Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies

Things don't start out too well. Early in the game you're saddled with what amounts to a flying brick, and are forced to fly a few boring mud-moving missions. Stick with it, though. By the end of the game, you'll have earned enough money to buy a hangar full of incredible aircraft, each with special weapons, capabilities, and shortcomings. The F-14, for example, has a slow roll rate but can engage multiple targets at long range. The A-10 is horrible in a dogfight, but is devastating down low. You'll need to familiarize yourself with all the planes, as picking the right plane for the job always spells the difference between success and failure in the later missions.

The game is nearly perfect in the audio department, with booming engine noises (taken from recordings of the planes' real-life counterparts) and constant radio chatter during missions. Graphically, it's a bit of a letdown, especially the anemic explosions. Up high, everything is picture perfect, and the plane models are gorgeous, but close to the ground the terrain melts into a pixilated mess. This is offset somewhat by the inclusion of dense urban areas and twisting canyons that are thrilling to fly through. All things considered, Shattered Skies is the best mix of simulation and arcade action ever burned onto a disc. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Photorealistic terrain (at least when viewed from high altitude)
• Nonstop action backed by an engaging story
• Intense dogfights, sometimes invo
  
  Amazon.com Review
  Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is as close as console owners can come to owning a PC-class simulator. It still has the arcade sensibilities of previous entries in this popular series, but the graphics, number of planes (all with different flight characteristics), and story line kick this dogfighting experience into full afterburner.

  Things don't start out too well. Early in the game you're saddled with what amounts to a flying brick, and are forced to fly a few boring mud-moving missions. Stick with it, though. By the end of the game, you'll have earned enough money to buy a hangar full of incredible aircraft, each with special weapons, capabilities, and shortcomings. The F-14, for example, has a slow roll rate but can engage multiple targets at long range. The A-10 is horrible in a dogfight, but is devastating down low. You'll need to familiarize yourself with all the planes, as picking the right plane for the job always spells the difference between success and failure in the later missions.

  The game is nearly perfect in the audio department, with booming engine noises (taken from recordings of the planes' real-life counterparts) and constant radio chatter during missions. Graphically, it's a bit of a letdown, especially the anemic explosions. Up high, everything is picture perfect, and the plane models are gorgeous, but close to the ground the terrain melts into a pixilated mess. This is offset somewhat by the inclusion of dense urban areas and twisting canyons that are thrilling to fly through. All things considered, Shattered Skies is the best mix of simulation and arcade action ever burned onto a disc. --T. Byrl Baker

  Pros:

  • Photorealistic terrain (at least when viewed from high altitude)
  • Nonstop action backed by an engaging story
  • Intense dogfights, sometimes involving dozens of planes
  Cons:
  • Scripted mission design doesn't give players much freedom
  • Pathetic explosions
  • Terrain that loses detail when viewed from a low altitude
  
  
  Amazon.com Product Description
  This game offers intense aerial action in a futuristic setting. After an asteroid strikes Earth, surviving nations battle to maintain their power. You are a pilot with ISAF (Independent States Allied Force) who lost your parents to the war. With the ISAF pinned back, it is up to you to turn the tide of battle. For our ace pilot, though, the conflict is more personal than professional, as you seek vengeance for the death of your family, especially from the pilot who led the sortie that killed your parents.