Ace Combat 6 - Fires of Liberation 360 Review - www.impulsegamer.com -
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Gameplay |
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8.7 |
| Graphics |
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8.9 |
| Sound |
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8.0 |
| Value |
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8.7 |
Distributor: Atari Australia
Classification: M15+
Review Date: December 2007
Reviewer: Jye Nelson |
8.6 |
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Ace Combat 6 - Fires of Liberation
One of the oldest
console flight simulators returns on the XBox 360 that continues
from the highly popular series that was originally launched on the
PlayStation, bringing amazing single-player mechanics and intense
dog fighting into a new arena with the addition of online modes
including co-op missions and of course aerial confrontations.
Features
Fires of Liberation
spans 15 single-player missions all broken up by a series of cut
scenes told from the perspective of people directly affected by the
war. The first few missions are standard fare and will likely feel
tedious to most gamers, but if you stick with it the game makes a
dramatic turn and really delivers a unique and exciting experience
more than worth the price of admission.
The cut scenes that
break up the action are nicely presented, but feel somewhat
disconnected from the core game. This is largely due to the fact
that these stories are not directly related to what is going on in
the sky. Even with this severed storyline these cut scenes still
deliver a plausible backdrop to the events going on in the clouds.
Each mission works just as you would expect with a quick overview
before deployment giving you the ability to select aircraft and
weaponry best suited for each mission. For the first 5-6 missions
the standard layout should work fine, but later in the game you will
run across surprise objectives during the mission that really throw
a monkey wrench into your plans. This can be frustrating as you will
be half-way through a mission only to realize that your layout is
useless against a certain type of enemy. Thankfully this is remedied
with the aid of your wingmen who you can command to attack and cover
you with a simple tap of the d-pad.
One of the cooler aspects of the single-player game is that each
mission does have multiple objectives all of which cannot be
completed in one play through. This adds a nice layer of replay
value especially for purists out there who insist on earning every
possible award the game has to offer. The best part about going back
is that the missions will actually feel different depending on which
objectives you choose to carry out. Couple this with the addition of
extreme difficulty upon completion of the game and you have an
incredibly robust game without even touching the multi-player.
Multi-player is
broken down into two parts and both are equally enjoyable depending
on your preference. The co-op missions are basically mirrors of the
type of sorties you would perform offline but of course with other
players. The biggest differentiator here is that when you die you
can actually respawn but it will take time off the clock. Saving
precious seconds is crucial which adds to the tension not to mention
an overall layer of strategy. The downside is that there are only
two co-op missions on the initial disc. I am sure there is a
possibility of downloadable content in the pipeline, but as much fun
as it is to take to the skies with your friends it makes you wish
they had added co-op for all of the single-player missions.
Graphically, the visuals in Fires of Liberation are absolutely
jaw-dropping. Smoke trails fill the sky, the planes are so
intricately detailed and the draw distance is absolutely amazing.
However, there is one drawback; ground textures. Sure from a
distance they look fine, but get close enough to the ground and you
will think you were teleported back to 1996, I mean these things are
terrible. Of course 95% of the time you will not even notice them
because you are too busy watching everything else, but when you do
fly close enough to the ground try not to crash into the four pixel
backdrop.
In conclusion, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation is easily the best
flight-sim available on next-gen systems, not to mention the best
the series has ever had to offer. Picture perfect controls and lush
visuals make this a package that fans of the series will not want to
miss. Even with the quirky story and slow pacing through the first
few missions Fires of Liberation surpasses all benchmarks set by its
predecessors and sets a new bar for the series and the genre. Easy
to pick up and play, but hard to put down Ace Combat 6 is the
definition of how you keep a franchise going strong for this long.
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