Review: Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (PSP)

The typical Ace Combat game is dog fighting and strafe bombing in real planes over nearly photorealistic landscapes with arcade controls. The games commonly culminate with an assault on a huge military complex that is armed with a weapon of devastating power. The story of an unjust war unfolds between missions, usually focusing on the player's pivotal role as a flying ace who single-handedly turns the tide of the war. I enjoy the combat and the sense that I really could be that flying ace. Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception for the PSP succeeds by sticking to the proven formula with some small, experimental improvements.

Ace Combat 04 still stands as the high point of series (excepting for now Ace Combat Zero, which I've not played). As with all games in the series, the action is intense and rewarding, but without the exceptional story and style, it would just be a highly polished shooter.

Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception has a carbon copy of the time-tested dog fighting and strafe bombing action of the other games. Early on the game shifts the combat a bit closer to that of space sims: instead of a fighter skimming along the outside of an enormous capital ship, your plane is zipping around a giant flying fortress five times your size. A simple branching mission structure permits choices best suited to the player's abilities, adding some welcome self-determination to the more common rigid mission progression. A flimsy, ridiculous plot seriously detracts from the otherwise enjoyable experience. You might notice that the story reads like a conspiracy theory about American motives for invading Iraq, except military equipment sales -- not oil -- are the focus.

Ace Combat X also exhibits Sony's continued failure to promote online gaming through its capable handheld: ad hoc networking is supported, but no online play is available.

By living up to its pedigree and adding a couple of new features, Ace Combat X succeeds and in the process becomes the latest worthy game for the PSP. Like much about the PSP, however, it fails to live up to its full potential. A second outing would be appreciated, especially if it adds a more mature story or permits me to make my own career fighting other pilots online.

--jvm at 21:31

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