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Playstation > PlayStation Game Cheats > PlayStation Reviews > Staff Review | |
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| Setting
the Scene: If you want to experience the realistic thrill of what it feels like to pilot an aircraft then the PC has a catalogue of titles that would easily quench your thirst. In fact some of these simulations are so accurate that they allow for a take-off at Heathrow airport UK, before setting the system to auto pilot once cruising high above the cumulous clouds at 28,000 feet... and then go to bed. On waking in the morning a quick check of the monitor will reveal the craft crossing the photo-realistic terrain of Angola preparing for it's arrival at Namibia airport. Sadly the present Playstation is not yet capable of matching these feats but development teams are getting ever nearer. None more than Namco, whose third in the Ace Combat series is by far the more realistic flying experience you will possibly ever get crammed onto a disc for a 32-bit console. The story goes that early in the new millennium the entire government system collapses and the world falls under the control of two corporations, Neucom Inc (Nuke-em?) and General Resource Ltd. They both lock horns and through an intricate system of missions the player must subdue this threatening conflict. So break out the sick bag, fasten your harness, adjust your flight suit, log in with air traffic control... and don't forget to check your parachute. Genre: Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere is an arcade shooter where the player chooses from a mighty impressive line up of fighter planes (over 30) and prepares to enter the adrenaline-fuelled world of air combat. Sound and Vision: Having warned not to expect visuals and complexities that compare with the more favorable PC titles I must say that the quality and realism of the graphics in this game are nothing short of remarkable. In fact the number of times I crashed my plane because I wanted an ever closer look at the vast city-scapes is nobody's business. Let's start at the beginning. The animated intro offers a false alarm that Ace Combat 3 may be some sort of a cartoony style flying game. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. The only real use of the intro is to introduce us to the characters of the RPG style plot that runs throughout the game. Allowing the disc to roll into 'Demo mode' offers improving signals that we may be onto a classic here. These lengthy trailers flick through many of the stunning replays that follow each successful mission. The amount of effort and detail put into providing these segments is commendable. Sit back and watch from a helicopters perspective as a stealth bomber cuts through the narrow canyon, with it's jet engines ripping up a trail of frothy water barely two meters below. Or how about a spot of low fling over a brightly lit city at night, picking off a strategically placed missile base, bombarding a couple of machine gun bunkers or firing on a line of patrolling tanks. But this still doesn't paint the total picture. Better is yet to come. 
After a sometimes-lengthy RPG section a small-scale model is used to act
out the task in hand during the mission briefing. What you watch now is
basically what you hope to see on the radar screen when the 'real'
combat begins. Each aircraft or vessel is color-coded leaving no chance
of error. Red arrows are your definite targets. White arrows represent
secondary enemies, which may be taken down to improve your mission
rating. Yellow markers are used to highlight neutral's and blue arrows
are from your squadron, so leave these well alone. Should a small white
moving dot be shown moving in your general direction... get the hell out
of there because it's an incoming missile.After switching off the rather bland background music and boosting up the accurate sound effects it's time for a bit of action. There is very little time wasted with taking-off or landing maneuvers as the player always takes control of the craft as it cruises in mid-flight heading towards the mission area. What you see out of the cockpit depends on a number of variables; height, weather, time of day and region.  When
flying above 32,000 feet miles ahead can be viewed because of the clear
deep blue sky. In this environment enemy craft first appear as a speck
on the horizon gaining magnitude as they approach. When they finally
thunder past the effect is awesome as a booming noise accompanies the
briefest glimpse of their awesome structure... then they are gone...
only leaving behind a trail of white jet fumes.By reducing height the thick blanket of cloud below that shrouds the landscape can be entered. This offers a strangely disorienting effect, especially if an attack begins. Weather conditions now come into play with some frightening rainfall and snowstorm effects making visual navigation hazardous. Thankfully all the relative information remains permanently visible on your on-screen HUD. 
When flying below a few thousand feet the view clears but solid terrain
is now bought into play and accurate control is required to avoid an
unwanted collision with the landscape. Snow topped mountains, barren
desserts, meandering rivers, open seas, huge dams, simmering volcanoes,
bustling cityscapes, high rise towers, wide span bridges, concrete
flyovers... just a little of the architecture and natural beauty on
show. All of which can be viewed from two perspectives, inside the
cockpit or up and behind the craft. The inside view offers the more
realistic effect giving the impression that you are really flying.Playability: Of course pretty landscapes are pleasant to look at but often appear to the cost of the actual gameplay. Not so here. Unlike the last two incarnations, Electrosphere is heavily story-driven. Keeping track is often difficult as it regularly branches off in several different directions, allowing up to five endings, which vary quite drastically. Basically you get to play out a few missions and then a choice is offered to remain faithful to your comrades or defect with another party. Your decision effects the future mission content. This happens a number of times during the game but actually makes replay value very high. Once a final ending is reached you can restart the game and this time head off in an alternative direction revealing many new missions and tasks. I believe there are over 50 missions in total (eat your heart out Quake II). There are three difficulty modes, which affect how much damage your craft can take from the enemy. Missions are usually divided into two sections. The primary objective must be met within the allowed time, approximately 3-5 minutes, and then a longer secondary task will be unveiled. Of course you could take your time on the first mission, but will end up missing out on half of the game. Once the original demand has been met there is no time limit stipulated to the secondary missions allowing for more cunning tactics to be deployed with ample time to enjoy carrying them out. Missions are wide and varied and include tasks such as downing specific flying targets, dogfighting with up to eight enemy aircraft, sinking a fleet of ships, destroying buildings and bridges, high-altitude chases, dambusting, submarine hunting, taking off/landing and mid-air refueling, flying wingman for bombers... in fact everything you could wish from a flight combat simulation. 
Through the course of the game you will get to pilot many different
planes, of all shapes and sizes, dependant on who your employee is.
Expect also to reveal a few secret craft. The planes here are split into
three types - heavy, normal or light planes. Heavy planes can survive
some serious damage, but they have slow acceleration. Normal planes can
stand moderate damage and have slightly faster acceleration. Light
planes are the speed demons of the pack - they normally have
unbelievable acceleration rates, but just one well-timed missile will
bring them down.In most missions you get to choose from a few planes, but later in the game you'll be stuck with one super plane. Most of the aircraft have multiple missile and gun choices, but a selection must be made before the battle commences. Will it be heavy machine gun, Vulcan or cannon? Shall I load up short range, ground or MIRV missiles? The choice is yours! Learning to control the craft takes barely five minutes therefore there is no requirement for a series of lengthy training regimes to grind through... its action all the way. The face buttons are used to select target, fire missile or gun and zoom in on the radar. Shoulder buttons throttle up and down and tilt the plane. I always find that the D-pad works best for more accurate control, but the analog stick may be used if you wish. 
Shooting down a target is relatively simple, and is stunning to watch.
Most missiles will lock-on to an enemy automatically but some missions
insist only guns be used. Once 'locked on' the targeted crafts make,
model and distance are recorded on your HUD, thus avoiding shooting down
the wrong target. The adrenaline really starts pumping as the plane
closes in towards the 2,000 meters mark. At this distance missiles can
be firmly locked and fired as long as the enemy remains on your screen.
Of course some of the targets don't particularly want to be blown into a
zillion pieces therefore some tasty maneuvers are required to keep them
within scope. It's all quite challenging but not so difficult as to
become frustrating.Once a mission has been completed your performance is marked and graded. Should the primary objective not have been met within the allowed time then grading will range from 'D' upwards. A magical 'A' is achieved by destroying all primary and secondary targets, including all 'white' enemy presence from the area, within the given time scale. Game Options: This is a 2 disk game for 1 Player. It is compatible with the standard (digital) joypad and the analog stick controls of the dual shock joypad. Games can be saved via memory card (1 block per save). |
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