you truly feel isolated and alone and one comes to realize that space is a lonely place indeed, one that features a lot of emptiness over anything else and there were times that point was hammered home.
For more often than not, the ship was surrounded by nothing, just the faint light of a star and we visited star systems that featured zero signs of life and well, I won’t lie, this was bit disheartening at first, and I honestly wondered how in the heck Jim Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise were able to spend five years in deep space and keep it together because the void truly can get to you. And yes, I fully understand that this is a game, and not real. But a good story helps you to experience a feeling, and that’s precisely what this first leg of our journey did, it evoked a sense of isolation and loneliness and I thought it was quite cool to find this in a game about a universe filled with hope.
Because it served as a fine reminder that the Federation has it better than some civilizations, and that the job of a Starfleet officer is to inspire hope in others and well, that lesson came about as we began to run into worlds in need of dire help and that’s when the wonder quickly crept back into the game, and that will be where our story goes in the next chapter of this grand voyage through the galaxy. But in the meantime, I think it was incredible to be able to find a story such as this in a game this expansive and well, enduring a little sour before discovering my fair share of sweet, has me quite excited to see what other surprises await me in the other quadrants of the galaxy. Until next time.
However, before the Galactica set out on such a lengthy venture, I made sure to visit Earth to see all that Earth Spacedock had to offer and to see San Francisco one more time. Because the plan was to visit every inch of the Beta Quadrant before we ever returned to Earth, so it was important to enjoy the creature comforts of home before seeing nothing but the void of space and once I felt ready to go, it was off to the stars once again and well, I won’t lie. I just kind of stared at the galactic map for a bit because, where does one start when it comes to an adventure this grand? So, I simply took a queue from Captain James T. Kirk and told my helmsman to set a course for a second star to the right and stay that course straight on until morn…
Actually, I kid, because that would have been silly since it would have put us on course for Vulcan, which while cool…wouldn’t have been much of a deep space mission. So instead, we set course for the Ponor Sector and the plan was simple, we go left to right on the map, moving through every single star system in the respective sector until we eventually clear the map and well at first, this was an outright blast. I mean, this was it, I was finally seeing the galaxy on my terms, just traveling through the wonder of space, seeing what the galaxy had to offer, which included some sobering sights, since our travels took us to the remains of Romulus and Remus, which were destroyed by the Hobus Supernova, and I suppose seeing the devastation and hearing the silence of that system, should have served as a harbinger of things to come.
Because, the further we traveled into the depths of the Beta Quadrant, the less we saw of civilization, and the systems on the map, were spread pretty thin, which is when an interesting reality settled into my mind when it comes to this game. Because for the most part, there’s a real safety and security net present in the game, in regard to the fact that we can call Starfleet on a moment’s notice or find a Starbase or a friendly world with ease. But when you choose to remove yourself from that, the safety net fades and you truly feel isolated and alone and one comes to realize that space is a lonely place indeed, one that features a lot of emptiness over anything else and there were times that point was hammered home.
For more often than not, the ship was surrounded by nothing, just the faint light of a star and we visited star systems that featured zero signs of life and well, I won’t lie, this was bit disheartening at first, and I honestly wondered how in the heck Jim Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise were able to spend five years in deep space and keep it together because the void truly can get to you. And yes, I fully understand that this is a game, and not real. But a good story helps you to experience a feeling, and that’s precisely what this first leg of our journey did, it evoked a sense of isolation and loneliness and I thought it was quite cool to find this in a game about a universe filled with hope.
Because it served as a fine reminder that the Federation has it better than some civilizations, and that the job of a Starfleet officer is to inspire hope in others and well, that lesson came about as we began to run into worlds in need of dire help and that’s when the wonder quickly crept back into the game, and that will be where our story goes in the next chapter of this grand voyage through the galaxy. But in the meantime, I think it was incredible to be able to find a story such as this in a game this expansive and well, enduring a little sour before discovering my fair share of sweet, has me quite excited to see what other surprises await me in the other quadrants of the galaxy. Until next time.
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