Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 101 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 101
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 101
  3. Negative: 22 out of 101
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. danibuttpirate
    Apr 27, 2013
    9
    I personally was (and still am) an ace combat fan. I love Ace Combat Assault horizon, and how it added a new mechanism to the game and it promised everything it advertised. Only main problem with the game is that it's set in real locations. Previous Ace Combat games were set in their own parallel universe and what not. But that is about it, I would recommend this game to anyone who is newI personally was (and still am) an ace combat fan. I love Ace Combat Assault horizon, and how it added a new mechanism to the game and it promised everything it advertised. Only main problem with the game is that it's set in real locations. Previous Ace Combat games were set in their own parallel universe and what not. But that is about it, I would recommend this game to anyone who is new to this type of genre or who has been a fan for years since the first ace combat (A.K.A Air combat) had been released.… Expand
  2. TacticalContent
    Oct 13, 2013
    10
    Well what can I say.. I don't even think the word brilliant does this game any justice. It is just pure innovative brilliance that brings flight simulation into a new era of innovation. This one, even today is well worth your time.
  3. AliBader
    Oct 14, 2013
    10
    This game is severely underrated, sure the first half of the campaign is a little dull but the second half is mindblowing! And no one even mentions the amazing online, capital conquest is extremely fun and thoughtful and deathmatch is just awesome. I understand why people complain and call it repetitive but then again there is so much to do rather than dfm with fighters. This game is theThis game is severely underrated, sure the first half of the campaign is a little dull but the second half is mindblowing! And no one even mentions the amazing online, capital conquest is extremely fun and thoughtful and deathmatch is just awesome. I understand why people complain and call it repetitive but then again there is so much to do rather than dfm with fighters. This game is the best of the ace combat series and deserves way more praise than it's getting, it's simply a very fun and intense game,… Expand
  4. shady965
    Jul 10, 2012
    9
    This game is for ACE COMBAT fan but they might get a little bit disappointed becuase of the new close range combat system , but it makes the game much more realistic and the soundtracks are fantastic , gives u the exciting u need , highly recommended for AC fans !
  5. SG-17
    Oct 12, 2011
    10
    While it can take some time for veterans of the series to adapt to the new "Dogfight Mode" the game overall has the stuff to take a place with the other great Ace Combats like Shattered Skies, The Unsung War, and The Belkan War. Now, yes the switch from the fictional universe of Strangereal to our very own Earth is a bit disappointing the story that is told is as wild and imaginative asWhile it can take some time for veterans of the series to adapt to the new "Dogfight Mode" the game overall has the stuff to take a place with the other great Ace Combats like Shattered Skies, The Unsung War, and The Belkan War. Now, yes the switch from the fictional universe of Strangereal to our very own Earth is a bit disappointing the story that is told is as wild and imaginative as any told in Strangereal. Mechanically the game is solid as a rock. The flight mechanics on planes are smooth and responsive and Dogfight Mode is surprisingly fun and useful. Things can get sticky when using an attack helicopter, but you don't use one often enough to get angry with it. The graphics are amazing. The planes look sleek and realistic and jaggies are far and few in between. Surprisingly the ground doesn't look like a low resolution composite image anymore, it actually looks realistic. The game has large amounts of replayability when it comes to 3 player co-op and 8v8 competitive multiplayer. Capital Conquest is a base defense game that requires a large amount of teamwork to win at. Overall while the game may have a few quirks, it is still the best Ace Combat game since The Belkan War… Expand
  6. iFox
    Oct 14, 2011
    10
    Great game and worth the $60 price tag. The battle action is insane and keeps you blowing crap up the entire time and I'm surprised I haven't had a seisure yet. The Good. The combat is awesome and the first 5 minutes into the game I knew I was playing an Ace Combat game. The different combat situations are nice battling in a helicopter and using bombers for bombing runs changes theGreat game and worth the $60 price tag. The battle action is insane and keeps you blowing crap up the entire time and I'm surprised I haven't had a seisure yet. The Good. The combat is awesome and the first 5 minutes into the game I knew I was playing an Ace Combat game. The different combat situations are nice battling in a helicopter and using bombers for bombing runs changes the pace. The dog fighting system is one of the best that Ace Combat has come up with, I love watching the jets rip to pieces as I dodge towers, just awesome. The bad. Story is not the best from Ace Combat. It works but is not like the old Ace Combat. My opinion is Ace Combat 4 is still the best of all the series, and the story is what made it the best. Even sky crawlers story was better then this one. However is done well and worth the time. The battles are awesome and long, but I want more levels. The Helicopter battles could have been its own game, and I want more. I hope Ace Combat will make some downloadable levels and additional story lines. It just needs more battles, cities, and more crap to blow up. Like big flying ships, massive missile launchers you have to fly in, and low flying battles to avoid cannons in the sky (Ace Combat 4). Still great and worth the buy for intense combat flight sim lovers. Completely blows HAWX and HAWX 2 out of the water. I hope Ace Combat creators will create another game based on the physics of this game and just focus on a more engaging story the focus on me the Unstoppable Ace blowing everything up in the sky while I listen on the enemies radios screaming in fear as they run tail from me coming. See all past Ace Combat games to understand my point.… Expand
  7. LittleMeow
    Oct 14, 2011
    9
    A fantastic addition to the series, and way better than Ace Combat 6. Highly recommended for anyone a fan of flight games. A very fast paced, action oriented game, but this time, set in the real world! The "Dogfight Mode" is definitely fun, and a nice new addition, and for those you don't like it, it isn't even necessary to use it. Highly recommend picking it up!
  8. Ginnungagap
    Nov 19, 2011
    8
    Air Force porn for modern war fans. Crazy fun shooter that play like a good military thriller reads. There's a demo out (I haven't played it but I just finished the full game) if you like that, you'll love the game. Definitely worth buying.
  9. awdrifter
    May 23, 2012
    10
    This game is not Ace Combat, it's a freaking COD clone with planes. Regenerating health on a plane? Seriously?! Everything has been dumbed down to a mini-game, and yet it's incredibly frustrating to play. I hated the rail shooting section, I hated the bomber section, I hate they force you to go into the godamn ASM mode for ground bombings. There are no fictional planes, no memorable aces,This game is not Ace Combat, it's a freaking COD clone with planes. Regenerating health on a plane? Seriously?! Everything has been dumbed down to a mini-game, and yet it's incredibly frustrating to play. I hated the rail shooting section, I hated the bomber section, I hate they force you to go into the godamn ASM mode for ground bombings. There are no fictional planes, no memorable aces, no enemy radio chatter, no mid-air refueling. If you liked the previous AC games, you'll hate this one. If you like COD or BF3, then you'll love this.… Expand
  10. decoyrhino
    Nov 10, 2011
    10
    An excellent reboot for the series with a really satisfying new mechanic in the dogfight mode and the ground assault mode. The only caveat is the other types of game play, while fun are just not really as re playable and the campaign is a little short. The game really needs some kind of customizable skirmish mode for offline players. Also the DLC is obnoxious and exorbitant but this gameAn excellent reboot for the series with a really satisfying new mechanic in the dogfight mode and the ground assault mode. The only caveat is the other types of game play, while fun are just not really as re playable and the campaign is a little short. The game really needs some kind of customizable skirmish mode for offline players. Also the DLC is obnoxious and exorbitant but this game did not invent that system, it's just an unfortunate trend in the games industry as a whole.… Expand
  11. mongoman
    Apr 8, 2012
    9
    While fans of past Ace Combat games will likely turn their nose up at this unique title, it is for the most part fun to play. The controls are tight, the graphics are well done, the air battles are intense, and the story sucks. It is not Call of Duty bad, but it is close. I love the dogfight mode, it is a refreshing change of pace and adds variety to the battles. If you are looking for aWhile fans of past Ace Combat games will likely turn their nose up at this unique title, it is for the most part fun to play. The controls are tight, the graphics are well done, the air battles are intense, and the story sucks. It is not Call of Duty bad, but it is close. I love the dogfight mode, it is a refreshing change of pace and adds variety to the battles. If you are looking for a fun aerial combat game, this one will fill the void quite well. The game is not perfect, but then again, few games are. There is a plethora of DLC and tons of plane customization. This one is highly recommended for fans of the genre.… Expand
  12. BAN_KAI
    May 10, 2012
    10
    this game is fantastic and worth my money LOVE IT .................................................
  13. cricketlenny
    Oct 16, 2012
    8
    I love how cinematic and awesome the action can be in this game, so I want to give it a 10 out of 10. However, there are 2 flaws that are holding at an 8. The first is a generic story, of Russian conspiracies and superweapons. Dont get me wrong, its actually very well told, and does a good job of making the characters and situations have weight, but its hard to get invested when you knowI love how cinematic and awesome the action can be in this game, so I want to give it a 10 out of 10. However, there are 2 flaws that are holding at an 8. The first is a generic story, of Russian conspiracies and superweapons. Dont get me wrong, its actually very well told, and does a good job of making the characters and situations have weight, but its hard to get invested when you know whats going to happen most of the time. The other flaw is that the gameplay can get repetitive or closed ended at points. The Dog Fight Mode, DFM, is the best way to take down enemies, but bosses can only be taken down in this way, and some enemies will never get hit with other methods. While DFM is extremely fun, its less fun once they force you to do it for stubborn enemies. If you like flying games, or even action movies like Top Gun, this is for you, but if your a flight sim fan, this game will most likely irritate, as it controls in a very simplified and arcade like style. Also, the helicopters can barrel roll in this game. So yeah, thats awesome… Expand
  14. MShadows17
    Mar 17, 2013
    8
    I'll start by saying that my experience with the Ace Combat series involves Shattered Skies for PS2 and Skies of Deception for PSP. Both were awesome games in their own rights.

    I initially shied away from this game due to its mixed reviews and eventually picked it up when it was $20. To start off, I can understand why hardcore fans of the series might be disappointed. The fictional    I'll start by saying that my experience with the Ace Combat series involves Shattered Skies for PS2 and Skies of Deception for PSP. Both were awesome games in their own rights.

    I initially shied away from this game due to its mixed reviews and eventually picked it up when it was $20. To start off, I can understand why hardcore fans of the series might be disappointed. The fictional setting of the previous games has been replaced by a real-world one. The plot doesn't offer much outside of a basic Air Force story that revolves around Russian nuclear threats. The helicopter missions are clunky and mediocre at best, and the bomber missions could've used some fine tuning. For me, the biggest problem was some unclear instructions on counter-maneuvering. If you don't get that down right away, you're probably going to die a lot and get frustrated very easily.

    Now that I've addressed that, I had a blast playing this game. The missions are still fast, frenetic and action-packed, and a lot of this is improved upon thanks to the newly introduced Dogfight Mode (or DFM). It makes the aerial combat more realistic and gets you closer to the action than previous games in the series, which made combat seem a lot more exhilarating in my opinion. While it is a great addition, the game often relies a bit too much on it. Unless enemy planes are flying straight ahead of you and in the same direction, you are rarely going to be able to use the conventional style of shooting missiles from a longer range to down enemy planes, so, basically, you are going to be using DFM to down most enemy planes. At the same time, a few of the lead target DFM sequences end up being a bit scripted and following a certain line of events before you can finally take the plane down. However, I didn't find this to be too much of a problem, though, because DFM was just that captivating and fun.

    The introduction of different flying vehicle missions was a bittersweet introduction. On one hand, I liked the variety that the helicopter, door gunner and bomber missions offered in the wartime atmosphere. The door gunner missions were pretty basic, but still fun. The bomber missions were good but ended up being a bit easy, as you could basically spam the fire button to wipe out enemy targets, for the most part. The helicopter missions were a mixed bag that could've used some fine tuning before release. While the variety is nice, it really isn't what Ace Combat is essentially about. It's about fast-paced jet action and it will probably leave you wanting more of the jet missions when it's all said and done. There are 16 missions in the game, and it's about half jet missions and the other half is other flying vehicle missions. I'd have probably preferred to just have the jet missions (akin to previous games in the series). It's not that the other missions are bad (they're not), it's just that it left me wanting more of what the previous games were based on, that being jet missions. The other missions are good and all, but they just aren't as fast-paced as the jet missions, and they just seem a bit out of place in an Ace Combat game. Again, they're not bad. They just seem out of place.

    In the end, though, your opinion of the game will likely depend on whether or not you like the newly introduced DFM. If you like the concept and thought it was executed well (I am in this group), there is a lot of fun to be had playing this game. If not, you are probably better off sticking to the older games in the series. Either way, I think it's definitely worth a try now that it's down to $20.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

83
#83 Best PS3 Game of 2011
52
#52 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
19
#19 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 28
  3. Negative: 2 out of 28
  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 6, 2012
    80
    In real-life, dog fighting is an elite, Darwinian art form. Here it's often the digital equivalent of school kids running in circles with paper planes, screeching "Nuh uh! I shot you!" [Dec 2011, p72]
  2. Play UK
    Nov 18, 2011
    78
    For about an hour Ace Combat: Assault Horizon will feel like the most exciting game you've ever played. [Issue#211, p.90]
  3. PSM3 Magazine UK
    Nov 13, 2011
    79
    Genuinely exhilarating dogfights. [Dec 2011, p.97]
See all critic reviews »