Even though this game came in under the radar(Pardon the pun),& probably didnt have big production values,Its actually very good.What suprised me,is that its much better than Hawx,& to me even Ace Combat-Assault Horizon,as this game doesnt have the gimmicky & game ruining 'Close range assault' & on rails bits of Assault Horizon,the equally fun sucking C130 & Drone missions in Hawx 2,or theEven though this game came in under the radar(Pardon the pun),& probably didnt have big production values,Its actually very good.What suprised me,is that its much better than Hawx,& to me even Ace Combat-Assault Horizon,as this game doesnt have the gimmicky & game ruining 'Close range assault' & on rails bits of Assault Horizon,the equally fun sucking C130 & Drone missions in Hawx 2,or the dogfight cam in Hawx 1.This game gives you exactly what you want,missions in your jets with no distractions or gimmicks.Like Hawx(& UNlike Assault Horizon),the whole campaign can be played in 4-player online Co-Op,as well as the usual obligatory modes you get in flight games.
The graphics,while not exeptional are noneleless very nice,smooth & in parts beautiful,with alot of ground detail such as hills,vallys cities etc with fantastic looking skies,clouds & sun & a genuine sense of speed & detail when flying close to the ground.. It all feels very cool,& you can even approach ground threats such as triple A & SAM by using hills as cover,& using flares to distract missiles as you approach SAM sites head on,feels exciting & cool also.
The combat & flying feels as good as you could hope for.You can pull of high G vectored turns in all views(unlike Hawx 1)& its a very easy game to get to grips with,in a good way,& its very user friendly.The radar display is(unlike most flight combat games)very easy to read & use to see whats going on around you.Its suprising what a difference that makes,hence why i'm mentioning it.The music is atmospheric too,being remeniscent of Half Life of all things.This game is a joy to play,& i cant wait to play through it again in Co-Op when some mates get it.There are a few 'minor' issues with the game.In the manual,it says you can press the left thumstick button to change views,yet nothing happens when you press it.I'm assuming(optimistically)that they'll fix it in a patch.Also,theres no **** view,only 3rd person or 1st person HUD view,though its plays well in both,so i can live with that.Also,incoroporating landings would've been nice,but again it doesnt detract from whats there,& in a hopeful sequel,it'll be considered.
like i say,these are minor points,barely worth mentioning,& if you like Hawx,Ace Combat or any similar flight combat games,then,like me you'd probably like this.Alot. & I'd definately recommend this without hesitation.
I was going to give this an 8,but because its the best modern Jet Combat game on console(Birds of Steel being the best WW2 flight game),complete with up to 4-player Campaign Co-Op,i feel compelled to give this a 9.
Very nearly my perfect action Jet Combat game.… Expand