Ace Combat 04's Game and Narrative. | Gitai

[@nantokairuman]

Erusea was expansionist prior to becoming a republic and remained so afterwards as well: see Voslage, how they refuse independence for prior annexed territories, and the border standoffs with other Usean states up to the Ulysses announcement. Their near-total occupation of the continent up to the start of the missions suggests expansionary intent, consistent with past policy but to a heretofore unseen extent. It must also be considered how much of their resources were dumped into their militarism (Megalith and weaponizing Stonehenge among others), and how that may have detracted from rebuilding efforts and their refugee commitments. The Eruseans sent bombers to scorch-earth San Salvacion in Emancipation and also set up anti-air installments on hospital roofs prior to the mission, as Harmonica Kid noted. Though individuals like 13 exist in their ranks and must be recognized, I think it's disingenuous to portray the Eruseans at large as particularly virtuous. _Erusea's_nationalism is the kind that would be widely panned as immoral and bigoted, as Russia's revanchism is today in our world. It is very different to the senses of identity you ascribe to the Japanese devs and to benign feelings of personal belonging, identification and appreciation for one's nation. Thanks for the food for thought. Hoping to view your Zero essays at some point.

[@GizouGitai]

Thank you very much for watching. Some of the information you're sourcing is based on ACE7 (I think) which was outside of the scope of this review. Aces at War had an excellent backstory for Yellow 13, that I think should be read by everyone, but that was also outside the scope. I think ACE04 should stand on its own without the muddy water of its prior and future games, since it was largely intended as a series reboot until they tried to unify the Strangereal canon. As for San Salvacion, you're right very that there are some underhanded and nasty tactics there. But not to a degree I imagine it'd be worth discounting my point. I wanted to emphasise that you should have empathy for their position. Much of Erusia's actions are very understandable as the world they're a part of was hostile toward them, despite Erusia being among the worst effected by the natural disaster, according to the player's perspective in the air. The desperate acts by Erusia are informed, but not depicted as utterly inhuman. Their acts aren't as extreme as, say, Germany's or Japan's in their more desperate years of avoiding capitulation. They aren't a worst-case realistic example, nor are they a cartoonish dramatisation, like we see in ACE2's final optional confrontations, or in ACE04's Megalith (distinct example of extremists), or the later games' depictions of Belka, World Without Boarders or ACE7's Erusia. Or, maybe I'm just British, and I empathise with being on a continent surrounded by countries that hate us. Regardless, again, thank you for watching and commenting a valuable and thought-out counterpoint.

[@catsabotage3362]

A gross and incredibly ignorant opinion.

[@Ikcatcher]

Gonna be honest, I always think the censoring of the gun and revenge narrative made the themes of the story better. With how anti-war Ace Combat seems to be, having a kid confront his killer with words instead of the barrel of a gun feels more impactful

[@Panzerfan93]

23:00 i think the international version of the scene was better. since he doesn't threaten Yellow 13 with a gun but rather just calls him a fascist and 13 is still the same. because he saw the kid as his friend and learns the he hates him.

[@DarwinAwardWinner]

Wow, I thought I understood the story and setting of AC04 after replaying it so many times, but there's so much here that I never noticed. The contrasting degrees of redevelopment in Ulysses meteor impact craters, the enemy aces all being famous astronomers' names, even the never-verbally-acknowledged yet ever-present dog. It's no wonder that even the first time I played AC04 back in high school, I could tell there was a lot going on under the surface, even if I couldn't figure most of it out. Even then, just the fact that the cutscenes followed the enemy rather than the player had me intrigued. It was probably the first story I had ever encountered like that, and it really stuck with me.

[@TheD3rp2]

Very interesting analysis. Here are some thoughts I had while watching it: 15:28 The name of the song is, as far as I can guess, a holdover from when USEA was an acronym standing for the "United States of Euro-Asia" in AC3. (As a side note, I'm pretty sure the "link from past to future" line is also related to AC3. The original idea of the developers, I believe, was to return to a near-contemporary time period and then slowly build up to the 2040 of that game over the course of the series.) 24:01 I think you're underselling Bunker Shot somewhat. Throughout the entire game up to this point, your missions have been almost entirely reactive in nature. Even the destruction of the Aegir Fleet, your greatest victory and the culmination of a three-level arc, was largely to eliminate the threat it posed to North Point. Here, on the other hand, ISAF is finally launching an offensive on its own terms, and this is encapsulated perfectly in the mission's music. Most of the track consists of the kind of tension you'd expect to hear during a precarious opposed landing operation. It'll occasionally, however, break into a heroic, horn-filled motif, symbolizing that the tide of the war is finally turning with this first step towards reclaiming the mainland from Erusea. It's one of my favorite compositions in the game as a result, and I see it as the beginning of the momentum you describe later in the video. 28:18 I agree with your broad interpretation of the Barkeep's Daughter, but I think you're reading too much into the jealousy angle. My interpretation is that her story is more about facing the reality of what being a resistance fighter actually entails. She's certainly the more patriotic of the two children, but there's a certain childish naivete with the way she describes ISAF coming to retake their city and how she is seen wielding a shotgun that she never actually ends up using in the JP version of the cutscene where the resistance is introduced. 30:16 According to an in-universe magazine article written to promote the game on its website, one of Stonehenge's cannons was disabled by a meteorite fragment during the Ulysses impact. My opinion is that it was simply a bit of minor worldbuilding fluff, although it's neat that Project Aces eventually found a use for it in AC7. 37:50 Inferior in air-to-air combat, perhaps, but the F-35 is much better suited to CAS missions when compared to the pure aerial superiority fighter that is the F-22. Anyway, to make this related to the game somehow, I'm pretty sure the reason for Yellow Squadron's aircraft choice is someone at Project Aces just really liking Sukhois. AC3's first in-game line is even about how it's a good thing that one of your wingmen is flying a Flanker. Well, that's it for now. I plan to watch your video on Zero sooner rather than later and am looking forward to it being just as insightful, if not even more so.mo

[@c.o.6414]

it’s also interesting to note that in simulated dogfights, F-22s have been spotted and shot down by Rafales!

[@xensan76]

I always knew AC04's story was beautiful, but you've helped me realize it's beautiful and brilliant.

[@AmelpsXett]

i love how there are no checkpoints. It kinda reinforces to me how fragile the plane really is and that Mobius 1 is only a human. In any game with checkpoints i kinda forget my failed runs, and perceive numbers of successful runs as my characters story, but because Ace Combat has mostly non linear gameplay and locations so open, a lot of failed runs become memorable because i did something insane there, while knowing that the successful ones were the ones to pull me through, cementing that Mobius 1 is a one in a million range of pilots, rather then just anyone.

[@SimeonDiggs]

I'm surprised to hear someone comment on the distinction between Mobius One and the narrator. I played Ace Combat 4 on release as a young child, and since have not heard anyone make reference to the potential perspective of Mobius One and the narrator being the same person. I appreciate that this video has the nuance to mention that. However, I do not believe that idiocy is the sole proprietor for making that connection. As a child, I believed that Mobius One and the narrator were the same person as I had a child's distinction awareness. As an adult, the difference between the two is readily apparent and obvious. I wouldn't consider myself an idiot for believing such as a young kid. Outside of all that, amazing video!

[@catsabotage3362]

I disagree.

[@SimeonDiggs]

@@catsabotage3362 That's okay!

[@razgriz4978]

I never knew the symbolism of Ace Combat 04 ran so deep...thanks for the break down, it was one of the best hours I've spent on KZbin.

[@seantaylor424]

Between your explanation for why Japan might not view nationalism the same way as other countries in this video and what you told me about your views on Tekken 6's storyline, I really like how you evaluate stories in games for what they are rather than always how you feel about them (the most I recall you saying in videos is if a story was well-done or fit the tone set by previous installments rather than condemning it for holding a certain view). This really makes the videos easier to keep up with (considering you're so good at picking up on intricate details) and I find it more interesting to see why a story is the way it is rather than making your show about how wrong-headed it may or may not be.

[@charliefoxtrot-118]

Nice video! I accidentally watched the whole thing, even though it's an entire hour lol I'm surprised you didn't mention the dramatic irony in Sky Eye's comment at the end of Stonehenge; "A complete victory for the good guys."

[@GizouGitai]

Hey man, I accidentally *made* the whole thing, even though it's an entire hour. I felt it more appropriate to draw attention to the irony than outright describe it. I can't do better than this game's writing.

[@charliefoxtrot-118]

@@GizouGitai Well it was very well done, it held my interest

[@charliefoxtrot-118]

@@GizouGitai Well it was very well done, it held my interest

[@GizouGitai]

Where the hell are these views coming from?

[@SporePediamedia]

Your video got posted on r/games subreddit

[@bigbernard7325]

What an excellent analysis of AC4's gameplay and storytelling! It was super interesting to learn about the censorship in the cutscenes, which I had no idea about. I'll always love 4 for how impactful it is despite being relatively subdued narrative-wise. I'm reminded of an interview (which I can't find the source of, only a screencap) with Manabu Shimomoto (producer of Ace Combat 7) and how he described the way AC4 and AC5 portrayed their stories to the player: Shimomoto: "04" is a story-drawing method that appeals to European movie emotions, and "5" is a Hollywood movie-style storyline. It was a shock when I learned later that Mr. Katabuchi and the same people including Mr. Kono made this. The psuedo-WW2 feeling with the small European styled town, the almost German Wermacht looking Erusian soldiers, the Arc de Triomphe with Erusian banners in "Emancipation" and "Bunker Shot" giving strong Normandy Landing vibes would probably help that European feeling. Not to say 5 is bad (far from it in fact) but that there were 2 different approaches taken when trying to craft a compelling story with a message to say. Sticking to the narrative of 4, at 29:20 I have no idea how people would assume the Narrator and Mobius 1 are the same person. Yellow 13 mentions a "promising young pilot" obviously meaning Mobius 1, Yellow 4 getting shot down is directly caused by you and in the next cutscene, Yellow 13 mourns her loss. Yellow 13 even praises you for destroying Stonehenge. Finally, the Barkeep's daughter mentions that it won't be long before the town is liberated leading up to "Emancipation" where you liberate San Salvacion. I think this is just a case of people skipping the cutscenes. Also, I was hoping you'd bring up how every mission's requirement for getting an S rank is that you have to reach a certain score past the score threshold, and doesn't take time spent in mission into account. This led to one complaint about 4 that every mission is basically a score-attack mission and lacks variety (probably leading to the development team over-correcting and adding more missions with gimmicks). It kinda ties into your complaint about how some missions are punishing because they can last up to 20 minutes, like "Tango Line" since you aren't rewarded for completing missions quicker with improved tactics and utilizing planes to their absolute capability. I'm replaying AC Zero now and it's super satisfying to defeat Pixy in his final fight in under 4 minutes when I remember my first playthrough had me die at least 10 times and my successful attempt took 10 minutes. Finally, on the topic of Jesus Christ references, the intro cutscene of the Megalith has a red laser point toward the T-shaped structure at an angle. It looks extremely similar to a 1440 fresco showing a spear piercing Jesus' side as he hangs on the cross. Another neat little touch!

[@GizouGitai]

Regarding the Narrator=Mobius 1 assumption, I chose to put that in before Stonehenge for that reason. The promising young pilot you could brush off as a passing statement, but this is where, if you had that assumption, it would be crushed. Until that point, you could assume the revenge narrative is of a boy growing to defeat their parent's killer at their own game. Then you demote that to a boy getting revenge on his parent's killer by pulling a gun on him. But instead, the boy turns around on that conviction. I could've made that clearer, but I chose to emphasise more that I didn't want to confirm that was any intention of the developers. It's actually not that uncommon an assumption, though. I know people who I'd convinced to play ACE04, who'd had that assumption, who figured they were wrong at differing points. I was going to note that Megalith looks like a cross, but without knowing about that painting it seemed a little bit like a stretch. Another point I was going to put in was that Ullyses was one of the first books considered "modernist" which I could've forced into the view that the story is about encroaching modernisation, but I don't have enough to back up that reading into the story either. I wish I understood ACE04 more. But I think I did my best focusing on the more romantic factors of the narrative.

[@moralitiesaspook168]

There’s only 7 Stonehenge canon operational because that crater in the concrete circle which was caused by a small asteroid severed the canons connection to Stonehenge’s power supply leaving inoperable. Funnily enough that same canon would’ve shot down the asteroid that hit Farbainty had its power bot been cut

[@Skeith308]

An excellent break down of how brilliant this goddamn game is.

[@electricwindgodfedora3453]

When I saw tekken 7 narrator parts in story mode it reminded me of this game, but something went really wrong there.

[@GizouGitai]

Please don't talk about Tekken 7 on my channel.

[@Zach_Bloomquist]

This was a thoughtful and well written analysis of an excellent early PS2 game. It was a big part of my early teen years and I do remember times thinking about the plot and Yellow 13 and feeling sad for him. I loved the Sukhoi series of fighters as a kid as they are graceful and beautiful aircraft without a direct analog anywhere in the west. Thank you for your hard work making this.

[@admiralbizmarckch.8235]

I'm glad someone made a great analysis of one of my first games I played when i was younger. In fact this was my first Ace Combat game in general. It's simply a beautiful game with its story, gameplay, and god like soundtrack. Thank you for giving this game the love it deserves.

[@shira_yone]

156 could be a goroawase (Japanese number puns, e.g. the well known 765 as Namco) for "Hikkomu 引っ込む" which means "to withdraw/to be set back", this could allude to how Yellow 13 manage to keep his wingmans alive by knowing when to retreat accordingly. Ironically it can also be read as "Ichikoro 一ころ" which means "being trounced", and another one is "Ikkomu 射込む" which means "to shoot (an arrow)". Might just be reading too much into this but Project ACES has been known to use goroawase a lot throughout the series (like 8492) so it's not out of the realm of plausibility. ps: thanks for making such a good video on one of my favorite game of all time and defined my childhood.

[@bagelmeister2295]

What does the goroawase for 8492 stand for?

[@shira_yone]

@@bagelmeister2295 admittedly I'm not quite sure. 84 could be 'hashi 端' which could be "end" or "least"... or _"border"_ funnily enough, could be 'washi 鷲' meaning "eagle", personally I think it's 'washi 儂' which means "I" or most importantly "my". 92 which could be 'kyuu ni 急に' meaning "suddenly", or most likely 'kuni 国' which means "country/nation". 92 is an easy one since it's used all over the place (along with it's counterpart 29), I'm mostly not sure about 84. Might implies 8492 is fighting for "my nation".

[@bagelmeister2295]

@@shira_yone Interesting. Having it mean border would be funny, but your idea is more likely. It at least being about their country makes sense

[@moneygreen932]

I think that the reasons why your videos are so appreciated and well received is the way you break down everything and show why the music in a specific scene matches up with it. Then going over gameplay changes and breakdown all while giving a good breakdown, understanding, and commentary on the story and narrative while going over it. Another well done video I enjoyed completely about a game I actually knew nothing about.

[@GizouGitai]

Thanks. I'm often afraid of people coming back to this first one for the clearly lesser presentation but I'm glad the qualities still come through.

[@moneygreen932]

@@GizouGitai only real difference I can tell is there's less of your own personality coming through in this one and you probably stuck tightly to your script or points that you wanted to hit without veering off too much. But other than that and chapters in the video (as it is a much older video) are the only real differences I can tell. The same attention to detail and style is here. You just seem a bit more confident and comfortable in later videos as you seem to have found your stride.

[@Tempestelterna]

The ost is amazing!!!

[@OuterHeaven210]

Been watching every day over n over. Please make more 🙏🏼

[@GizouGitai]

I'm doing my best.

[@OuterHeaven210]

Gizou Gitai we appreciate it. Regardless of what you do. Stay awesome bro

[@whiskeycorridor90]

One thing I'd like to mention about Mobius 1's canon plane is he definitely starts with a F-4 and gets his F-22 sometime before or right after Stonehenge. This is a great video and it's nice to see someone with this much love for Ace. Do you plan on doing any of the other games?

[@GizouGitai]

One more game.

[@StarCenturion]

This is amazing content. It helps that I love Ace Combat. Keep it up.

[@thomasparsons9866]

Good video, Ace Combat 4 is personally my favorite of the ones I’ve played, 4-7 and 0. It really does seem like a unique game overall.

[@MrDarthtelos]

This video is FAR underrated.

[@skinnykiddou]

Thank you for an enlightening analysis!

[@CalvinCalintonSong]

Hey, Reddit sent me here! Your fist video and it's already polished! Subscribed hoping to see more video game narrative breakdown in your style! Will you be doing all the remaining Ace Combats?

[@GizouGitai]

Thanks so much. This is pretty beyond the reception I expected. I can only recommend people like Superbunnyhop, Matthewmatosis, etc if you want to see a more accomplished, less narratively focused attempt at this type of breakdown. I've got enough to talk about for at least one more Ace Combat game for now. Also, which reddit were you linked from?

[@legomania2427]

I’m pretty sure Megalith is shaped like a god damn fuckjng Cross. Even if it isn’t, it definitely looks like it in the last shot of Rex Tremendae before the bird flies by, and, like other people have said, I have to disagree with you about the removal of the gun. I’m one of the many that thinks it improves the story rather then take away.

[@zanderdeboer2594]

Gotta love that Sulu *did* voice in there.

[@CTPSenpai]

this is the kind of retrospective i've been looking for all this time. Bravo. Will you ever do a video like this on Ace Combat 5?

[@GizouGitai]

5, no. I don't have a particular personal interest in it, sorry. I don't think I could do as exhaustive a look on it as I did here. I've done Zero, 1 and 2. I'm working on 3. Even if you don't watch my videos, I'd recommend to play those games. They're all good.

[@CTPSenpai]

@@GizouGitai I've played Ace Combat ever since 3(National version unfortunately) and I've NEVER seen anyone go this in depth about one of my favorite franchises of all time. i'm sad you won't go over 5, which is my favorite, but i'm glad you're doing all these retrospective videos on AC. looking forward to them!

[@CTPSenpai]

more of them*

[@GizouGitai]

​@@CTPSenpai I never understood the adoration for ACE5, and that's probably a sign of me missing something fundamental about it. That someone needs to hint me towards.

[@CTPSenpai]

@@GizouGitai well for me, it was the first time in my young life where a Videogame really made me feel loss of losing a comrade. That was the part that really had me shaken up as a kid. Also, Blurry by Puddle of Mud was THE perfect song to set as a backdrop for the trailer and the game lol i hope you somehow find a way to reconsider doing a vid on AC5 but if that's still not your thing, it's perfectly fine 👍

[@fordedrubicon3682]

This is so good

[@SGTSAM101ST]

If anyone asks me why i like Ace combat, i show these videos

[@alekdras5310]

Amazing video

[@GizouGitai]

Thanks. I'm glad my first one isn't too rough around the edges.

[@weir-t7y]

30:34 it's because one cannon had been taken out already by Ulysses

[@SGTSAM101ST]

Even though I'm am against censorship, im kinda okay with that brief censorship they did with the kid

[@GizouGitai]

You could mean one of two things. 1. You don't mind the censorship (you don't find it an extreme case.) 2. You prefer the scene censored (you view it as an improvement.)

[@uss_04]

Non Ace Combat Fans: “Ace Combat 4, 5, and 0” Ace Combat Fans “04, 5, and Zero”

[@shukkuri]

I'm kinda sad that the later installments didn't quite capture the understated, yet complex and heartfelt storytelling of AC4. While I still like 5, Zero and 7, they felt more cheesy, melodramatic and too explicit with its musings of the nature of war and how it affects the people around them (okay Zero not so much). AC7 seemed like it tried the multiple POV approach (which AC6 already did and failed) and it also didn't work out in its favor and ended up being unnecessarily convoluted at the end. It's a shame since the gameplay is the best one yet and it also had a really good music. It's only the story that's lacking. That final line of the narrator at the epilogue still pulls my heartstrings every time I watch it. I'm kinda hoping someone would just tell the devs to copy AC4's approach on the narrative style next time for AC8.

[@Rafeku1]

I do understand where youre coming from, but i do nit think it is a good idea to just straight out copy what ac04 did. In 7 PA basically just pointed out past events litterally in your face, intestead of being subtle with it. We really need to step foward really. Ac7 sold because its been years since a proper game and it is nit a bad game, far from it, but there are some abysmal thing that keep driving me away from it...

[@shira_yone]

@@Rafeku1 they just need more subtlety and nuance in the story which are particularly lacking in AC5, 6, and especially 7. Didn't include Zero there because while on the surface it seems like the most in your face and bombastic, it somehow still manage to tackle the story with more nuance than the 3 games I mentioned earlier and hits just the right balance between 04 and 5.

[@tjgamer9713]

the one critique i have is that i dont understand how someone could interpret the narrator as being mobius 1, its pretty clearly established that the narrator is under occupation during the same time your flying the ops as mobius 1

[@GizouGitai]

The war could've been going on for a long time. Not uncommon in fiction. But, yeah, I only brought it up to be thorough, since a few people interpreted it this way. I'd have kicked myself if I hadn't brought it up.

[@gelb598]

Please do ace combat 5 or 3 next! Great content. And if you choose 3... Be sure its the original japanese version

[@GizouGitai]

Thanks for watching the oldest video. Sorry the editing's a bit shabby. I haven't got much love for 5. But I love me some Electrosphere JP. You'll be waiting a while, however. I have other plans in the works. I hope one day you remember this channel and find when I've made that analysis on 3.

[@dragonandavatarfan8865]

@@GizouGitai Wow!! I know I kinda discovered this channel pretty late but this was a really good video, I finished the game 3 times and somehow missed so many subtle details that you managed to pick. I thought Ace Combat Zero was your final video on the series but now I am glad that you're gonna do another AC review.

[@Zach_Bloomquist]

One of my fav quotes from this is "Perhaps its canonical that your team-mates are useless." Having played hundreds of hours of this game as a teen I can confirm this. Still enjoy watching this for the fourth time now. Great video even if you don't think highly of it. I know you don't ever plan on doing a video on Ace Combat 5 but I have been playing that game off and on for about a year now and its not that bad, still trash but not absolute dumpster fire trash at least like some of the later games like a certain PS4 title.

[@ninjammer726]

Please make a video on Ace combat 5 next

[@greyfox8194]

im late but id liek to argue that due to him not having a gun the idea of him confronting 13 actually helps the story better but thats my opinion

[@catsabotage3362]

Ace Combat 7 did so much damage to the lore it probably wouldve been better to just not exist. It took us back to strangereal and the gameplay was wonderful, but the story... Such a shame.

[@DoujinDude]

Fucking exquisite

[@progressiveclips151]

Could you please make a video on Devil May Cry series?

[@apauloh]

Yikes and here we just had an F-35 go for a stroll in South Carolina😅… really foreshadowed the inferiority of the Lightning But on a real note, this was my first video game, and I have had this game stuck in my head ever since I was 4 years old (24 now). Seeing the introspective and the details in this video really struck a cord with me. Good job with this video.

[@admiralbizmarckch.8235]

Also im surprised you haven't done Ace combat 5 yet.

[@GizouGitai]

Why?

[@admiralbizmarckch.8235]

@GizouGitai Well, you have done an analysis for the other two PS2 Era games. So, I thought you would do one on the 5th game, but I understand if that is a game that you don't want to do that for.

[@GizouGitai]

​@@admiralbizmarckch.8235 I'm not upset or anything. I just don't seem to see what others see in that game. Nobody's ever quite told me what that might be. As far as I know, ACE5's story doesn't really have any subtext, does it?

[@admiralbizmarckch.8235]

@GizouGitai I understand your view of the game . I myself am actually playing the game for the first time, so I am still trying to understand the game myself.

[@ehhorve857]

13's unlukyness actually comes from the bible, as the flood that washed the world and set the ark to sea, was, a thirteenth friday. iz what i recaul, anyway.

[@GizouGitai]

I've heard numerous(lol) theories like that, including that there were 13 people at the Last Supper, making Judas the 1/13 that would betray Christ. Another theory is that in the Norse pantheon, Loki (mischevious bastard) was the 13th guest at a table of 12 gods, upsetting that balance.

[@ehhorve857]

@@GizouGitai now all we need is 13 theereez, complete the superstishun sircle!

[@urs4872]

❤❤❤❤

[@DrRESHES]

As i watch this, or rather listen, because i'm working simultaneously, I keep asking myself why does this story is so compelling while The Last of Us 2 just doesn't work at all.

[@vantuz8264]

*Mobius 1 is overrated* Change my mind. Strip away the sob story told in the cutscenes (the story is good, but it's not M1's) and he's nothing but a very good pilot. And yet people inironically call him "the best *character* in the series". I'm going to compare Mobius 1 to what i deem to be the best main character in the series: Nemo from the japanese (full) version of Ace Combat 3. *Mobius 1 doesn't have any character traits* You may say "duh, he's a blank slate silent protagonist". However, in that case the surrounding story shapes the character. By who is designated as TGT etc. Does M1 have any friends? Did M1 push the boundaries? How many times did M1 disobey orders? How many times M1 shot at his friends? Nemo did all of this and much more. *Mobius 1 doesn't make any choices* "A Man chooses. A slave obeys"(c) Despite what has been said at 50:35 , Mobius 1 doesn't have any choice. It's either completing the mission or mission failure. Every other 'choice' is wiped clean between the missions. Nemo on the other hand can choose. Choice are both explicit ('DECIDE' across the screen) and subtle, hidden ones. Nemo's choices matter. They lead to different paths be it a mission in space or choosing a side to ally with. *There's no one to challenge Mobius 1* M1 is painted as messiah and there's no one else to compete with. (yellows aren't competitors but obstacles) No one besides him does anything significant for victory. This not because of weak AI. This is writers' decision (or lack of it, pick your poison) Characters around Nemo do important things. They perform important actions, score important hits on superweapons (mostly in cutscenes, but still). I think the best example is the third mission of AC3 is set as an exercise that makes you follow another character while he flies around. And this shows that Nemo is not the only ace there. Why is this important? First of all, the superhuman power level is unbeleivable. It makes the charater look artificial. Created for the sole purpose of providing the power fantasy. Second, the praises for achievements sound hollow when the ones praising you are so weak. Should a human accept "you're so big and mighty" praise from a mice? So, what do we have as a result? Completely flat character who has been given his superpowers on a golden platter. He's nothing but a wish fulfillment vessel. And boy do i get sick of it. Also, the intching feeling in the lower back when someone trashes your waifu is completely normal Also2, if you know the secret ('true') ending of AC3, some of my jabs may hurt twice as much.

[@GizouGitai]

If that's what you think, that's fine, what actually bothers me is that quote. "A man chooses, a slave obeys." So what happens if I choose to obey? Or is that quote meant to entice people into choosing, thus obeying the intention of the quote? Bioshock's a criticism of Randian anarcho-right philosophy, and the quote is meant to sound strong but ring empty upon inspection. You somewhat undermine your intention by quoting it.

[@vantuz8264]

@@GizouGitai There's no contradiction in the quote because it doesn't promote defiance at every opportunity. It promotes evaluation of all options and freedom of choosing your path instead of being a mindless sheep. Act of defiance is not a sign of free choice. If a slave defies his masters because someone ordered him to do that, he's still a slave. A man can choose to follow commands. A slave can only obey. Going back to game characters, they can "choose to obey" only if they are given a choice. Be it a choice in player's hands or a choice of the character. You can't tell if Mobius 1 is choosing to follow orders ("a man") or just obeying ("a slave") because writers never bothered to give him any real choices or challenge his ideas. Does that really make him worthy of "the best main character in the series" title? Or people just willing to overlook all that because of Jesus-level of power fantasy? I honestly can't understand that.

[@skeletonwguitar4383]

Im late but meh The entire time i read your opinion and somewhat "cynical" comment paragraphs.. I just nodded and express an agreement to some or even all of what you said...but this was on the basis of narrative and exposition perspective of these story ofc I still love Mobius 1 and the narrator's storytelling even if it is lacking and minimal in alot of ways because he is what they portray him to be: a legend, an unforgiving nemesis for the enemy And they delivered it well

[@HeadOfBucket]

I'm 3 years late but I have to argue with you. *Does M1 have any friends?* I'm certain he does, but to dwell on them would take away from the main narrative of the game. As you said, AC4 is not Mobius 1's story. He's only the character you play as. *Did M1 push the boundaries?* I'm not sure what this means. He certainly pushed the boundaries of what ISAF and Erusia thought was possible. *How many times did M1 disobey orders?* You're given the choice to disobey orders at least thrice in the game. You can choose to fight Yellow Squadron in Lifeline instead of running away, even if it is an impossible battle. You can choose to fight the escorts in Breaking Arrows, despite being specifically ordered by AWACS to ignore them and focus on the final missile. In a lesser extent, you can leave Johnson Memorial Bridge intact during Siege of Farbanti. *How many times M1 shot at his friends?* It's entirely possible for Mobius 1 to shoot friendlies, and there are even voice lines should you do so. But why on earth would you? Your friendlies are fighting the same war as you, working towards the same goals as you. *Mobius 1 doesn't make any choices* Mobius 1 is a soldier fighting for an army, not an AI working for a corporation. You do not make choices as a soldier. What would your choices even be in this game? To turn on ISAF and fly alongside Yellow Squadron? That would be cool I admit, but would also fundamentally alter the story that Project Aces set out to tell, and may have been too ambitious for PS2 hardware and/or the timeframe they had for development. You'd essentially need an entire second game for that. *There's no one to challenge Mobius 1* You say Yellows are obstacles, but how many proper Yellows do you shoot down in the game? Most of the Yellow Squadron members rotate for purposes of reinforcement and morale. The only permanent members are 4, who you shot down when her plane was damaged, and 13, who the entire game is leading up to. If you think Yellow Squadron are simply obstacles, try to shoot one down in Lifeline or Shattered Skies. It's impossible. AC3's third mission being a glorified tutorial isn't something I'd bring up as a strong point. Besides, conditions in AC4 are drastically different. Sitting Duck is a desperation mission to stop your final stronghold from being destroyed. With how the war had gone up to that point it's likely Mobius 1 _was_ the only ace they had left. *the superhuman power level is unbeleivable.* What's unbelievable? That one pilot can change the course of a war? That sounds familiar... *Completely flat character who has been given his superpowers on a golden platter.* He's written to be a legend. Same as Phoenix, Trigger, Blaze, or really any other protagonist in the series. I'd even say this point applies more to Nemo, since it was given it's powers by Cohen when he made the simulation. *He's nothing but a wish fulfillment vessel.* Ace Combat is a series of video games, man. Wish fulfillment is a pretty big selling point of the medium. *And boy do i get sick of it.* That's completely fair, but hey, you said to change your mind. Maybe this will.

[@vantuz8264]

@@HeadOfBucket >> I'm 3 years late but I have to argue with you. You are forgiven because you're 3 years late. Not 2, not 4, and especially not 8 years late. =) At first i thought that you don't know anything about AC3's story because you gave incomparably minor examples. But you mentioned Cohen, so you are familiar with it. Still, i have to ask: did you play the game yourself, watched a playthrough or just read a summary on a wiki? As for examples themselves, as i said, they're very minor (like comparing shooting at a friendly nameless mook by accident and actually killing a character), they don't change the story and most importantly they don't give Mobius 1 any *character traits* . Why M1 "disobeyed orders" and fought escorts? Is it because he's reckless? Cause he has some vendetta against them? Cause he's a glory hound? No. It's simply an opportunity to show off how overpowered he is. *And "overpowered" is not a character trait* . My main point is that Mobius 1 do not deserve the title of the "best *character* of the series". And it's not only Nemo ahead of him in my list. Heck, Blaze can understand dog language and that alone makes him a better character than M1. >>As you said, AC4 is not Mobius 1's story. He's only the character you play as. I didn't say that. I said that intermission cutscenes are not about M1. The rest of the game is 146% about M1 and no one else. >>>>Did M1 push the boundaries? >>I'm not sure what this means. What Nemo does at the end of Archnemesis mission is probably not what Simon would consider a valid move. And in Geopelia he just went full "i'm just having fun" mode. So even in his confines Nemo does more than just following orders. >>Mobius 1 is a soldier fighting for an army, not an AI working for a corporation. You do not make choices as a soldier. Are you trying to say that human soldiers has less capabilities for choice than an AI tasked with specific mission? I always thought it's the other way around. >>What would your choices even be in this game? To turn on ISAF ... may have been too ambitious for PS2 hardware and/or the timeframe they had And yet for some reason it wasn't "too ambitious" for much weaker PS1 hardware (including disk space) and likely very similar timeframe. It wasn't "too ambitious" to make not just the second storyline but 5 of them. So it all comes down to the people who make the game.

[@blueroman460]

Great vid mate!

[@akaruhime8117]

😍 I'd love to see how you'd do AC5

[@GizouGitai]

Don't get your hopes up, I'm not very fond of AC5. I'd like to hear why people like it so much, though. Know if I'm missing something.

[@akaruhime8117]

@@GizouGitai hmmm...personally for me it's the mood it gives. AC4 was my first flight sim and I fell in love with the series. Once AC5 came out it gave me a different perspective. It might just be my opinion but the story is about the characters more instead of heavily the main protagonist while also on the war itself (Kinda like halo reach in a way). Each of the wingmen are different and such for the story. Not only that same goes for the other characters, but while at the same time you see how shadey war can really be and how someone will pull a General Shepard/Makarov to keep the war going. Like AC4 the ost also sets the tones for the sorties you fly in. (This is me trying not to do all spoilers ofcourse) All in all tho. And once again my opinion I'm sure like me that is why others are fond of AC5.

[@urs4872]

❤