Ace Combat Assault Horizon: Enhanced Edition

 PC
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 191 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 76 out of 191
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 191
  3. Negative: 63 out of 191

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  1. IcarusHigh
    Jan 26, 2013
    2
    Having played all Ace Combat games for PSX and PS2 (but skipping PS3) on every difficulty, Ace Combat's migration to PC was too good to miss, right? Wish I hadn't bothered. The inclusion of other vehicles such as bombers and helicopters was a good idea, but poorly executed. Controls are clunky at best, imprecise and frustrating. Meanwhile air combat has taken giant leaps backwards, withHaving played all Ace Combat games for PSX and PS2 (but skipping PS3) on every difficulty, Ace Combat's migration to PC was too good to miss, right? Wish I hadn't bothered. The inclusion of other vehicles such as bombers and helicopters was a good idea, but poorly executed. Controls are clunky at best, imprecise and frustrating. Meanwhile air combat has taken giant leaps backwards, with semi quick-time events apparently passing as 'dogfights'. The old thrill of chasing and gunning down enemies has been cast aside. 50% of your enemies possess near infinite supplies of flares to render missiles useless, forcing you into 'DFM' quick-time events along pre-scripted flight paths, automatically flown while you aim an awkward reticule to gun and shoot your enemy. Refusal to conform to this 'DFM' mode is punished by almost every enemy in the sky locking on you with DFM themselves in what is only describable as 'exaggerated' flight maneuvers, in which all previous plane handling mechanics are now cast aside. Enemies miraculously remain locked 200m from your tail, no matter what, unless you conform once more to the rather awkward 'counter-maneuver' system, as missiles chase you in a similar fashion. I could go on but I think the impression comes across. Worth buying? For anyone who's ever enjoyed a true Ace Combat game - no. Not unless you want to see a good example of what NOT to include in an Ace Combat game.… Expand
  2. gaming_delight
    Jul 21, 2014
    2
    I have been a long time fan of this series, but any true AC fan should avoid this game. The music is great as always. Graphics are good, but that isn't a qualifier of a good game. The main reasoning behind this awfulness is the implementation of a new combat system, DFM, or dog fight mode. Sounds cool right? Ace Combat has been around for a long time, they must know what they are doing!I have been a long time fan of this series, but any true AC fan should avoid this game. The music is great as always. Graphics are good, but that isn't a qualifier of a good game. The main reasoning behind this awfulness is the implementation of a new combat system, DFM, or dog fight mode. Sounds cool right? Ace Combat has been around for a long time, they must know what they are doing! Wrong.

    DFM takes control away from you. In the game, there are 'normal' enemies, and than there are 'leader', otherwise known as 'aces' in all the other games. The tough guys that took a bit more maneuvering and skill to take down in all the other games. In this game, the only way to defeat these guys is to enter DFM. Once you get close enough to them, you press a button, and your plane automatically starts tailing them. You have some control; your speed and limited movement. Just enough for you have to aim, but not enough to feel like you are flying. The only purpose for this is to make it look a bit flashier, but it wears off really quickly. Its poorly executed mechanics to excite children and CoD jocks. (which is probably the only reason there are some good reviews of this game)

    The enemy also has the opportunity to initiate DFM with you as well. Once again, it misses the mark. It consists of speeding up, slowing down, and hitting a button.

    The skill of this game has been replaced by cheap parlor tricks to make it look flashy. They dropped the focus on a great story, and put their efforts into changing the game so its not even recognizable a Ace Combat game. They changed the way the game is played after multiple titles, so its now just a shell of its former self that is riding on the coat tails of the franchise name. Its not the Ace Combat you grew to love. Its a cheap air combat simulator that stole the name of a great series.    … Expand
  3. Wulfen73
    Jul 28, 2014
    2
    A disappointing watered down version of Ace Combat, dog fighting has been reduced to a rail shooter set up, planes can 'Heal' Damage. And a series that was once famous for a relatively realistic depiction of modern fighter combat now has me watching in wonder as a plane continually fires 6 missiles at me while I sit on its tail hitting it over and over to seemingly no effect.

    The DFM    A disappointing watered down version of Ace Combat, dog fighting has been reduced to a rail shooter set up, planes can 'Heal' Damage. And a series that was once famous for a relatively realistic depiction of modern fighter combat now has me watching in wonder as a plane continually fires 6 missiles at me while I sit on its tail hitting it over and over to seemingly no effect.

    The DFM mechanic was an unnecessary and unwelcome addition to the game that left me with headaches and no small amount of frustration, I am armed with heat seeking and radar guided missiles, why am I forced to continually close to guns range, this isn't exciting its tedious, there is no variation in the battles I found myself in. Be warned, there is no real control of your fighter in this game, there is no XYZ axis controls, you will be taking massive loops if you ever miss anything, there is no rudder or aileron control, you will be flying in straight lines until you get to the rail shooting and only the most basic moves will be available to you.

    The quick time event DFM creates also seems a little buggy, sometimes it works, and sometimes I'll be hammering the button while my fighter gets shot to pieces. Some missions contain frustrating beginners traps forcing you to wade through it again and again until you figure out what you are supposed to be doing.

    Story is lackluster and predictable, the Unsung War this is not not, the narrative is broken and disjointed, the characters are generally flat, and you know nothing about them. The attempt to build up the main villain is silly, either the main character is an honest to god psychic, or his opponent is beaming it into his mind. Otherwise this match up makes no sense, they have no reason to personally hate each other, they've never met. The final boss fight is a giant disappointment, teeth grindingly frustrating due to the forced DFM usage, there is no real climax, the plot just kind of meanders with no rhyme or reason.

    Overall: Play the Unsung War if you want to play a good Ace combat game, leave this in the bargin bin    … Expand
  4. Stevontoast
    Apr 4, 2014
    5
    This game is a pathetic excuse for an Ace Combat game. Dog fight mode is a stupid gimmick, forcing you to use helicopters is pathetic and not true to the series.

    A real Ace Combat fan would delete this piece of **** from their hard drives and play the PS2 games over it. It's sad that a more recent, amazing looking game could have such a terrible story, terrible characters and overall    This game is a pathetic excuse for an Ace Combat game. Dog fight mode is a stupid gimmick, forcing you to use helicopters is pathetic and not true to the series.

    A real Ace Combat fan would delete this piece of **** from their hard drives and play the PS2 games over it.
    It's sad that a more recent, amazing looking game could have such a terrible story, terrible characters and overall poor quality. This game used to have a niche appeal and now they're trying to spread it out. It's not like I don't understand, I honestly do. You just did a very poor job with it.

    I wouldn't give it a 1. I wouldn't give it a 6. The graphics make up a lot for the ****ness of the story campaign but it's still pathetic, mostly because dogfight mode takes away control of your flying so you can't even look at the nice scenery! That is its biggest problem... taking control away from the player.

    Stick to the formula, guys. It's best to have a dedicated following than no following at all.    … Expand
  5. DrBlackheart
    Jul 3, 2014
    0
    Ace Combat in name only.

    Not set in the AC universe - instead you play as variety of American pilots and consequently character development suffers.

    But worst of all 'Dogfight Mode' reduces A-A combat to a pathetic QTE.

    Utterly awful.
  6. runner
    Oct 31, 2015
    6
    This is one of the sad cases where I actually enjoyed a game, quiet a lot even, but am still aware that it isn't much good and is actually not a game to recommend to anyone.
    I'll start by stating that I didn't play any other installment of Ace Combat and therefore I don't look at this game as a fan of the series, but simply gave this specific installment a try. I'm also not too    This is one of the sad cases where I actually enjoyed a game, quiet a lot even, but am still aware that it isn't much good and is actually not a game to recommend to anyone.
    I'll start by stating that I didn't play any other installment of Ace Combat and therefore I don't look at this game as a fan of the series, but simply gave this specific installment a try. I'm also not too experienced with flight games in general.
    Horizon Assault is a very arcadic game in almost every sense of the word.
    The story is, as you'd expect from this type of games, very predictable, generic, unsurprising, and not that vital for the game.

    For a moment the game may seem like a flight simulator but it's definitely not, It's good at making you feel AS IF you're flying an aircraft, AS IF you're doing big stuff with the scripted explosions everywhere.
    And that's actually one of the strong points of the game, it's very good with BOOMING stuff, with making you feel that YOU are booming stuff, and it gives you an addicting sense of action and thrill, although with completely unrealistic mechanics at times (e.g. aircraft "heals" itself automatically while flying), but who cares, it's a video game.

    The game's soundtrack also adds a LOT to the game, and as one who really cares about music in video games and is giving it a lot of attention, this game has one of the best tracks in video game soundtracks, in my opinion, with a combination of symphonic music with some electronicrock touches every once in a while. Splendid, really!

    Unfortunately there are also reasons for you to stay away from Horizon Assault. Controls aren't most comfortable ever… Binding different keys won't help much. It can get confusing at times and at the beginning of the game I felt like quitting because I simply couldn't get hold of this DAMN helicopter. As soon as I got the hang of it, it started to get fun, though, but fun it really different and is a matter of perspective. And many people won't find this game fun at all.

    The gameplay can get extremely repetitive and frustrating. The developers tried to keep it varied and in a way they succeeded in it, but it's still starting to feel generic and monotonous at times. Another thing which many people would hate is the Dog-Fight System, which is presented as an optional way to hunt your enemies but is actually your only way of getting through this game. And it can be horribly frustrating as well.

    So, are you going to enjoy this game? That's really a matter of one's taste and expectations.
    I enjoyed it, mostly, and if you can enjoy some intense action sequences with things getting blown away with dramatic music in the background and some clichéd "saving America" story, it's possible you'd enjoy this as well.

    It's possible you'd hate it, if that's not your kind …

    Another note, out of the three times I've tried playing this game in multiplayer mode, I've managed to find other players to play with only once. So, my guess is that the multiplayer scene of Horizon Assault isn't very active. There's also no way to play over LAN, so, I could be wrong but I believe Horizon Assault pretty much leaves you with solely the single player missions. You should keep that in mind.    … Expand
  7. Nereus11
    Jul 27, 2014
    0
    I decided to play this game over the course of two days due to steam free weekend. Here's my take.

    This is a shockingly bad game. To call it a game is being generous, it is an insult to my intelligence. The missions are entirely scripted, checkpoints are bafflingly placed at times, and I found myself repeatedly having to turn all sound off, because hearing the same bad Russian accent    I decided to play this game over the course of two days due to steam free weekend. Here's my take.

    This is a shockingly bad game. To call it a game is being generous, it is an insult to my intelligence. The missions are entirely scripted, checkpoints are bafflingly placed at times, and I found myself repeatedly having to turn all sound off, because hearing the same bad Russian accent shout the same tired line for the 30th time was really getting on my nerves. The game's script faults lie in a number of places - events you only get one shot at, like doing a bombing run flawlessly first try, otherwise you have to reload checkpoints and do all the other bombing runs prior to it, over and over and over. Other areas are even worse, the final mission has you in dogfight mode until a certain number of scripted events happen. The enemy you are dogfighting is invulnerable, but you are not. Missiles come at you from all sides, but missiles you shoot at him will not hit until the whole script is over. I will not spoil the mechanic for how this happens, but I can assure you, actually outplaying the games AI only to have it cheat is immensely frustrating. I never finished the final mission as I just couldn't stand to repeat that script any longer. Frequently, enemies would double back and fly directly through my plane, probably breaking a couple rules of physics. This frustrated me for two reasons, some of the scripts are reliant on you remaining in dogfight mode, and I occasionally used one of my few special weapons, only to have the enemy double back immediately and pass right through them.

    Sound is good. That's about the only thing that is, however. My graphics card is currently experiencing overheating issues, this game did not give me any problems. Why? Well, the game's not very pretty. It isn't very ugly, but it's not pretty. For some people who play action games on the PC, this matters. For me, I prefer the narratives and gameplay, gameplay we've covered. Well, the narrative. The narrative isn't bad. It isn't good. It's forgettable, which is arguably worse. Many missions I just tuned out the scripted voices of my 'co-pilot's. Some aspects are so cliche they made me cringe - low grade machismo underscored with cold war era racism and predictable twists. You get given control of your characters head in most areas, so you can look around, during some of the more cinematic moments but nothing more. It doesn't impact the game in any way and as pretty much everything is taking place in grey military bases, there isn't a lot to see to begin with.

    I experienced an occasional crash to desktop, but the game is pretty good at returning you to your last checkpoint. I feel like this has been a waste of a couple days, and I did not pay money for the product. I would not recommend anybody else do so. If you do, play it on easy, because you really don't want to be playing this game for its aerial combat.    … Expand
  8. Loucetios
    Feb 8, 2013
    0
    Terrible game.

    Probably one of the worst I have ever played. To start with the idea of DFM is terrible, it is just on rails lock them on and shoot. There is no skill to it. The flight model is a joke, the jets bend the laws of physics to their will a stupid amount. Missiles target you out of nowhere. The final mission is one jet shooting missiles backwards into you. Jets take a    Terrible game.

    Probably one of the worst I have ever played. To start with the idea of DFM is terrible, it is just on rails lock them on and shoot. There is no skill to it.

    The flight model is a joke, the jets bend the laws of physics to their will a stupid amount. Missiles target you out of nowhere. The final mission is one jet shooting missiles backwards into you. Jets take a stupid amount of missiles to takes down, and it must all be done in DFM mode.

    The story is me it's awful. Here's the entire storyline "YOU THE MAN NOW" followed by some russian chirping in "hue hue hue vodka".

    If you consider this an anywhere near reflection of real flying just please kill yourself now and do the rest of the human race a favour, the game is a joke. Honestly it's not even worth the time to play it, I wouldn't even bother pirating it.

    If you're willing to put aside it's flaws and just have fun, I doubt you will have even that. Honestly I would prefer my time back as opposed to playing this game. It will frustrate you to incredible heights as missiles from not existant enemies shoot you down for not using DFM. I have seen enemy planes literally warp in behind me, and ground units not appearing on the map, even though there's a green target reticle.

    Ignore the marketers and other members of the team giving it 10s and 9s. The game is a joke, paying money for it would be even more laughable    … Expand
  9. Disliker21
    Mar 2, 2013
    2
    This game is an experiment gone horribly wrong. I wonder what the developers were thinking, did they think we, loyal Ace Combat fans will like these new nonsensical additions? DFM especially, the scripted dog fights takes no skill at all. Adding DFM is bad enough, the game makes it worse by forcing you to use it, if you don't, you can't complete missions. Enemies that I could have takenThis game is an experiment gone horribly wrong. I wonder what the developers were thinking, did they think we, loyal Ace Combat fans will like these new nonsensical additions? DFM especially, the scripted dog fights takes no skill at all. Adding DFM is bad enough, the game makes it worse by forcing you to use it, if you don't, you can't complete missions. Enemies that I could have taken down easily with missiles become immune to them, planes only susceptible to bullet damage, I say.… Expand
  10. asy8492
    Mar 25, 2013
    1
    A total disgrace to the entire Ace Combat series. Especially the DRM mode. I have no idea why they decided to put on that stuff. Plus the cut scenes of chase are absolutely linear and boring. Exciting in the first time but on the second time you go through the same chase cut scenes, it definitely bores me off. Ace Combat has always been known to me as a casual arcade air combat game whereA total disgrace to the entire Ace Combat series. Especially the DRM mode. I have no idea why they decided to put on that stuff. Plus the cut scenes of chase are absolutely linear and boring. Exciting in the first time but on the second time you go through the same chase cut scenes, it definitely bores me off. Ace Combat has always been known to me as a casual arcade air combat game where missiles can be fired off a distance at any styles or stunt but this new DRM feature, it certainly throws them off. I just can't seem to think how after I've gone all through the loops and stunts to shoot an enemy in DRM mode, the plane simply levels off perfectly flat as if there were no sense of logic at all. Totally ridiculous. And by the way, the story line sucks. I prefer to stick to the former story line of Ace Combat featuring the fictional continents. I find AC5's story line to be much better than this one. There are fewer missions in this game than previous one & again, it stresses me out having to use DRM all the time. That's the feature that threw me off this game. I gave a point for the graphics though. No doubt it's much better but the rest 9 points are lost due to game mechanics and story line.… Expand
  11. MadclownJack
    Feb 1, 2013
    4
    It irks me that i have to write such an unfavorable review to one of my favorite childhood games. I really wanted to like it and i did at first. But then came the "additions". Dogfights, Helicopters, loud and extremely annoying, somewhat-story-related nagging of the game NPC. Why? I mean, i REALLY don't get it, why would someone want to take a fan favored franchise, a guaranteed home-run,It irks me that i have to write such an unfavorable review to one of my favorite childhood games. I really wanted to like it and i did at first. But then came the "additions". Dogfights, Helicopters, loud and extremely annoying, somewhat-story-related nagging of the game NPC. Why? I mean, i REALLY don't get it, why would someone want to take a fan favored franchise, a guaranteed home-run, and turn it into what looks like a "Call of Duty Nightmare", only to cater to a mass of brain-damaged Top Gun aficionados? Whoever made this thing, should really sit down and think about what they've done. It's a travesty. I'm utterly disappointed by this development.… Expand
  12. Flash_Over
    Oct 19, 2013
    3
    Worst Ace Combat game I have ever played. I will first start by saying the positive and that this game is pretty solid and bug free, runs well, even for a console port. However my gripe is with the god awful gameplay. This whole game is on rails. Not sure how you can manage to put a aircraft game on rails, but they do. First off the mission maps are small (The ones where you can actuallyWorst Ace Combat game I have ever played. I will first start by saying the positive and that this game is pretty solid and bug free, runs well, even for a console port. However my gripe is with the god awful gameplay. This whole game is on rails. Not sure how you can manage to put a aircraft game on rails, but they do. First off the mission maps are small (The ones where you can actually fly around.) I am not expecting a flight Sim, this is Ace Combat, but basic flight characteristic should be present as in other Ace Combats. 2 speeds, Stall and afterburners. Oh you think you can fly and dog fighting using your own tactics like in other ace combats??? LOL No. Everything forces you to use this stupid (DFM) mode. Which is pretty much a roller coast auto pilot, where your airplane pulls UFO maneuvers as you try to try to shoot down the enemy... and your pretty much not even flying the plane. So you can fly through Hollywood explosions... Plus for some reason some targets dont even die and 8 direct hits unless you enter Rollercoaster on rails Mode. So stupid! Think you can fly a stealth aircraft and fly through radar undetected? lol... According to Ace Combat you need to fly at low altitude through a radar screen.... Why? I have a B-2 that can fly through it at high altitude. In fact, you would be more vulnerable to be detected from your engines being heard from that low... I dont mind Arcade aircraft games, but that DFM Rollercoaster-cant-kill-anything-without-using-it mode is by far the worst idea to be used in a aircraft game!… Expand
  13. Blazadin
    May 16, 2013
    6
    while the graphics and sound are top notch )except for the ground and buildings) the controls are hopeless. pitch and yaw should be separate control's..instead i find i am unable to do an aileron roll and the handling suffers dramatically..ive died multiple times just because the controls are not up to standard of the old ace combat or the HAWX games.
  14. iansarmy1
    Jul 24, 2014
    1
    I'm usually not this harsh on most games but it is not even worth paying 5 bucks for this game in the current Steam Sale. It's a step backwards for the Ace Combat franchise in every possible way. The flight controls have been atrociously dumbed down and every plane has the same cartoonish feel. The combat system constantly forces you into annoying pre-scripted quick time sequences. TheI'm usually not this harsh on most games but it is not even worth paying 5 bucks for this game in the current Steam Sale. It's a step backwards for the Ace Combat franchise in every possible way. The flight controls have been atrociously dumbed down and every plane has the same cartoonish feel. The combat system constantly forces you into annoying pre-scripted quick time sequences. The story boils down to cliche American bros fighting evil Russian terrorists who somehow have a super advanced air force. Oh and the graphics are horrible. It would be like Activison trying to make "Call of Duty with Planes" and farming out the development to the most incompetent studio they could find.… Expand
  15. fedediss
    Jun 18, 2013
    1
    I'm flying a jet or i'm driving a boat after a mix of drugs? I won't finish the game, it makes me too disappointed, frustrated... I know the game is not a simulator, but there's a limit... Not funny at all, not like old Ace games, I won't write all problems, there are a lot of review about them! Simply don't buy this game...
    Ps. I'm talking to you Microsoft, to you and your "Games for    I'm flying a jet or i'm driving a boat after a mix of drugs? I won't finish the game, it makes me too disappointed, frustrated... I know the game is not a simulator, but there's a limit... Not funny at all, not like old Ace games, I won't write all problems, there are a lot of review about them! Simply don't buy this game...
    Ps. I'm talking to you Microsoft, to you and your "Games for Windows Live": Get the hell out of my games!!!    … Expand
  16. NulLac
    Jan 2, 2014
    9
    First of all, this is an arcade game, not a 100% simulation (huge stock of missiles each mission, infinite railguns and infinite fuel) so if you are of those strict, perfectly realistic scenario chasers and critics, then this game is not for you.

    Now for the review: Comparing this one to previous ace combat titles I have to admit this one pushed it to another level with DFM (I played    First of all, this is an arcade game, not a 100% simulation (huge stock of missiles each mission, infinite railguns and infinite fuel) so if you are of those strict, perfectly realistic scenario chasers and critics, then this game is not for you.

    Now for the review:
    Comparing this one to previous ace combat titles I have to admit this one pushed it to another level with DFM (I played almost all titles in multiplayer).
    Simply put, DFM makes this title much more intense and gives you some nice adrenaline injections in multiplayer and in some missions last missions are much harder and enjoyable because of it) where previous ace combat titles all you needed to do was lock at 2.5k-4k kilometers behind target and fire double missiles with rails being unplayable at ranges less than 750 kilometers, and it was pretty much the same in competitive online.
    NOTE: Campaign wise, this game does NOT forces you to DFM all targets!! You can dispose of most of the targets in the campaign while not using DFM. However, some targets that have a "TGT_LEAD" mark on them most be disposed off using DFM because they are relevant to the overall feel of the campaign progression and these count as 5% (at most!) of all targets in the campaign. So you can still enjoy yourself striking some targets down the old Ace Combat way. Needed to clarify that.

    Difficulty:
    - If you are a casual gamer (previous ace combat titles were more casual friendly) you will find it very hard (and frustrating) to beat certain missions in the difficulties Elite and Ace if you do not force yourself to learn the hard way, which is being persistent and be whiling to learn, not just give up and trash the game as most of the people that downgrade this game usually do. Harder difficulties in this game (Elite and Ace, specially Ace) live up to their word, unlike previous ace combat titles where the harder difficulty was not hard at all and it didn't require that much skill or practice.

    Story:
    - As for story, if you are that type of player that values skill,ace pilots and drama, you will love the antagonist and the setting that pans out at the end. You will not like the protagonist that much and the ending itself. They should have made more content story wise in the later half of the campaign. It just feels a little bit rushed over &/or they ran out of ideas.
    - The helicopter, bomber and gun additions were good but not necessary, that's why I really appreciate they still focusing more on the Jet aspect. After all, Its Ace Combat, helicopters and gunships are welcome only if they come and go fast.

    Mechanics:
    - They should have made the DFM circles shorter and longer to charge at very close range to add up more skill and difficulty in both single and multiplayer.
    - Counter maneuvers are hard to execute if you don't understand its mechanics at all. I've seen people complaining and trashing this game just because they don't bother to think and practice its functionality, and it pretty much sums up most of all the DFM hate.
    - About flares, players and NPCs DON'T have an infinite amount of flares, if anyone fails to realize this is because they are just bad or incredibly frustrated for reasons I mentioned above.

    So all in all, its a very fun and somewhat demanding game that makes your adrenaline rush and damages your controller, specially in multiplayer    … Expand
  17. Necramonium
    Jan 29, 2013
    4
    This game is a horrible mess from the start, you will be messing around with the controls constantly, i have been playing the game for 7 hours now, and still i can't get the hang of it, and this is not even the worst of the game, enemy a.i will only attack you in the sky, they have unlimited flares while you only get like 4 or 5, and your friendly a.i is useless as well, during manyThis game is a horrible mess from the start, you will be messing around with the controls constantly, i have been playing the game for 7 hours now, and still i can't get the hang of it, and this is not even the worst of the game, enemy a.i will only attack you in the sky, they have unlimited flares while you only get like 4 or 5, and your friendly a.i is useless as well, during many missions you need to take out a transport plane or a missile, your teammates state every time they will keep the fighters off your back, NOT. You will be bombarded with missiles and bullets until you evade the enemy, meaning you will lose track of your target and it's game over.

    And the worst thing about the game is, leaders of enemy squads cant be taken out in the old Ace Combat style, now you have to use a stupid dog fight mode. Another series ruined because people want more arcade hollywood action in their game.    … Expand
  18. Xanifur
    Apr 22, 2013
    6
    I've always loved the Ace Combat series, this game is a bit of a stray. It is more cinematic and arcade than its former glory, which isn't a bad thing, but nothing to get excited about. This game is a great time killer when you need an adrenaline rush.
  19. Potitoman
    Mar 30, 2013
    8
    In order to play this game, you need to forget all you know about flight sims. This is not a flight simulator. If you treat it as such, you'll be very bored and very frustrated. Don't expect to lock you BVR weapons with a radar then letting them rip and you sneaking away by flying low to avoid radar. No, instead it will be up close and furious dogfights which have no resemblance toIn order to play this game, you need to forget all you know about flight sims. This is not a flight simulator. If you treat it as such, you'll be very bored and very frustrated. Don't expect to lock you BVR weapons with a radar then letting them rip and you sneaking away by flying low to avoid radar. No, instead it will be up close and furious dogfights which have no resemblance to reality. Once you get into a state of mind that this is but a silly arcade game, you'll have a blast. Where else do you avoid air-to-air missiles in a helicopter by performing a 360 flip?
    Leave reality at the door and you'll find a fun and over the top game.    … Expand
  20. A2cat
    Jan 26, 2013
    9
    I am a great fan of Ace combat series. I played in 2,3,4,5,zero,X(SoD and JA). And i can say, Assault Horizon is really good game. Great music, dynamic gameplay, nice graphic. I scored this game at 10/10, but multiplayer is not playable. Lags, hight ping, sometimes not find anyone.
  21. AnwarBlast
    Feb 2, 2013
    6
    Arcade game, very fun, repetitive stuff like dogfight flying on same zone, if youre a sim fan dont buy this game, but only for fun and win the war alone, nice try
  22. RelicRuined
    Aug 6, 2013
    1
    this is just real garbage. I was excited about this game after watcihng some videos. But man, this is not a real plane game. It is ONRAIL SCRIPTED IMBA SUPER ARCADE CASUAL CRAP. What a deception. $7 wasted.
  23. JKaylor
    Jan 29, 2013
    8
    Very impressed with the graphical presentation. You really get some tense, vertigo inducing dogfights with a great arcade feeling. The controls are slick and smooth and planes shred apart in detailed explosions. This game is a must for any fan of arcade style vehicle shooters. Flight Sim veterans or people looking for any hint of realism or simulation may look elsewhere. Enjoy theVery impressed with the graphical presentation. You really get some tense, vertigo inducing dogfights with a great arcade feeling. The controls are slick and smooth and planes shred apart in detailed explosions. This game is a must for any fan of arcade style vehicle shooters. Flight Sim veterans or people looking for any hint of realism or simulation may look elsewhere. Enjoy the game for what it is.… Expand
  24. 2Eric
    Jan 31, 2013
    9
    This game has impressed me so much I made an account just to rate this game. The graphics are outstanding from the realistic terrain to the detailed aircraft. But most of all it is just a blast to play it makes you feel like your a fighter pilot on a realistic mission. The controls are awesome I love the lock on mechanic it really sets it apart from other flight games and I've played a lotThis game has impressed me so much I made an account just to rate this game. The graphics are outstanding from the realistic terrain to the detailed aircraft. But most of all it is just a blast to play it makes you feel like your a fighter pilot on a realistic mission. The controls are awesome I love the lock on mechanic it really sets it apart from other flight games and I've played a lot of them. The only complaint that I have is that the missions can seem kind of long and this is the only reason I did not give it a 10. To me this is the next step in arcade flight games. I feel like racing games have come a long way over the years and now developers know how to fine tune the mechanics in the game to give the player the best experience and I believe that that is what this game has done for arcade flight games.… Expand
  25. UchihaSasuke
    Jan 25, 2013
    10
    I have been a fan of the series for a very long time. I am only about 6 hours into the game. I love how this time it is in real settings and not a fantasy world. Graphics on the pc are stunning. I have seen no lag or any issues what so ever so far. If you are a fan of the series i highly recommend picking this game up!
  26. OnlyOneWing
    Mar 11, 2013
    1
    I am a huge fan of the Ace Combat series. This installment was a step in the wrong direction. I am really disappointed by DFM. Seriously, what is the point? Dog fighting with machine guns like we are flying biplanes. Where is the fun in that? If I wanted to play a WW2 pilot game I would do that.
  27. t3hk0d3
    Oct 15, 2013
    2
    I'd say very poor implemented console port.
    Graphics struck in 2008, controls....forgot about controls, plot is look's like composed out of mental clinic patients graphomany attempts. Require Windows Live.

    I love Ace Combat series on PS3 and PSP, but that is insult for PC gamers.
  28. Lancestrike
    Oct 17, 2013
    4
    Okay, this sham of a game is not worthy of an Ace combat title, it has pulled so far away from what it was to become a "modern" FFPS (Flight FPS). The gameplay is cringe-worthy, your actual skill means very little in a dogfight and as a result i lost interest very quickly. I played with controller and that worked as good as one can hope. But Pulling instant 180's and trying to maneuver aOkay, this sham of a game is not worthy of an Ace combat title, it has pulled so far away from what it was to become a "modern" FFPS (Flight FPS). The gameplay is cringe-worthy, your actual skill means very little in a dogfight and as a result i lost interest very quickly. I played with controller and that worked as good as one can hope. But Pulling instant 180's and trying to maneuver a circle over an enemy will never be a flight simulator. I can't say as a game it is bad per se but if you were expecting a return and improvement of the games previous look elsewhere, this is a CoD fan-base grab and the lack of depth skill and story reflects that.… Expand
  29. gameranand
    Jul 19, 2013
    8
    I am a fan of Arcade Aerial Combat games and I have played HAWX 1 and HAWX 2 before but nothing comes close to it. In this game you start off as a Colonel and you play other roles also during the game.
    I haven't completed the game so won't comment on the story yet but so far it looks good to me and to be honest you don't need a story to play a aerial combat game anyway. Its always the    I am a fan of Arcade Aerial Combat games and I have played HAWX 1 and HAWX 2 before but nothing comes close to it. In this game you start off as a Colonel and you play other roles also during the game.
    I haven't completed the game so won't comment on the story yet but so far it looks good to me and to be honest you don't need a story to play a aerial combat game anyway. Its always the same, kill that, protect that and all so story is irrelevant really in these games, however gameplay matters a lot and this is where this game really shines. Yes the controls are sometimes awkward to me, I mean I have wasted many Flares because of weird controls but still the game offers you so much variety that you'll play the game anyway. You can kill the enemy from behind, enter Dogfight mode or Counter the missiles, all are there and enemies does that too so you have to be on edge specially on hard difficulty. I have a compaint that I am unable to roll my plane and do my favorite maneuvers but still I can't take away from this game that this game is darn good Arcade Aerial combat I have seen.

    Graphics are top notch and damage details of the planes are amazing. When you shoot down a plane then you'll really think that yes I have nailed him. Although Buildings looks nice but damage details on them in not very good To be honest, also the ground doesn't look that good as compared to other details but be rest assured that it would be much better than HAW 2 or anything for that matter.

    Talking about sound, I have nothing to complaint about and nothing to praise about also, I would say its nice and good but not that good that it would give you OMG or WTF feeling but visuals would for sure.

    Also the game is very well optimized for PC and runs fine without lags which is a big relief considering some console ports being terribly bad lately, kudos to developers for achieving that.

    All in all a very nice game which you should not miss by any chance if you like Aerial Combat games.    … Expand
  30. a9249
    Mar 23, 2013
    0
    Great to see an old and dearly loved franchise on the PC, though they did ruin it by incorporating ridiculous control schemes, and quick-time events. Ace combat is a fighter simulator.... stop trying to be everything else. It isn't working. I gave up halfway; the helicopter controls are unplayable on a joystick.
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Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best PC Game of 2013
60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Feb 21, 2013
    85
    A title you definitely didn't expect to see on PC, Ace Combat looks like a flight sim and plays like the vehicular sections of Call of Duty. It's a fun game while it lasts. The linear missions mean that the game holds no replay-value whatsoever. [Feb 2013]
  2. Everyeye.it
    Feb 20, 2013
    75
    Ace Combat Assault Horizon is one of the best air combat games on the PC platform. If you can go beyond the limits of gameplay (due to the entire genre) then consider buying.
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  3. GameStar
    Feb 15, 2013
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
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