Ace Combat

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Finished the game a few days ago and felt nothing, kind of pushed it out of my mind entirely. It just didn't feel compelling in the slightest, there's very little that's positive that I can say about it, and seeing everyone else I know be head over heels for it makes me feel like maybe I am simply insane and wrong and this series is now no longer for me. Played the included Zero port afterwards and it just felt so much better at being an AC game, and then I uninstalled because I can't have a game that I'll never touch again burning a 150GB sized hole in my limited drive space. I guess I can now truthfully say that I will never pre-order something ever again.
 
Hitman One said:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_3JfHrEV78oThis made me weep, Cope's messages from the promised land got me. The story hits just the right "batshit but emotional" bullseye only Ace Combat can pull off. It helps that the soundtrack is full of Daredevil-level bangers.

Having a video game live up to, then exceed, my expectations is such a fucking weird feeling in 2026.
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It's honestly baffling how easy it is to accept a villain who ticks off so many diversity boxes if she isn't butt ugly and sings for you
 
Hello Again! said:
Finished the game a few days ago and felt nothing, kind of pushed it out of my mind entirely. It just didn't feel compelling in the slightest, there's very little that's positive that I can say about it, and seeing everyone else I know be head over heels for it makes me feel like maybe I am simply insane and wrong and this series is now no longer for me. Played the included Zero port afterwards and it just felt so much better at being an AC game, and then I uninstalled because I can't have a game that I'll never touch again burning a 150GB sized hole in my limited drive space. I guess I can now truthfully say that I will never pre-order something ever again.
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Nah not just you. It was very much "okay". The story is very meh and PA would do much better just focusing on the gameplay and ditching all these drawn out cutscenes. Save it for the big set pieces. I feel like there should have been much more effort into huge, expansive operations rather than the same old story beat.

I don't regret pre ordering it, I enjoyed the gameplay but it's trying to be a much bigger thing than it is. Project Wingman nailed it better for sure.
 
Hello Again! said:
Finished the game a few days ago and felt nothing, kind of pushed it out of my mind entirely. It just didn't feel compelling in the slightest, there's very little that's positive that I can say about it, and seeing everyone else I know be head over heels for it makes me feel like maybe I am simply insane and wrong and this series is now no longer for me. Played the included Zero port afterwards and it just felt so much better at being an AC game, and then I uninstalled because I can't have a game that I'll never touch again burning a 150GB sized hole in my limited drive space. I guess I can now truthfully say that I will never pre-order something ever again.
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AC8 is a lot of fun but I agree that it and 7 still lag behind the Holy Trinity plus 6. Mission design is all over the place, the newer games are too cinematic even if it means just flying around waiting for scripted sequences in the missions to finish up, and your wingmen never shut up because the games have to fill every second with pointless dialogue.

But the core gameplay loop and Strangereal worldbuilding are still there and that's good. Better than the Assault Horizon/Infinity era.
 
Übertroon said:
It's honestly baffling how easy it is to accept a villain who ticks off so many diversity boxes if she isn't butt ugly and sings for you
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It's because she is an interesting character outside of her disability, it doesn't define her. The majority of writers in the west these days aren't any good at writing and think that making a character "diverse" is enough to make them interesting and that their diversity has to be their defining characteristic.

With Moon 11 we know:
She is the daughter of a chieftain;
She appears to have great respect for her nation's traditions, but struggles with the realities of nomadic life;
She is an amazing fighter pilot;
The Sotoans worship her like a Goddess because of her skill and her charisma;
She has a connection with Cope;
She wasn't always as bloodthirsty.

All of these are more interesting than "she's a disabled woman", which is there but doesn't define her. I have zero issue with black, disabled, gay characters if they are well written and interesting. If some faggot at Ubisoft had written her all we'd know is that "xhe is a stronk wheelchair using KWEEN who don't need no man" and Torpak would have been her goofy retarded sidekick instead of her scary autistic bodyguard.
 
Americasbig250th said:
AC8 is a lot of fun but I agree that it and 7 still lag behind the Holy Trinity plus 6. Mission design is all over the place, the newer games are too cinematic even if it means just flying around waiting for scripted sequences in the missions to finish up, and your wingmen never shut up because the games have to fill every second with pointless dialogue.

But the core gameplay loop and Strangereal worldbuilding are still there and that's good. Better than the Assault Horizon/Infinity era.
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It's honestly baffling that in an era where most developers try to pad their games as much as possible, AC7 and AC8 wouldn't think of trying to pace the story with more missions where there's no cinematics or set pieces, they just throw you at a ton of targets and let you rip through an entire enemy offensive breakthrough with a heavy target rich environment
 
Übertroon said:
It's honestly baffling that in an era where most developers try to pad their games as much as possible, AC7 and AC8 wouldn't think of trying to pace the story with more missions where there's no cinematics or set pieces, they just throw you at a ton of targets and let you rip through an entire enemy offensive breakthrough with a heavy target rich environment
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Yep. I can only imagine of the possibilities with today's tech. Dynamic operations and all sorts of shit.

Instead we get "look at this sick cutscene bro!".
 
Just Some Other Guy said:
Yep. I can only imagine of the possibilities with today's tech. Dynamic operations and all sorts of shit.

Instead we get "look at this sick cutscene bro!".
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One day
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Feed me enemy columns
 
Übertroon said:
It's honestly baffling that in an era where most developers try to pad their games as much as possible, AC7 and AC8 wouldn't think of trying to pace the story with more missions where there's no cinematics or set pieces, they just throw you at a ton of targets and let you rip through an entire enemy offensive breakthrough with a heavy target rich environment
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RETVRN to AC6 operations

8 does have some good rip and tear missions though. It was an improvement over 7 at least.
 
Kane Lives said:
8 certainly pulls less of that bullshit in 7 where "oh you thought it was a ground attack only operation? Syke, here's Sol Squadron on you".
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Retaking of Theve II would've benefitted from being a Liberation of Gracemeria-style mission with multiple operations, there's even a capturable airfield to reload at, but I can see how that would have reduced the tension since it's meant to be a bit of a bleak mission. Lifeline in a Desert was definitely an attempt at 6-style operations.
 
Just finished the campaign.

I enjoyed it far more than 7. A huge part of that is the fact we didn't change wingman every act, so you got attached to Tasha, Baxter, Queen flight, the Endurance, etc.

Plus nice seeing Kei still kicking. Disappointed that they didn't have Blaze be an allied pilot defending the spaceport as a callback too.

The big missions were fun. Expo City, the massive dogfight over Cima Island near the end, Rocky Island, and the Megafloat were clusterfucks and I love it. I appreciate the A-10 getting some missions to feast upon enemy ground forces

As mentioned previously, I'm iffy on the early missions fighting more separatist factions. I get these areas breaking off after the eastern chunk of their country got bombed from orbit, but actively fighting you? Meh.

Shark squadron, for example, basically hanged back and never engaged while I raped the Sotoan fleet, which IMO made sense. It would have been neat to have them be "neutral" akin to Ace Combat 0, only stepping in if you attack them, or attack neutral infrastructure on the island.

The interactive cutscenes were unnecessary. Just have him shake a hand or salute. Who cares.

I'll have to try online next.
 
Just_Somebody said:
Just finished the campaign.

I enjoyed it far more than 7. A huge part of that is the fact we didn't change wingman every act, so you got attached to Tasha, Baxter, Queen flight, the Endurance, etc.

Plus nice seeing Kei still kicking. Disappointed that they didn't have Blaze be an allied pilot defending the spaceport as a callback too.

The big missions were fun. Expo City, the massive dogfight over Cima Island near the end, Rocky Island, and the Megafloat were clusterfucks and I love it. I appreciate the A-10 getting some missions to feast upon enemy ground forces

As mentioned previously, I'm iffy on the early missions fighting more separatist factions. I get these areas breaking off after the eastern chunk of their country got bombed from orbit, but actively fighting you? Meh.

Shark squadron, for example, basically hanged back and never engaged while I raped the Sotoan fleet, which IMO made sense. It would have been neat to have them be "neutral" akin to Ace Combat 0, only stepping in if you attack them, or attack neutral infrastructure on the island.

The interactive cutscenes were unnecessary. Just have him shake a hand or salute. Who cares.

I'll have to try online next.
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I also enjoyed the true ground pounder missions without any surprise aces to interrupt you.

Funnily enough the game does seem to have a yellow neutral target system, but you only see it in some scripted sequences and not in the AC0 sort of way.

Nagase is great and all but I always did want more returning characters. I think the Sol pilots Wit and Seymour should have showed up around the elevator, and maybe some more characters like Avril and Schroeder. And someone else in this thread suggested good ol' Pixy could have been at the elevator, since it's the closest thing to his version of a unified world that actually exists and would have been a great longterm sendoff to the character. Then again I'm just writing fanfiction here.

The Assault Horizon "press F to pump fist" stuff didn't need to come back at all lmao
 
Hitman One said:
It's because she is an interesting character outside of her disability, it doesn't define her. The majority of writers in the west these days aren't any good at writing and think that making a character "diverse" is enough to make them interesting and that their diversity has to be their defining characteristic.

With Moon 11 we know:
She is the daughter of a chieftain;
She appears to have great respect for her nation's traditions, but struggles with the realities of nomadic life;
She is an amazing fighter pilot;
The Sotoans worship her like a Goddess because of her skill and her charisma;
She has a connection with Cope;
She wasn't always as bloodthirsty.

All of these are more interesting than "she's a disabled woman", which is there but doesn't define her. I have zero issue with black, disabled, gay characters if they are well written and interesting. If some faggot at Ubisoft had written her all we'd know is that "xhe is a stronk wheelchair using KWEEN who don't need no man" and Torpak would have been her goofy retarded sidekick instead of her scary autistic bodyguard.
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Tewy not being born disabled also helps with keeping her disability from being her only character trait.
 
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