- Publisher: Namco
- Release Date: Oct 25, 2004
- Also On: PlayStation 4
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The lack of multiplayer or online play does hurt the title a bit, especially when multiplayer has been included in previous Ace Combat titles.
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For veterans, it'll feel like the same gameplay found in all previous Ace Combat games--and that's not necessarily a bad thing considering this is a shooter that's still worthy of sitting in first class.
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Official U.S. Playstation MagazineThe trouble is, all this story is presented with some of the most god-awful writing and voice work I've ever heard. [Dec 2004, p.112]
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Game InformerThrough relentless intensity and hair-raising gameplay, Ace Combat 5 electrifies the digital skies and soars as one of the most exhilarating experiences in all of gaming. [Dec 2004, p.172]
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Weekly Famitsu8 / 9 / 8 / 9 - 34 gold [Oct 2004]
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If you like air warfare, beautiful graphics, excellent sound, fabulous story, great gameplay and gorgeous cinematics than Ace Combat is the best possible choice for all your desires.
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This is more or less "Ace Combat 4" with a few slight upgrades and gameplay honed to near-perfection, but the formula's just a bit too familiar, and the lengthy missions may turn less patient gamers off before the story can suck them in.
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Fans of aircraft combat titles should really enjoy Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War. It's got a good storyline, top-notch presentation and a great gameplay engine. Fast action, furious combat and flying fun make this a game you shouldn't miss.
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A great dogfighting title. While it is light on the simulation stuff, its portrayal of aerial dogfighting is extremely fun and that is most important of all.
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It’s hard to imagine how the single-player Ace Combat experience could get any better than in The Unsung War.
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GMR MagazineBoasts ideal handling and control, near photo-realistic graphics, and digital surround sound. Where the game staggers is in its defiantly single-player focus. [Jan 2005, p.86]
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Console dogfighting really can't get much better than this.
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It may lack multiplayer or online play, which many, including myself, were hoping for, but the single player campaign clearly makes up for this.
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Many of the new features are gimmicky and unnecessary, but they don't really impact the core experience too much either way. Everything that is good about Ace Combat games is still here, only some things are a bit better and a few things are a bit worse.
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The biggest difference is the ability to manage your wingmen. Coincidentally, the game uses the same wingman commands we use when it's Ladies' Night at our favorite rum bar: attack, cover and disperse.
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The game would have scored much higher had it managed to better balance its weapons’ issues, but it’s still worth buying if you are into flight simulators and don’t want to mess around with a computer game.
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Easy to pick up controls, an interesting story line and plenty of fast paced action will feed any adrenaline or action junkie’s desires.
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Ace Combat 5 is not a major leap ahead of 2001's "Ace Combat 4"...But if you liked that game's impressively detailed presentation and instantly playable controls, then strap in and get ready to take off.
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Ace Combat 5 isn't the huge step for the series that "Ace Combat 04" was, but it's still a great flight combat game, featuring grueling arcade-style action and plenty of surprises both in its mission design and its story.
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A marvelously done, tight, invigorating experience with few shortcomings but no real problems that destroy the universe.
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Electronic Gaming MonthlyIf you liked "Ace Combat 4", this is more of the same good stuff - gorgeous planes, complex missions, and a real feeling of being in the middle of a war, thanks in part to scripted events, radio chatter, and the massive scale of it all. [Holiday 2004, p.109]
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This game is drop dead gorgeous, has a good sound track, and is an absolute blast to play.
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Despite its few visual sore spots, it's one wonderfully sharp looking title with an addictive nature that'll have you pressing for more.
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Play MagazineWhat's important here is the execution and level of player involvement, not that we haven't done all this before, because we have. And believe me, I was involved. [Dec 2004, p.78]
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Ace Combat 5 adds a little, takes a little, but still ends up being the best in it's class. A top notch movie-like story helps that along, as well as a eye-melting graphic engine.
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A winning combination of arcade-style mechanics and rich, engaging presentation. Of course this game is not going to win over players who have little taste for manic aerial combat, or those who were looking for something really different from the previous games.
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With all these fantastic flight features, there's one glaring omission that casts a pall on Ace Combat 5. Put simply, no multiplayer.
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PSM MagazineI found myself literally sweating bullets during most of the missions. [Holiday 2004, p.80]
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Yet another great example of a company not scared to leave the core elements of a great game alone and simply make small improvements.
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The best flight title on the market to date on the consoles. You will have to boot up that PC to find one better that’s for sure, but the complexity that those games offer doesn’t measure up to the fun you’ll have with Ace Combat 5.
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netjakIt's EXCELLENT fun with the flight stick, but it's also $130 plus tax for that bundle...it had better be that good. (Add a +1 onto the gameplay, replay, and overall score for the scores with the Flight Stick.)
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Again, true flight enthusiasts will balk at the lack of takeoff/landing phases and since there is no multiplayer, Ace Combat 5 can't be recommended for anyone but airplane lovers.
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I hated the last four Ace Combat titles, but now, I am a believer. The Unsung War offers up a great story, fantastic gameplay, and a gripping experience that you should have you by the balls from the beginning.
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Heavy on action and heavier on story, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is without a doubt the finest flight combat game on the PS2.
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The Unsung War doesn’t break any boundaries, but it perfectly fulfils expectations. What might look unambitious is in actuality an adventure that whisks you through brilliantly rendered backdrops with a touch more polish than previous iterations, always flying hard and successfully conveying the buzz of aerial combat. [Jan 2005, p.90]
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A game that fighter pilot wannabes will love, although it’s not quite as enthralling as perhaps it should be.
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AC5 ups the ante once again for console dogfight games, combining the tight, exciting gameplay and gorgeous visuals and atmosphere of AC04 with added challenge and a superb story tied together by some brilliant cinematic cutscenes.
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The graphics are spectacular, rivalling the intense scenes in Top Gun, especially in the after-action replay mode. It's easily the slickest of the Ace Combat series.
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AceGamezThe intensity the radio chatter brings, matched with amazing music, exciting missions and fantastic storytelling makes one game that every gamer looking for a great action game should not miss, despite the short nature of the main story.
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BoomtownIf you can summon up the courage to try a flight game for the first time, Ace Combat 5 - Squadron Leader will be a great place to start.
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It's not a bad game to any degree, is technically very polished with beautifully rendered craft bursting with technical detail and slick in almost every sense - but it lacks soul.
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Sadly, when it comes down to it, this is all just a very dull experience. You fly about a bit, shoot at some tiny dots, shoot at some more tiny dots, become irritated by shooting at tiny dots, stop concentrating and crash into the sea. Then you start the entire process all over again.
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One of the most compelling, atmospheric and in some places, downright beautiful combat flight simulations ever made.
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The new Wing Command system coupled with the ability to choose their aircraft allows for an increased level of strategy and the in-flight conversations with them really adds a new layer depth and involvement to the series.
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A game that pairs superb combat gameplay with a mainstream market and as a result comes out as one of the first surprises for 2005 on the PS2.
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games(TM)Perfect control, sound effects that make the best use of Dolby stereo, and combat that imbues the player with a genuine sense of urgency without sacrificing fun. [March 2005, p.104]
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Unless you're the evil kind of person who eats kittens and hates candy, I don't think you'll get anything but satisfaction out of Ace Combat 5.
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The game's detailed tutorial and isolated storyline pave the way for newcomers to the series, so if you've been contemplating becoming a pilot in the series that is Ace Combat, now is the time to do so.
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Exactly how a console flight combat game should be. Dogfights are intense and hugely satisfying, the handling is spot on, the graphics are detailed and it all runs very smoothly. The story is surprisingly well crafted.
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Flying jets in the near future (2010) over the homeland of Osean and defending it doesn’t get more realistic or fun than this.
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TotalGames.netGet it, it makes all other flight titles feel like you're flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog sh.t out of Hong Kong.
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It’s a shame, too, that the levels aren’t more exciting and spontaneous. Such predictability stops this game from being any more than an enjoyable flight simulator.
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Playing Namco’s latest title was a challenge and there’s nothing hugely wrong with any of the work on the title just a total lack of involvement, nothing to draw you in, that all-important ‘X’ factor. It just didn’t take my breath away.
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No matter how many bad songs there are, no matter how many planes you’ll never pilot or how much you want there to be multiplayer, Ace Combat: Squadron Leader is still a fantastic game.
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A worthy successor to the Ace Combat series in almost every respect. Fans will love this game and many more may succumb to its charm.
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Pelit (Finland)A light but very enjoyable flight sim with great weapons and a well written story. It is technically flawless and the best Ace Combat game so far. [PELIT Feb. 05]
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Official Playstation 2 Magazine UKTop flight sim that will take your breath away. [Jan 2007, p.106]
Awards & Rankings
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25
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27
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#27 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2004
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18
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#18 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2004
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 141 out of 154
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Mixed: 4 out of 154
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Negative: 9 out of 154
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Feb 13, 2012
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Jun 23, 2013
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Sep 2, 2014