Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 94 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 94
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 94
  3. Negative: 29 out of 94
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  1. FlyBoy8712
    Jan 2, 2012
    2
    Whee, a flight game where you don't even fly. On-rails "flight" game. Awesome. All it asks you to do ever is hold down the gun button and occasionally fire a missile. Absolute garbage.
  2. Rypperdoc
    Feb 22, 2012
    2
    Skip this game. Seriously, it is just an over glorified set of mini-games. The graphics, as good as they are, are not enough to save this travesty from being a waste of money. It was like the developers sat down, decided what made the last three Ace Combat games so good, and then intentionally left it all out. The story is weak. The piloting is restricted to an early 90's arcade game.Skip this game. Seriously, it is just an over glorified set of mini-games. The graphics, as good as they are, are not enough to save this travesty from being a waste of money. It was like the developers sat down, decided what made the last three Ace Combat games so good, and then intentionally left it all out. The story is weak. The piloting is restricted to an early 90's arcade game. If you are fan of the Ace Combat series, you will not be happy with this.… Expand
  3. Maxisonfire
    Nov 18, 2012
    2
    A genuinely disastrous attempt at a cashing in on 'Call-of-Duty Mania'. The developers really went out of their way to remove the individuality of the Ace Combat series, and created a mediocre, poorly designed game with no heart or personality.

    Where the Ace Combat games used to exist in a fictional world, Ace Combat Assault Horizon brings you into the gritty new 'real world' of action.    A genuinely disastrous attempt at a cashing in on 'Call-of-Duty Mania'. The developers really went out of their way to remove the individuality of the Ace Combat series, and created a mediocre, poorly designed game with no heart or personality.

    Where the Ace Combat games used to exist in a fictional world, Ace Combat Assault Horizon brings you into the gritty new 'real world' of action. Where in previous Ace Combat games, you flew through tunnels, canyons and fjords, here you fly over the middle-eastern desert. Where the Ace Combat games used to have ridiculous, over-the top missions, like flying through tunnels that were closing in around you, and chasing a plane that could teleport away from your shots (AC3), or attacking a railgun the size of a small city (AC6), here you hear your teammates talk about Afghanistan, get betrayed by Russians, and bomb rebellious Arabs. Now of course it wouldn't be fair to criticise the game based purely on how it isn't like it's predecessors stylistically, but there are also elements of gameplay which have been removed. From the beginning of the previous installment on the xbox360 you had, for example, different flight formations for your teammates, you could even tell all of your allies on (often enormous) battlefields to focus fire on a set of targets, which was as stunning as it was satisfying. Here your wingmen follow you aimlessly, and your other allies fly around attacking invisible enemies, and almost completely ignoring anything to do with the mission objective. Actually being able to pilots your vehicle in this game barely matters, as the dogfights with tougher enemies have been replace with a cinematic dog-chase, where you lose control of your plane, and simply respond to on-screen commands when prompted to destroy your enemies. This wouldn't be a problem, and initially I didn't expect it to be, until it became obvious that several enemies (sometimes whole groups in missions) are undefeatable without handing control to autopilot.
    The game seems to try and make up for this by adding supposedly exciting new concepts, such as missions where you pilots helicopters, and the super-original mission where you man the guns on an AC-130 as you support a small group of infantry on the ground (where literally your only input for 20 minutes is shooting trucks and technicals as the camera zooms in on the big explosions). But where in previous games you could fly in space, through radioactive wastelands and attack enemies with laser-cannons, this recuperates very little of the excitement you'd hope from an Ace Combat game.

    The plot is lacking (the disk case advertises 'BEST SELLING MILITARY AUTHOR' Jim DeFilice as the creator), the voice acting is lacking, even by the standards of both Ace Combat and fashionable military shooters, and the gameplay is stunted in favour in short cinematics where the camera zooms in towards explosions as gasps fill your in-game radio. And how could I forget regenerating health? That's right, planes with regenerating health.

    Maybe this would appeal to what I call the 'Call of Duty generation', which love military shooters, and don't really care about any depth, art or individuality in their games. But for fans on innovation, or just fans of the Ace Combat series overall, this isn't the game for you.    … Expand
  4. Lucinator
    Aug 27, 2012
    1
    Don't get this game, it takes no skill to play and is a huge downgrade from p[previous ace combat games. I would recommend getting ace combat 6 it is much better. Hope the game designers go back to their old formula.
  5. dave1720
    Nov 3, 2011
    3
    The additions of gunships and helicopters is great but I believe the jet combat is a lot worse. The dog fight mode is a great idea but it feels way to scripted. If an enemy is tailing you it is difficult to lose them without entering a dogfight. The jets appear to have the ability to stop and turn around. Even though your flare count is restricted the enemies doesn't seem to be. I'm a bigThe additions of gunships and helicopters is great but I believe the jet combat is a lot worse. The dog fight mode is a great idea but it feels way to scripted. If an enemy is tailing you it is difficult to lose them without entering a dogfight. The jets appear to have the ability to stop and turn around. Even though your flare count is restricted the enemies doesn't seem to be. I'm a big ace combat fan but i will not be buying this game. It was very disappointing. I like that they were trying to do something different and i enjoyed the helicopter missions a lot but the jet combat was ruined.… Expand
  6. SearchEngine27
    May 10, 2012
    3
    Huge downgrade in the series. They took the flight out of the game completely. If you're going up against a boss, you HAVE to use the dog fight mode. Even some of the weaker targets require dog fight mode to take down. Dog fight mode was a garbage addition to the game, and needs to be removed. And thank god for all the Call of Duty fanboys trying to turn this series into CoD: TheHuge downgrade in the series. They took the flight out of the game completely. If you're going up against a boss, you HAVE to use the dog fight mode. Even some of the weaker targets require dog fight mode to take down. Dog fight mode was a garbage addition to the game, and needs to be removed. And thank god for all the Call of Duty fanboys trying to turn this series into CoD: The helicopter missions that CoD style gameplay now seems to require has been added, is dreadfully buggy, boring, and lacks any skill to really complete...needs to be removed also. The developers decided it was a good idea to put in random mini-cut scenes whenever you do something, so that way you get disoriented when you come out of it, and usually screw up whatever it was you were doing before (i.e. youre in a bombing run and then over run your target cuz of cutscene). Some of the missions are painfully hard for absolutely no reason at all, and your "allies" just fly in circles while every aircraft on the map lights you up. In Ace Combat 6 I understood it, you can call them in for help at some point, so why should they help you if you can call in their unreasonable firepower using a skill meter bar? Now they are just on the map for no reason at all, while every single enemy aircraft is shooting at you. You will do 90% of the work on any mission, without exception. Thankfully, your enemy can enter into dog fight mode behind you which is unreasonably difficult to escape, so that way its easier to get shot down (remove dog fight mode!!). Dog fight mode in general is your plane on rails, following another plane through unreasonably unrealistic maneuvers...oh and planes can do backflips now. Soundtrack left me uninspired, and I felt so disconnected from the story that I barely know what's going on. In Ace Combat 6 I was excited to fight for a country that didn't exist (as cheesy as it was at times), to a soundtrack that was amazing...wtf happened?? CoD happened, and now every game has to be like CoD...rails, gay helicopter missions, etc etc. As far as visually, the graphics look OK, but the camera likes to move all over the place. Besides the randomly generated cutscences that will throw you off, the camera is always in ridiculous spots way to close to the aircraft, so that way you can't see anything in front of you (if you fly in third person, which lets be honest, this is an arcade/sim, and we all want to appreciate the view of the aircraft we're flying). Firing machine guns will shift the camera in even closer, so that way 50% of your screen is taken up by the aircraft cuz the camera is shifted right next to the machine gun...god forbid the aircraft your chasing flys to the opposite side of your aircraft cuz you're gonna lose him. Pros:Graphics are OK, you get to blow stuff up, plenty of aircraft to choose from. Cons: Who thought it was a good idea to put helicopter missions in a jet game?? Dog fight mode forces you onto rails, Dog Fight mode is bad enough but the game forces you into dog fight mode for harder pilots making it unavoidable, story is bland, music is bland, camera work is god awful, allies are useless (you will do all the work), and I know this is supposed to be arcade style flight, but the flying maneuvers in this game have turned into the realism level of a cartoon. If you love the series, stay away from this as it will just make you mad and throw your controller, the previous installment into the series was a million times better (Ace Combat 6: Liberation of Gracemeria)… Expand
  7. Ishigami
    Oct 18, 2011
    4
    I'm a big fan of Ace Combat but I have to say that I'm greatly disappointed by Assault Horizon.
    The DFM (Dogfight Mode) or ASM (Air Strike Mode) destroyed the Ace Combat gameplay for me entirely by taking the controls of the planes away from me, placing me in a rail shooter sequence to show me some scripted events and effects. The destruction camera gets old especially quick and is    I'm a big fan of Ace Combat but I have to say that I'm greatly disappointed by Assault Horizon.
    The DFM (Dogfight Mode) or ASM (Air Strike Mode) destroyed the Ace Combat gameplay for me entirely by taking the controls of the planes away from me, placing me in a rail shooter sequence to show me some scripted events and effects. The destruction camera gets old especially quick and is distracting to the point it left me disoriented several times.
    I was not even able to pass on this â    … Expand
  8. belltoe
    Mar 22, 2012
    1
    I only played the demo and yes, I'm very thankful for that. Being a flight-simulation junkie, I will base my opinion on one thing only. No barrel rolls. It may seem silly to some but to eliminate the ability to roll my plane upside down is just insulting. It may be this only applies to the demo, though based on some of the other reviews it seems unlikely, but even so I will never pickI only played the demo and yes, I'm very thankful for that. Being a flight-simulation junkie, I will base my opinion on one thing only. No barrel rolls. It may seem silly to some but to eliminate the ability to roll my plane upside down is just insulting. It may be this only applies to the demo, though based on some of the other reviews it seems unlikely, but even so I will never pick this one up from the shelves. I gave it a one because I did enjoy going super-sonic between the skyscrapers... and bouncing off one of them, pfft!… Expand
  9. rukasu01
    Nov 8, 2011
    0
    Pros: 1) The graphics and sounds are absolutely incredible. Great script, the voice acting felt natural, aircraft (visually speaking) were spot on. Pretty much standard fair in the graphics and sound department, aka "top of the top notch."

    Cons: WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO TO MY FLIGHT CONTROLS?!?!? I can't even roll! And whats with the zoom autopilot dog fights? It takes everything (and I    Pros: 1) The graphics and sounds are absolutely incredible. Great script, the voice acting felt natural, aircraft (visually speaking) were spot on. Pretty much standard fair in the graphics and sound department, aka "top of the top notch."

    Cons: WHAT THE HELL DID THEY DO TO MY FLIGHT CONTROLS?!?!? I can't even roll! And whats with the zoom autopilot dog fights? It takes everything (and I sincerely mean everything) that was fun about the franchise right out of the game. Seriously, devote Ace Combat fans will sorely hate this game. You know what? Why am I even writing this? Everyone who would benefit from this review already took the game to the desert for target practice. Seriously, the only fun I had in the game was the 15 minutes I had in the Blackhawk, and MW2 did this better, so why bother playing this game in the first place?

    This is the last Ace Combat I will ever buy, until they bring back ye old school gameplay. Take your graphics and cutscenes and shove it.    … Expand
  10. Flumenius
    Apr 3, 2013
    3
    I have never been a fanboy of flight simulator action games like Ace Combat or Blazing Angels, but I'd have to say that taking a risk by purchasing this game was by far a waste of my time. You know that you have a flawed game when the controls won't allow you to do simple maneuvers like a split-s or a simple barrel roll (and no not the Star Fox "barrel roll" either). Since when did aI have never been a fanboy of flight simulator action games like Ace Combat or Blazing Angels, but I'd have to say that taking a risk by purchasing this game was by far a waste of my time. You know that you have a flawed game when the controls won't allow you to do simple maneuvers like a split-s or a simple barrel roll (and no not the Star Fox "barrel roll" either). Since when did a dogfighting game become an on-rails shooter where the enemy can make physically impossible maneuvers and turns and you can't even do the simplest of them?
    Secondly, why would anyone decide that putting in helo levels and a Call of Duty carbon copy AC-130 sequence were good ideas? It's so out of place it's like having Justin Beiber open for a Tool concert. It halts the pace of the game to a screeching halt and never has any real significant value other than railroading the plot.
    Thirdly, the game's overall focus is an absolute mess. I couldn't tell if it was a coming-of-age story for the main character Colonel Bishop (which wouldn't be piloting at that stage in his career), a story about fraternity in the military, or if it was a Tom Clancy parody. At times I thought, why is this scene here? Is it to give the pilots a face? If so, then they completely blew it. No one...NO ONE in the military calls each other by their rank unless it is out of anger, sarcasm, or fun. I never walked up to a colonel and said "hi, colonel!" I said "good morning, sir." If you are going to have a military game, you better learn at least the very BASICS of military courtesy. Even my brother, who was never in the military laughed when he heard a captain call his superior colonel instead of sir. I don't ever talk about something that I haven't at least researched for a total of 20 minutes. They shouldn't make a game that has dialogue without knowing common military courtesy.
    The only redeeming qualities about this game is that the soundtrack and landscapes are well done. I do have to say that someone finally decided that not all of Russia is bad in the plot. I really appreciated fighting rogue Russians with other Russians. Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Tom Clancy seem to just love to bash the Russians simply because they can't get over that the Cold War ended TWENTY YEARS AGO.
    But enough of my soap box. This game is awful. If you have a few bucks to spend to get achievements like myself, get it. My brother and I are in constant competition with gamerscore and we always rent games just to get achievements...and that's really the only reason why you would buy this game.

    Pros: Soundtrack, Graphics, and a plot that's worth appreciating.
    Cons: Gameplay, physics, difficulty (too easy), lack of focus, and no knowledge gathered for the game.    … Expand
  11. exar10
    Jul 15, 2013
    4
    Too heavily scripted. Hated DFM (Dogfight Mode). Suddenly all the skill it took to follow and target is gone. You have half to none of the control during DFM (depending on if you're following some random plane or an integral target that will advance some plot in the mission). For the latter, you can literally just sit on your hands and it'll still follow the target plane better thanToo heavily scripted. Hated DFM (Dogfight Mode). Suddenly all the skill it took to follow and target is gone. You have half to none of the control during DFM (depending on if you're following some random plane or an integral target that will advance some plot in the mission). For the latter, you can literally just sit on your hands and it'll still follow the target plane better than you will be able to. As someone that loved the PS2 AC games, this is horrendous. I was hoping for a next gen experience and got a dumbed down version catering to the masses. It is blatantly apparent that Namco was trying to get a wider (read: less skilled) audience by adding in so many hand-holding features. Sure, great scenery, cool planes I guess, though I didn't even get a chance to look at them. Mission playback isn't easy to find (if it exists; I hear it does, but it could just be a myth). The story is non-existent. Where in previous AC games I actually felt for the characters and the squadron and enjoyed the story and followed along with it, in ACAH I didn't give a crap about any of them. I was hoping this game would cure my desire for a good flight-sim on one of my 7th generation consoles. Sadly, I guess I'll just have to break out my PS2 and relive AC4, 5, and 0.… Expand
  12. peters554
    Dec 6, 2013
    4
    Extremely overrated to the eyes of a young 21st century boy such as myself and others'consists of 3 main errors horrible graphics,horrible plot line, and horrible characters.
  13. Nerm_Ski
    Jul 18, 2014
    2
    SO SAD! Well that's what you get when you have high hopes and are let down in the most ruthless manner. What happened to the series? I have played them all. Previously in the series gun kill were the most fun and satisfying chasing people around. Now its on a rail system. Chuffing really? All that sky yet are now limited to the paths set. And you can press a combo which will flip yourSO SAD! Well that's what you get when you have high hopes and are let down in the most ruthless manner. What happened to the series? I have played them all. Previously in the series gun kill were the most fun and satisfying chasing people around. Now its on a rail system. Chuffing really? All that sky yet are now limited to the paths set. And you can press a combo which will flip your plane behind the guy chasing you. Seriously. I know its an arcade style series with the multitude of missiles the planes can magically carry but seriously? What would be cool if the planes continually flipped in some sort of stunt display. Anyway, I digress.

    First Nail in the Ace Combat Coffin? Wake up call for the next game to get better at what your good at and not forget who you are! Ouch that's sounds preachy but please do not spend your money on this game. Instead purchase Ace Combat 6. It has it all, cheesy story lines and all.

    It does look good. I'll give it that but you'll get sick of how good your plane looks when you cant see who you're shooting.

    I'll stop moaning about this game now.

    Happy Gaming    … Expand
  14. rockon
    Apr 17, 2017
    1
    Don't buy it new like I did. The game's only bright spots are the scenery. The DFM (dog fighting mode) ruined this game's potential. I had the DLC come with my copy. So in the very first mission it's announced that my missiles won't work against Ace pilots. What good are the over 300 missiles I'm carrying if they won't bring down a target? Then the AI sends a bunch of enemy "Ace"Don't buy it new like I did. The game's only bright spots are the scenery. The DFM (dog fighting mode) ruined this game's potential. I had the DLC come with my copy. So in the very first mission it's announced that my missiles won't work against Ace pilots. What good are the over 300 missiles I'm carrying if they won't bring down a target? Then the AI sends a bunch of enemy "Ace" pilots. What you must do is get as close as possible to enemy planes from behind and you'll see a blue square light up and "RB and LB" on your enemy's wings (after locking on your targeting) You must quickly (very quickly) press LB and RB simultaneously to enter "DFM" mode. Then it's basically like an arcade mini-game where it's easy to blast the enemy out of the sky with missiles or your machine gun. But up until then you may pass by the same enemy plane 5 times before you can get the DFM to kick in. As you're coming up from behind they'll go very low to try to get you to crash. Even though you're really close to the surface, they still duck under you. They're so fast they can do a hairpin U- turn under you at 200 feet altitude while going 1000 mph. Like they switch instantly into reverse in mid-air with out losing speed. So the game is incredibly monotonous. You chase bogies around trying to get the DFM to light up. It becomes ultra-tiresome. The monotony especially stings because the missions go on for seemingly ever. The aircraft repairs itself while in the air. You're more likely to crash into the ocean in this game than be destroyed by enemy aircraft. I loved Ace Combat 6. Compared to that, this game is a disgrace.… Expand
  15. Moitek
    Jan 13, 2016
    3
    "The nightmare is over. Finally" - those final words of main protoganist are best description of my feeling at the end of this game. Compering to Unsung War, AH is just stupid. I hate those casual gameplay mechanics that should make game easier but made it chaotic and shallow.
  16. dmichaelc
    Dec 29, 2017
    3
    There are several major problems. The game has this 'Dog Fight Mode' that essentially turns a flight game into an on rails game. It is highly overused, removing a lot of the action. Cinematic cutscenes interrupt many of your actions during gameplay which only serve to disorient you when they are done. Many levels don'[t even have you flying a plane. I can honestly say I had more fun flyingThere are several major problems. The game has this 'Dog Fight Mode' that essentially turns a flight game into an on rails game. It is highly overused, removing a lot of the action. Cinematic cutscenes interrupt many of your actions during gameplay which only serve to disorient you when they are done. Many levels don'[t even have you flying a plane. I can honestly say I had more fun flying a helicopter than a plane, even though the controls for that are screwed up.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2011
57
#57 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
18
#18 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 71
  3. Negative: 1 out of 71
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 19, 2012
    60
    One of the greatest disappointments of the year. Once great and entertaining flying arcade became an average Call of Duty-copycat shooter. [Christmas 2011]
  2. GameCritics
    Nov 30, 2011
    65
    It's not a great game by any means, but there are much worse ways to spend an afternoon than making jets explode.
    Read full review
  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Nov 15, 2011
    70
    Just good. [Issue#78, p.82]
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