Everything Wrong With Project Wingman

In the military aviation world, CAP line penetrations are considered especially heinous. In Cascadia, the dedicated pilots who report these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Combat Air Patrol. These are their stories.
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[@el52]

Crimson 1: "You, solely, are responsible for this" Prez and pretty much everyone: "Was it my fault?"

[@Creeperbros74]

Alright now on to Everything Right with Project Wingman. (It’s just all of Prez’s voice lines and the Soundtrack)

[@NikkOcello17]

next April's Fool video

[@tharionthedragon3531]

oh c'mon, the "not the bees!" line should have REMOVED a sin!

[@SlyAceZeta]

No way, that line was worth a million sins all on its own 😂

[@sam_eguene]

​@@SlyAceZetaby that, you alerted the swarm of bees and half of Cascadian Air Forfe.

[@AgungParamtapa123]

I think that sin is meant for "by Dust Mother". Not the "not the bees".

[@SlyAceZeta]

No, I was indeed sinning the reference to the Nicolas Cage version of The Wicker Man 😛

[@AgungParamtapa123]

@@SlyAceZeta 😯😂 Yeah, I kinda remembered that easter egg that Ace Combat Fan made few years ago, including some of the CoD references that I have no idea where it's coming from. But the Rhodesian AF reference is rather new by the time I watched it.

[@ryanjapan3113]

Can you hear me? The dancing angels are penetrating the CAP line! That’s what V2 is for.

[@mobiusraptor7]

What if you... Wanted to go to heaven... But Dust Mother said: "Enemy penetrating the CAP line"

[@Attaxalotl]

"I don't think I've ever seen someone write a character based exclusively off of Projection" - you know who

[@alfredwinchesterjr]

Crimson 1 makes no sense. I'm quoting Max0r that's how little sense he makes. "The motivation of our final boss, makes no -sense. His arc is schizophrenia and his obsession with you is -funny I've never seen someone write a character based exclusively off of projection."

[@tuttuti123]

"I'M CASCADIAN" So? Like bro you are on the feds side. if you think that they are wrong then come over here.

[@_Frieza]

Yeah, that's pretty much the point. He's basically lost his mind. He's spent his entire life at the top, thinking he's on the right side of history. So when monarch comes and steals his thunder, and the world turns against his nation, he just kinda breaks. He quite literally is just unable to take responsibility for anything he does.

[@defaulted9485]

I won't be surprised if Crimson 1 is actually a half mangled corpse like Anakin Skywalker but worse. He then shoved into Project Wingman by the Federation because only that AND a fuck ton of lead shielding is the only thing that keep Federation have a semblance of Peacekeeping Force after Monarch folded everyone. After Monarch grinded Peacekeeping forces - 1 in Apodock, 5 in Bering, 7 in Prospero + Crimson 1. Making the remaining Peacekeeping Force gathered their last sanity and actually makes sense of what are they dealing with then split into the Magadan and the Cascadian. The Magadan ones, retreats in silence. The Cascadian annihilated and ashamed. So as an *sspull of last resort, the remaining Federation forces flees with half mangled Crimson 1. Kept mostly only half of his brains and vocal chords alive, then hook him into Project Wingman as the only Peacekeeper in Cascadia left. In a way close but more brutal than Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere does it shoved into PW Mk. 1. It's like he's dead outside of PW Mk. 1, as if the plane itself and the Cordium reactor in it is his Iron Lung. Then like Pixy, somehow they hook Cordium Cruise Missiles activation with that plane too for last resort... except once they resuscitated Crimson 1 in whatever left of him... he immediately flew into Presidia and detonates every weapon he has. Hence the secret ending "we need to confirm everyone that wasn't us" line (as if that gonna work lmao). With whatever robotic eyes he had, aimed only onto Monarch and revenge, Crimson 1 sets his demise. That bungled up mess of flesh remains of Crimson 1 cooks itself alive while breaking every part of PW Mk. 1 into shred and with addiction cooked up full of Cordium more than Walter White's Meth, half brain, and barely functioning nerve system. Crimson 1 and last of his consciousness just blast everything without lock-on, melt his control panel until the plane is in perpetual state of AoA delimiter, and fought Monarch unrestrained until eventually the shot unstable Cordium, claims him. Therefore, Crimson 1 is dead before that mission. It happened because the Federation Autojectored his corpse into a PW Mk. 1, and forced his lucidity into a war machine, spouting nonsense but fragments of his last neurons, stuck in an endless time, boiled by Cordium overdrive. A fatality beyond anything hell could come up with.

[@KilelSix]

I do want to clarify: Contrary to what might be gleaned from my quotes shown in the credits, I actually LOVED the Kings mission. You and I have a very different understanding of Crimson's character arc here, as I see it as nothing more than consistent psychological degeneration leading him to make less and less coherent thoughts and decisions. This comes as a result of him having a very concrete idea of how the world should be, and Monarch slowly destroying that brick by brick as he goes along. I wouldn't call him a foil so much as I would call him an analogue of the protagonist from Spec Ops: The Line. I know a lot of people make that joke now, but I'm the one who started it and I have my reasons for believing it. I spent a lot of time talking about the story with Matt and Arby so I think I happen to understand a little bit more about Crimson 1 than most people because I've had the narrative intention of his actions explicitly explained to me. And for me, they make sense. But Matt seems to have failed to comprehensively convey those narrative intentions through the story, leading to things like this whole "he's not making sense." Like yeah, that's the point. He's NOT making sense. On purpose. He's lost his mind. Every expectation of reality that he has built in his head has been thoroughly dismantled by this one singular dude. Rather, my gripes were largely that, unlike other projects in this genre, lost comrades are not given some sort of spotlight during such an event as their death (fake or not). Chopper has a whole thing. PJ is killed literally in front of our eyes. Shamrock, while not dead, goes down in a blaze of glory opening the way for us. Even the wingmen who are killed unceremoniously in AC7 are at least given some sort of dialogue or fanfare when it happens. But when Comic, Dip, Kaiser, Stardust, and Galaxy are shot down, there's just nothing. There's not even a mention of it. My issue with the ending was not the major beat itself but rather that it seemed like Matt and Arby simply cut out every other instrument hard stop, as it were, and left only Crimson 1's violin. We needed *something* from the rest of the crew. *Something* that simply wasn't there. Dead or not, I wouldn't be bothered (from a writer's perspective) either way. There just had to be *something* more than there was. I'm glad they acquiesced and gave us the Mercenary dialogue. I would have pushed for more but I felt like I was reaching the end of my latitude on that front so I didn't push my luck. All that aside, good video. Got a good few laughs out of me.

[@SlyAceZeta]

I do apologize, I didn't mean to put you under the bus by quoting you there, I just meant it as a demonstrative about the abrupt ending. And yeah I know you were only referring to the ending and the absence of the other characters, not Kings, it's just that it was difficult to put that into words since Kings and the abrupt ending are right next to each other and I was talking about them both. As far as Crimson 1, I wholeheartedly agree that there's legitimate narrative reason for Crimson 1 doing what he did. You're absolutely right, the intent for what happens between him and Monarch is much more of an analogue to Spec Ops than anything else. I'm with you on those points. That's not my problem. My problem is that it's not in the game. You even said it, you understand more about Crimson 1 than most because you've had it explained to you. The average player hasn't had it explained to them. It's like Severus Snape; all of the other Harry Potter cast, and all of the audience, thought he was a villain or teetering on it for so long, but Alan Rickman knew the truth the entire time and provided a stellar performance based on that. In that same vein, I applaud Wayan Vassilopoulos for his incredible work bringing the character to life, but in the end the player only gets to see what's in the game and what's there does not convey any of that intent, not well enough. The bizarre gaslighting ("scene of the crime", "you drove me to this"), the mention of borders, and even that one line "This is my home!" almost go into parody territory. Again, I know, I agree, he was absolutely intended to be much more of an interesting character, but that's not what we got, he just ends up as a failed clone of Pixy. In the end, like I said, it doesn't change my opinion of the game overall and I don't regret spending the time playing it or making this video or the money backing it at all. I look forward to what comes next (though I hope we get more updates, especially for the console versions, dear God they're in a sad state) and I will continue to support. Plus, this remains a comedy video first and foremost, not a legitimate review, and I'm glad you enjoyed it nonetheless. Thank you for the insight and further explanation, it's much appreciated, and of course thank you for voicing probably my favorite character in the game 🙇‍♂️

[@KilelSix]

​​@@SlyAceZetatheres no need to apologize, I didnt really feel put under the bus, you werent WRONG, i just wanted to make sure my feelings were clear

[@Iamlurking504]

Half a Bible of discussions

[@NikkOcello17]

@@Iamlurking504 half a Bible worth of being read

[@lorenzooliveira1157]

Happy to see you guys discuss this respectfully, hard to see nowadays in this platform -3 sins

[@osakanone]

"That's a stripper's name!" -- You know callsigns are meant to be derogatory right? Like that's literally why a name like that would be chosen lol

[@AlbyEonSkylar]

Even knowing that, pointing it out is just part of the reaction

[@Nmille98]

Met a Navy pilot once. Commander, prospective XO of an Aircraft Carrier. Former CAG. Dude had a life more accomplished and impressive than I ever will. Wore his flight suit everywhere, despite us being at a non-aviation command. On that flightsuit his callsign, "Frozone", because he was tall, black, bald, and skinny.😂

[@BusterBuizel]

@@Nmille98 CREW CHIEF, WHERE IS MY G-SUIT?!

[@JMonkey7575]

Galaxy is also one

[@tuttuti123]

@@JMonkey7575 Galaxy got that galaxy brain

[@biddygames]

“All prez lines will just reverse the counter anyway” Fair, fair

[@Padgriffin]

Crimson 1 reminds me of Senator Armstrong for some reason. Their beliefs are genuine and there is some logic behind them. The problem is that said logic is also completely insane and as a result it’s incredibly hard to take him seriously.

[@SlyAceZeta]

Armstrong has the benefit of being in a game that's just as insane as he is 😛 Crimson 1 would fit perfectly in MGR:R. It feels off here because the rest of PW is played straight.

[@The_Burrito]

STANDING HERE, I REALIZE

[@toonistiny]

​@@The_BurritoYOU'RE JUST LIKE ME TRYING TO MAKE HISTORY

[@toonistiny]

Making the mother of all omelettes here, Monarch! Can't fret over every egg!

[@defaulted9485]

@@SlyAceZeta Armstrong's "my source is I MADE IT THE F**K UP" is more logical than whatever cordium Crimson 1 is inhaling. Also, BUT WHO'S TO JUDGE, THE RIGHT FROM WRONG

[@raihanrusli2720]

I am gonna give my praise to the VAs on this game, specifically for M16 hangar "cutscene". We know that the devs dont have ability and/or fund to make a proper cutscene and there are probably there are better ways to make this "cutscene" better. But the cast really really wholeheartedly voice their lines. I can imagine how desperate they are, their expressions, their body movements in this conversation, etc just by hearing it. They really did a greaaaat job

[@SlyAceZeta]

5000% agreed, the voice acting in the game was very well done for such a relatively small production, every voice actor put in their all and it shows.

[@StrvB-ng8kb]

Been just watching this video with my friends in discord call, and we were laughing like crazy at times, but this scene got a theory sprouted from me, that Monarch is a Z.O.E.-esque piloting unit, rather than an actual pilot, which would explain his muteness, his lack of response to over-G and the fact that he is stuffed in the bag in this cutscene. 😂

[@Padgriffin]

@@StrvB-ng8kbI like the interpretation is that the cutscene is actually Monarch’s POV because someone stuffed him in a bag lmfao

[@scarecrow108productions7]

48:05 Sly: It's a really fitting way to en- **Mega Cordium Explosion go off** Crimson 1: Oh, I'm sorry, what you were saying? That part got me. 😂😂😂😂

[@sam_eguene]

Plot twist: M21 (and M20 ending) was just a Monarch's dream because he fell asleep when his ally started to speak a long-ass speech

[@exequielpomilio8558]

Imagine is true and monarch irl is killing his own allies

[@notanexpert1780]

This is the Naiad, we are now penetrating the CAP line!

[@thezig2078]

This is the Naiad! The CAP line is blocking our path!

[@bloodgripen2257]

😂🤣😂🤣

[@toptiergaming6900]

WTF even is a CAP line?

[@WEC_Connoiseur]

WHY DID YOU MAKE ME HEAR THIS WITH MY MIND??

[@sedeuphadude80]

@@toptiergaming6900something related to combat air patrol

[@xuanqili184]

Really feel like Prez should still be there giving comments on the AWACS plane or in the base when players are flying a single seater. Feels weird that a pretty important character can be completely missed if the players didn't fly the right plane. Also, there are a few lines that goes nowhere without Prez's response, for example, Galaxy's line in mission 9 "Do you guys actually like each other or what", Prez is supposed to follow up with the answer, but if she's not with you, the conversation just ends.

[@MrLemmy82]

That one took a lot of work to bring to fruition, and man is the result worth it! Great work, Sly!

[@SlyAceZeta]

Please remember this is a comedy video and not an actual review! I love the game no matter what I say in this video. This video was available early for my supporters! Join my channel as a Mechanic, Wingman, AWACS, or Commander to get access to exclusive perks like priority comment replies, early video access, and more! You can also support me through Twitch, Ko-fi, or Discord for the same benefits! Links are in the description! Corrections and other notes will be edited here when applicable.

[@vithederg]

Here's a couple corrections I noticed: 34:57 "Galaxy *should* know, given he's got the sensors" The last line before the screen goes to white is from Galaxy, saying "Our sensors just blew out, everyone brace!" 50:23 "First off, Crimson 1 survived a plane crash" I don't blame you for missing this, it's a minor detail that's difficult to see with all the wreckage particles, but enemy fighters will actually deploy parachutes after being shot down (with few exceptions). In Return, Crimson 1 does deploy that parachute.

[@JMonkey7575]

A lot of things wrong but they are small, not gonna go through and correct em though

[@TheKrzysiek]

Go dance with the CAP line!

[@safety_doggo2]

18:56 "Kids, do NOT dogfight aircraft in a battleship." Speaking from experience, I take it?

[@SlyAceZeta]

We do _not_ talk about my last time in World of Warships.

[@safety_doggo2]

@@SlyAceZeta Ah, and here I was thinking of Highfleet. Either way, I get it.

[@SlyAceZeta]

Nah, in all seriousness I'm not talking from experience xD It was just a funny

[@safety_doggo2]

@@SlyAceZeta Aha, good to know lol

[@Gamer88334]

What was that? “We should dogfight aircraft in battleships.”? Sounds fun. I think I’ll give it a try.

[@jacplac97]

Funny thing is, Prospero alone never ringed any bells for me. But now that you've mentioned where the city actually got the name from, it all came back to me. Paul Prospero was the supernatural detective from The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

[@ybbwin]

55:45 love the “so why did you blow it up” so good

[@toonistiny]

Man nuked his home to kill you and that didn't even work.

[@ACE_MaoMao]

Welcome back, SlyCooperFan1. It's good to see you back in action, friend.

[@Gangsta_Playz]

Man really said "You, solely" and decided to break the 4th wall

[@Big_Sword]

Oh weird, I always thought that the border line was supposed to be an inversion of pixie. Instead of a noble call to throw away the harmful boundaries of the world, Crimson one is defined by them and upholding them. Seemed like another one of the selfowns that crimson 1 cant stop spouting during the fight.

[@SlyAceZeta]

I'm not against a character that inverts Pixy, but like I said, it's gotta make sense. Crimson 1 even knows about the Deal but doesn't seem to know that Hitman is Cascadian.

[@Post_Stall_Maneuver]

​@@SlyAceZetaI thought that he knew Hitman was Cascadian. He did say the "safety of YOUR [our] people," after all.

[@schmi2897]

In the mission Cold War there are 3 Crimson Squadron members who get away not 2. In mission 14 what Monarch can do at the end of the mission would not constitute perfidy as there is no deception involved. Still a war crime though.

[@SlyAceZeta]

Correct, Crimson 1 and two wingmen, as I said :P

[@schmi2897]

@@SlyAceZeta ah shit I didn't realise. Apologies.

[@corvus9359]

54:37 I knew there was something wrong note about this line, I just couldn’t figure out how to put it into words. In fanmade videos of Pixy vs Crimson 1, people have made Pixy reply to this line with his classic line, “Can you see any orders from here?” Crimson 1’s line is obviously an Ace Combat Zero reference, but thing is, they’re not talking about the same things. As it was said in this video, Pixy was talking about the loss of life that came with fighting over artificial lines. Crimson is talking about Monarch’s motivations, which is a totally different subject. While I can kinda see what they were trying to go for with this character, Crimson is definitely a failed Pixy clone, and I actually think trying to get in as many Ace Combat references in as possible was a detriment in this specific scenario.

[@M.F.Hafizhan]

"Crimson is definitely a failed Pixy clone-" well he's not, he's a foil.

[@corvus9359]

@@M.F.Hafizhan Being a foil to a character from a different game makes no sense, and that would be some seriously bad writing if that was the intention. Making references is one thing, but if a player needs knowledge from an entirely unrelated game series to fully grasp the meaning of things that are happening in the game they're playing, that is genuinely bad writing. He's also definitely not a foil to Pixy. Being a foil means contrasting against another character to highlight their qualities. Crimson 1's characteristics and actions do not highlight Pixy's characteristics. Crimson 1 is an attempt to create a rivalry dynamic with the player character, like the rivalry that existed between Cipher and Pixy. Cipher and Pixy are foils to each other because they both fought with the goal of restoring peace. Cipher did this by saving the world so that people could live on into the future and learn from the past. Pixy wanted to reset everything and start from scratch. He eventually realized that this method wouldn't have solved anything because conflict would inevitably rise again, so the most anyone can do is fight for what they believe is right when the time comes. That's also why he thanks Cipher at the end of the game. Through being defeated by Cipher and surviving, Pixy was able to come to this realization. Crimson 1 on the other hand, fights to establish the Federation's dominion over it's territories and be the best pilot in existence. Neither of these characteristics highlight Pixy's aforementioned qualities. He's not even a foil to Monarch. Crimson 1 is written to be unstable and obsessed with victory, but it's never used to highlight how Monarch is different compared to him. Their motivations are also completely different. Monarch fought for Cascadia because he was hired by Cascadia and he's from Cascadia. Crimson 1 fights to be the best pilot, so he serves the Federation because they're the most powerful nation. The possibility of Crimson 1 being a foil to Monarch was already shaky at best, but it all went out the window the moment he bombed Presidia. From that point it was clear Crimson 1 didn't care about Cascadia at all, no matter how much he tried to justify it to himself. The closest Crimson 1 comes to a foil to Pixy is that when you compare the two characters against each other, it's clear that Pixy is a much more well-constructed character.

[@M.F.Hafizhan]

@@corvus9359 Pixy believes that erasing national borders are necessary to achieve world peace. He opposed the status quo. Crimson believes that the order imposed by Federation is necessary to mantain world peace. He fights for the status quo. Pixy thinks borders separate people, and that's a bad thing, because there's not much difference between them at the end of the day. Crimson thinks borders separate people, and that's a good thing, because they gave people identities, it defines them against the world. You dug so deep to find the subtext when the text are all there

[@corvus9359]

@@M.F.Hafizhan Fighting for the status quo and fighting against the status quo is a very vague list of criteria to make characters foils to one another. Just because characters fight to change the world or keep it the same doesn't immediately make them foils to each other, especially when they come from entirely different stories. The "status quo" is also different between each game. In Ace Combat Zero, the status quo is the frequent wars that occur over different territories. In Project Wingman, the status quo is the dominion the Federation has over its territories. Pixy didn't want to erase borders because he thought they separated people. He wanted to erase borders because he saw them as a major cause of conflict and bloodshed, which he saw as wasteful. This is why he says there's not much difference between them at the end of the day, because he saw the fighting and resulting death as pointless. This viewpoint gets further reinforced over the course of the game as he fights for Ustio's independence and witnesses the atrocities committed by both sides. Also Crimson 1 clearly doesn't think borders separating people is a good thing. He lashes out at Cascadia for wanting to "secede from the world." If he thought borders separating people was a good thing because it defines them against the world, he would've been fighting for Cascadia's independence because Cascadia is trying to establish its own borders. And still, none of this changes anything about what I said about how players needing outside material to fully understand the significance of things in the game they're playing is bad writing, especially when that material comes from an unrelated game.

[@TheJoazzz]

@@corvus9359 Crimson's line works fine on its own. He sees himself as a hardcore loyalist to a superstate fighting a stateless anarchist mongrel. The AC reference is just a bonus, even if an intentional one.

[@reyvsonlucas5059]

Also the effort you put in this video is unbelievable, now i'm going to rewatch it. See you in the next video

[@alejandropoczynokh]

What an exquisitely done video! Missed you dude.

[@jettstorm2253]

Sins have penetrated the CAP line

[@devontoner]

For the team they had andthe dream of making an ace combat game when we didn't know 7 would be a thing; I think it's incredible how close they came

[@SlyAceZeta]

To be clear, Project Wingman started after 7 was announced, but before it was announced for PC. The idea was to have a proper Ace Combat-like PC experience.

[@devontoner]

@@SlyAceZeta point taken, I still think they came really close to the AC experience and; like you, I hope we get more studios and projects for these arcadey flight combat games.

[@AgungParamtapa123]

32:24 your assessment is the one that I love so much. Gives me the memories of the past that I can experience directly in the game. Honestly, if I could save anyone, I can, but in the end, no one will be saved. What a hard lesson I got for RL future sessions. 👍

[@avi8aviate]

"Did _Project Wingman_ just RickRoll us?" The funniest part is that airship is actually named Robert Astley.

[@FreyR_Kunn]

3:01 What he is saying is that they aren't equipped to fight a well equipped mercenary unit with fighters. As border patrol, they expect to be intercepting smugglers and other sorts, not fighters with heat seeking missiles.

[@frankieM_]

I honestly think that having Frost as the final battle would've been a lot more interesting. Crimson 1 dies with his squadron at the remnants of Prospero and instead of the second boss battle with Frost happening at Rowsdower, it happens somewhere near Presidia instead, taking the place of Crimson 1's endgame boss battle for one with Frost. They could've had Monarch relate to Frost in someway (like if Monarch was on the side of the Mercenaries in Oceania when Frost betrayed them, or someone close to Monarch like a parental figure was there and Frost shot them down?) and it most likely would've had a better story for the battle more-so than Crimson 1 going psychopathic and cordium bombing Presidia. I'm obviously not someone who writes plots for games or stories in general, but there could've been a better end for PW's story than the Crimson 1 boss battle. Don't get me wrong though, the ending definitely doesn't come anywhere close to ruining the game or the rest of the story at all, the game was still immensely enjoyable to play and is definitely something I still go back and replay because its just that much fun

[@josevictorionunez9312]

Guys. I think the Enemy is Penetrating the CAP Line

[@Oclur]

53:49 This reason right here is why Ace Combat Zero is a masterpiece: PJ's speech about "fighting for peace" gets called out by Pixy for being dumb, as the game's trying to show you that war is bad, and that no side is good because of the implied atrocities they commit However, here in Project Wingman nothing happens: like, the Federation brought a second Calamity over a whole continent and no-one reacts to that, and they just resume the war once the situation becomes more stable. The only ones that actually have a "human" reaction to the events are Dip and Comic, however they're still in it for money Those cordium warheads bringing the apocalypse were a really good idea. Unfortunately, they feel kinda wasted

[@SlyAceZeta]

Ehh, I'm willing to excuse it, Hitman and the rest of Sicario wanted to flee like rats from a sinking ship, and they did react, just more in shock than anything else. Also, Dip and Comic weren't in it for the money; that was made abundantly clear by Frost.

[@Oclur]

@@SlyAceZeta I'm talking about the deal specifically. Kaiser remains because they offer him a lot of money, but Diplomat and Comic have literally no reason to stay if they're so shocked by what happened. They're cascadians and their homeland was literally blown to pieces, it makes sense they want the war to stop, but at the same time they still continued when _nobody_ forced them to stay. They complain about the war not ending and the federation not surrendering, but they still fight anyways. If you're so against the hostilities continuing, why are you still partecipating in the war?

[@SlyAceZeta]

​@@Oclur At that point, it was because of The Deal, which wasn't money. We don't know yet what it was.

[@Oclur]

@@SlyAceZeta Even if it wasn't money it was still something really valuable, considering their reactions

[@Кустарус]

​@@SlyAceZetayeah, we're currently got no $hit about what the hell was in that briefcase

[@Shipnot_Nonindustries]

*Halfway through the mission* Friendly: Enemy penetrating the CAP line.

[@Tman2bard]

I will say, the "there's no indication on what plane is a two seater" is kinda funny when most will quickly figure out which plane has what. And I'd argue that the F-14 can carry the rest of the game. That's how I did it, especially since this wasn't going to be on Merc difficulty anyway. Either way tho, the fact this "comedy" vid is making me reevaluate some of my thoughts on the story again is quite funny in its own way.

[@LunaNicoleTheFox]

I'd argue that Crimson-1 actually was insane all throughout the Game, the failure of the Federation and it's warcrimes only made it worse. The fact that he is a peacekeeper probably means that he was deeply indoctrinated into the Federations ideals and cause, leading to him accusing Monarch of committing the Federations crimes in Prospero, because he couldn't fathom holding the Federation accountable for it's actions, only to then not just get shot down himself by a far superior pilot, but also lose his squadron to the same pilot. He likely survived because he ejected, even if it wasn't mentioned in dialogue or shown in game, made it back behind Federation Lines and got his hands onto the Prototype and some cordium nukes by virtue of being a peacekeeper squadron leader. A lot of the things he says in Kings do not make sense if you try to view him as a competent person, because he isn't. Comparing him to the likes of Pixy or Mihaly is not fair because he is a different category of villain. He is a product of the Federations crimes just as much as the ruins of Prospero and the wildfires they set. He is not and never was a villain of his own ideals, he was molded into being one by his environment, who then broke under the stresses of the war that his presence was supposed to prevent. He admitted to being obsessed with Monarch(or Hitman Squadron) above Prospero, he actively pushes to keep fighting an already lost Air Battle for no reason other than the fact that he wants to destroy Hitman and kill Monarch. HE NUKES PRESIDIA in order to either kill Monarch and destroy Hitman outright OR get a 1v1 with Monarch in the hope that he would win that. Those are not actions of a man who is sane and able to see reasoning. I don't think he even cared that he singlehandedly condemmed the Federation to dissolve by the end, as he was deadset on settling the score with Monarch. And I would argue that the Music plays quite a critical role in conveying that this is the type of villain Crimson truly is. Kings, the piece of music, is a bombastic and dramatic piece that conveys a deep sense of sadness, which is amplified by Coronation. The "victory" rings hollow because this isn't a story that glorifies war, mercenary work or anything like that, it is a story that shows the one facet that every war ever fought shares. There is no winning, there is only losing less badly.

[@SlyAceZeta]

I don't have a problem with him surviving getting shot down, after all it happens all the time both in the real world and in Ace Combat, but we shoot him down at a goddamn active volcano, he laughs all the way down, and Stardust visually confirms the kill. Like I said in the video, there's a lot of insane villains in fiction. There's no better example than the Joker, but even with the most insane of them there's still a modicum of sense in what they're doing. If Crimson 1's insanity was fueled by the Federation and its ideals, why then would he indiscriminately nuke both sides of the conflict rather than use those micro-missiles? If he was so aware to be able to get access to the Project Wingman and the cordium warheads, how can that be in the same reality where he's not aware at all that the Federation launched those same warheads at Prospero? If Frost, a random mercenary hired by a random company to test the Spear, was able to find out literally every single detail about Hitman Team, why then does Crimson 1 not know any of that or pretend that it doesn't matter? Even if you have an insane character, while the motives behind their actions don't need to make sense, their actions themselves still need to make sense. Kings is a 1v1 and when you have an entire mission dedicated to such a fight, with one character monologuing their beliefs onto the other, you're therefore attempting to compare them, but if the comparison is supposed to be "the main character is not dissociating from reality like this guy is" then how is that supposed to be, in any way, good character writing? You can have a poster boy who was raised on the beliefs of their country and its military, determined to fight for it until the bitter end, morally better arguments be damned, but that poster boy at least needs to say words that make sense. Hell, Rot 1 is a better Crimson 1 than Crimson 1, and he only has maybe two dozen lines at most and only shows up in gameplay for half a mission.

[@trevargrisham35]

@@SlyAceZeta I'd argue Crimson 1 is more of an inverse to Pasternak, I mean they weren't trying to hide the inspiration of PWK-MK1, the plane looks like a beefed up Nosferattu, even carries the same all purposes spam missiles and railguns. The difference between the two is that Pasternak understood that the cause he was fighting for was a lie, and faced with the choice of either sending his squadron to their deaths at the hands of Talisman or sending them away to live out the rest of their lives, he chose to spare them and sacrificed himself to buy them time to escape I mean the literal track that plays while fighting him is called Malebolge, the 8th circle of hell. Crimson 1 kept throwing his entire squad into a meatgrinder against hitman and due to his pride and ego, he lost all of his squadmates to Monarch and has no one to blame but himself.

[@Sapheiorus]

It's about time! Thanks for this video! Your work really shows in how thoroughly detailed the observations are, and I hope the PW team learns plenty for future projects. I also loved playing this game! "Prez would just reverse the counter anyway." Well, at least you let us know. - 50 sins. "Griffiths" can't NOT be a Berserk reference. +1 sin Your next line is "'Dust Mother' is the new 'Dance with the Angels'".... AND THERE IT IS! -1 sin. You say Stardust is a stripper, but Kaiser is the voice of Karstodes in the "If the Emperor Had a Text-To-Speech Device" series, so if anyone here can be described as a stripper, it's Kaiser. -1 sin. "You holding an orange as years of comments asking for this production stream through before you decide to sin the fuck out of Crimson One's psychotically projecting monologue" cliché. -1 sin. Revised Final Sin Tally: 215 sins. Sentence: Go dance with the Dust Mother!

[@Histidine_my]

When the enemy penetrates the CAP line, it's time to dance with the angels!

[@Gamer88334]

Friendly: “Enemy penetrating CAP line.” Me: *Climbs out of the cockpit and starts moonwalking*

[@kevinhatcher3765]

I was waiting for this one🔥

[@Jules-69lol]

1:38 I added a health regeneration cheat table. I'm not going to play mercenary to get murked at the end of 20 minute long mission

[@SlyAceZeta]

I think that's a little much, but it comes back to my point at 1:01 that difficulty options are accessibility options. You shouldn't _need_ to play Mercenary for any reason other than you want to or for achievements.

[@Jules-69lol]

@@SlyAceZeta I wanted to heh. To clarify, I am playing with only the AOA Limiter, using the Su-30

[@Sam_the_Spinosaurus]

should've added a sin for the sirens of defeat mission because those god damn alarms blaring in the city CAN BE HEARD FROM SPACE I SWEAR TO GOD THEYRE SO ANNOYING

[@gravygraves5112]

I flew the F-4 the whole game. Prez and I were strugglin'

[@shermanfox7338]

For the sin about it being day three of the contract at Rosdower, I think they got signed on for the job while they were still in Louisiana and it took them three days to get out to Rosdower, so first mission but not first day of the job.

[@johnconner9149]

Sin 200. Technically being a mercenary is a violation of the UN Mercenary convention, but there are enough legal minutia and technicalities that PMCs can legal operate as long as they’re just providing “security” or “Mission support” but Sicario would be illegal IRL.

[@darjeelingdelise]

38:38 That line is absolutely Golden and makes Stardust almost piss his pants. it's worth to take 3 sins off.

[@mill2712]

21:21 Driver: I got you man.

[@mill2712]

56:03 Spoilers for F59. You've been warned. Faust tells us that they "Discovered something terrible that every mercenary of the Oceania Roundtable Kabal regards as holy. And the CIF would use if the war kept escalated further." It is very possible that a number of higher profile and notable Cascadian officers, including Crimson 1 know what the deal is.

[@tenkakuch]

Feels like it was meant to be, viewing this one after recently beating this thing on Mercenary. Tbh, beating Crim 1 on Merc felt good but I can agree, Crimson 1 was an underbaked Pixy wannabe. Pixy had some gravitas and buildup but Crim 1 was just more or less a edgelord who couldn't take his lumps. Tbh, if I weren't trying to go for flair, I would've used the PW on that mission instead of trying to fight it with a F15 . It did feel pretty good ramming 10mlaas on the guy during the last stretch and really chunking the hp bar. Oh right, I didn't even notice that everyone else but Monarch was shot down in the final mission so uh...yeah. Your convo with Kilel about Crim 1 reminds me of discussions about A2 from Automata and how under baked she feels if you only look at the game purely and none of the outside stuff like the stage play. A cool on paper but not quite there when you're in the moment. I dunno, maybe there could've been more of a build up to Crim 1 being a Walker analogue or hell, have a weird couple of gaiden chapters where you play as Crim 1 and really dive a bit more into his mindset. Gameplay and music wise, I've really got nothing to complain about. Heck, I think this game has better gunplay than most Ace Combat games, that or I just suck at using the guns in those lol. It's fun arcing bullets and forcing the enemy to eat lead.

[@avi8aviate]

"I seriously tried my hardest to shoot down as many missiles as I could, both in my first playthrough and in the footage you're watching, and I couldn't do it. No one can. Not on the first playthrough with normal aircraft." Even if you modify the weapon reload times and ammunition, it's still impossible to prevent the domino effect that triggered the second Calamity. The Pacific Federation sent so many cordium-tipped cruise missiles that the second Calamity happens anyway solely because of all that cordium reacting upon itself.

[@SlyAceZeta]

I don't consider that canon. It's a necessary part of the mission script, but unless you're using mods or the PW-Mk.I (which can do it unmodified), which requires completing the game so it doesn't count, you can't do it. The missiles have to hit on your unmodded first playthrough.

[@scarecrow108productions7]

Take a drink whenever you hear someone saying "Enemy penetrated the CAP line"...

[@SlyAceZeta]

For legal purposes, I am not responsible for the health of anyone who does this.

[@scarecrow108productions7]

@@SlyAceZeta hahahahahhaha. Man, I'm dead.💀🤣🤣

[@Yellow13Firestorm]

I gotta say, these videos of yours are amazing! That said, i haven't heard of this frontline 59 thing. what is it?

[@SlyAceZeta]

Project Wingman surprise-released on PlayStation 5 last month. The PS5 version includes six exclusive missions referred to as Frontline-59, where you play as a Federation reservist defending Magadan from Cascadia's invasion in the middle of the story, as I bring up in the video (that's why I use the Federation flag during those moments).

[@karal_the_crazy]

According to my bounty hunter calculations dip and comic are actually siblings and used to live in cascades where their parents are fishermen

[@thebrettboy4w314]

10:38 I actually remembered that I stayed to fight him in a tomcat and to say it was hard was an understatement I should have fallen to the ground with how much high-g turns I was pulling but it felt rewarding to finally pop one of those suckers

[@Spektr-pj1is]

16:30 - no, that's not smart AI, it's perfect timing, you can hear them bursting into ground while plane in the tunnel.

[@ISAF-Phoenix]

58:30 You're 100% right, SlyAce... Crimson 1 became an orange... all while penetrating the CAP Line in his last few breaths.

[@02suraditpengsaeng41]

> Play Conquest mode > "Enemy Penetrating the CAP line" > "Enemy Penetrating the CAP line" > "Enemy Penetrating the CAP line" > "Enemy Penetrating the CAP line" > Disable voice

[@jacobjohnson8906]

Cease-fire trying to be ordered Cascadia and federation soldiers : continues to commit various war crimes

[@leschroder7773]

Crystal kingdom: 🗿

[@evilbabai7083]

In my understanding, the whole plot is about how war keeps escalating when unstoppable force hits the immovable object - morale and goals become blurred, fighting getting more and more pointless till it eventually couldn't be settled because there's always someone who will go fighting on for sake of fighting. You're not a hero to the story, you're just caught in it, if not actually made everything worse - without Sicario and Monarch in particular, Federation would've steamrolled the Cascadia within weeks, and though it might be morally bad, that would've just returned the status quo without massive victims and destruction. The whole point of final fight is that it's pointless, it changes nothing, fighting for Cascadia is over, Federation is bleeding, neither of you has a power to change what's coming next, you just do what you do best - kill for money. Crimson isn't wannabe Pixy, he's anti-Pixy, he isn't a mercenary who questioned his ways and the established world order, he's a fanatic who's falling from the height of his ego deeper and deeper into the denial to keep the existing order in place or at least damage everyone who's against it as much as he can. The problem is that those ideas weren't properly developed and delivered, but tbh every Ace Combat game plot suffers from the similar issues to an extent, trying to punch too much above its weight - delivery was there sometimes, ideas were still undercooked and didn't went beyond the safe space in any meaningful way, devolving into something like "peace is good, war is bad" in the end. After all, Ace Combat never had a consistent believable story to begin with, it's ridiculous in its own right and the part of fun is that you willingly buying into this tomfoolery, it's more like an ancient Greek theatre full of plot devices and over the top symbolism than an actual cinematic experience, and Project Wingman is not that different in this regard, you shouldn't take anything too seriously if it doesn't go beyond the world building, and I pretty much believe that the ending like this could play out in The World On Fire.

[@Wandrer029]

Yoo, Finally. The PW EWW is here, Thanks a lot Sly :P I remember asking about it to you a long time ago and had hoped it would become real and here it is! I am really grateful; even though I only watched the play through of the game, I knew from the first sight it was a sight to behold. Now project Wingman, it's time to activate. Blaze! 49:44 Thanks for the mention ^^ And now it's time, to go back to the ORANGE

[@goncalo2788]

Where can we check out the "extra" lore stuff mentioned in the video?

[@SlyAceZeta]

There's a bunch of lore files you can access _after_ a briefing but _before_ the hangar (yeah it's weird). There's also an artbook that was supposed to release three years ago but has been indefinitely delayed that should have more lore in it.

[@reyvsonlucas5059]

49:40 Mom, look! It's me!!! By the way amazing quality as always

[@Echo1608.]

OH HOT DAMN AN HOUR! 10/10 Work ^^ Want to add on, really interesting to find out the merc ending dialogue is all thanks to Galaxy's VA.

[@itty_trainsss239]

48:05 "It's a really fitting way to en-" *big boom* .... Uhh?

[@derkurier2710]

43:14 It is at least the Mercenary Work you do in PW is prohibited since 2001 from the UN

[@tuskgauss2143]

Y'know, I kinda like the idea of the ending not changing whether you live or die. A Monarch and a Mad usurper, fighting over the ruins of a destroyed kingdom? Kinda cool.

[@leurunner4764]

Even if you do intercept all missiles, it doesn't change anything.

[@dr01d75]

This video made me realize how inconsistent the writing is.

[@matiassacchelli8440]

Aww, you let outside the Ace Combat Assault Horizon reference at 45:25. I was expecting that would be sinned just for the existance (reference to Hostile Fleet mission, when the Russian command ask you to wait so they order the last ship to surrender). Something like "oh, its a reference to THAT GAME. We dont talk about that here"

[@SlyAceZeta]

I would have made that reference if the game also forced us to hold fire like Assault Horizon did, but instead Galaxy was like "nah go ahead" xD

[@danalves3048]

I allways thought Crimson 1 was more a Sulejmani clone rather than a pixy one because: you fight them 4 times, the first two they run away from you, the third one they we're presumed dead are you shot them down in a cloudy storm like area and the last encounter you fight them in a orange city in california while they are piloting and being backed up with superplanes with BS agility, have multiple phases with the last one being when the game tries to make you feel pity on them with melacolic music as you shot them down(they both final missions are the 21st one) and both are obsessed with the protagonist who is a mercenary with a insect emblem that fights giant airships on a regular. Also both are mentally ill unlikeable bastards but at least Sulejmani has a backstory despite being a generic one since at least it's a better motivation than crimson's.

[@lim-kun]

50:47 The beta version patch explained that crimson 7 was there taking off using the mark 1 which is basically the PW

[@SlyAceZeta]

It's clear even in this version that's what was going on, hence why I said foreshadowing. I should have marked it as a subtitle error, though, because she says "Mark 1" but the subtitles say "01" in this version of the game.

[@revolutionaryarmy7442]

What's up with those CAP lines? I dont get it? Its sined because its repetitive like "dance with the angles"?

[@SlyAceZeta]

There's instances where it plays half a dozen times in a single mission, and both Cascadian and Federation pilots say it even in missions where they would _not_ have Combat Air Patrol.

[@livingreverie5951]

I feel like a Sin removal should be the Cascadian FIrefighters in Open Season

[@sedeuphadude80]

My thoughts on the final fight against Crimson 1 are mostly related to how Project Wingman subverts clichés and expectations set up by Ace Combat. PW doesn't start with a “shoot down the bombers” mission like most AC games. It's a mix of both air and ground targets. Airships aren't just reserved for boss missions, they're common things used by both sides. PW also doesn't have any time limits. But then there's the twist final mission. After playing Ace Combat enough, you learn to expect them. They're either “destroy a superweapon” or “epic final boss dogfight.” Project Wingman could have subverted expectations by just ending with Presidia, and could have had a better story. There's also the story standpoint, which I fully agree with. The Project Wingman Mk. 1 was first at Harkema, where it was flown off to Sawaiiki. Then, it gets flown off to the Federation Core when a bunch of mercs are doing a surprise attack against Task Force 1 while in port. Crimson 1 shouldn't have access to the PW-Mk1. He gets SHOT DOWN in an EXTREMELY HOT ENVIRONMENT with an ACTIVE VOLCANO. Even if he were to have ejected, he most likely would have died. The only good things about Kings to me are the music and coming back with either the PW-Mk1 or SP-34R and absolutely shredding through Crimson 1.

[@SlyAceZeta]

But then does it re-subvert your expectations if they _don't_ subvert in the ending? 🤔

[@BasedBelkan8492]

damn he even brought an orange

[@PS3PS2fan]

SCF slammed Shamrock in his EWWAC6 video. But in this, he *DESTROYED* Crimson 1!

[@justinpascual1691]

ENEMY PENETRATING THE CAP LINE

[@XxSnom16]

Enemy penetrating the cap line is for sure PW's Attack The D Point

[@toastergaming7783]

NPCs also say "There's a hole in my wing!" a lot too

[@Dan-379]

no way you're back

[@mpondachongo1138]

"There are no late game 2 seaters" there is a simple solution, be a mad lad and fly the tomcat (F-14) the second you get your hands on it.

[@nikoladedic6623]

21:27 Foreshadowing. Also, I can already see one sin appearing in that video.

[@Dumbrarere]

My theory about the CIF-held territory in Magadan: Not conquered territory, but a piece of Magadan that had sided with the CIF (at least politically, at most with support in the form of war materials sent to the independence fighters.) Edit: I liken Crimson 1's gradual descent into madness to be akin to Ukumori or even Mozume from The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces. Their desperation to kill the protagonist character ultimately led to them losing themselves. The harder they tried, the more they went insane. A sort of downward spiral. In the case of Crimson 1, he was so insane by the end, that he saw Monarch as the true villain, AND the sole reason the Cordium warheads were fired on Cascadian soil. In a twisted way, you - the player - are indeed responsible for his insanity, and for Cascadia's destruction.

[@NikkOcello17]

seems the jokes about Frontline-59 got over your head, there's no need for a theory, there's gameplay

[@Nmille98]

The PS5 version is such an upgrade in quality of life that I can't go back to PC until it gets some of those updates.

[@flauschigesrelaxo]

Will there ever be a "real" everything wrong in AceCombat X or is the game simply to simple and short to make a full video for it?

[@EdyAlbertoMSGT3]

Funny how this video and i dunno if it was Max0r's or Rimmy's, but another video on a similar tone, have the complete opposite opinion on the ending, this video concluded that the ceasefire was an amazing ending and Crimson is stupid, the other video concluded the ceasefire would have been dissapointing and Crimson is a great goofy final boss for a goofy game

[@bigiron2572]

In my personal opinion, I think having another mission after crimson’s OFFICIAL death wouldn’t make much of a difference considering the hell that the player might’ve went through. Maybe if they could do it like an ace combat 5 ending where it shows how the warzone healed up overtime and how life changed after that (like monarch and press getting together). It would be nice if we could’ve have that.

[@Chick2106]

Frontline 59 when? I love to see what you think about General Faust.

[@Gigachadent]

Enemy penetrating CAP line...

[@Arkhimov]

Finally. The one i wait

[@HmmHmm-ve7ou]

12:56 This deserves 2 sins: first one for poor CAP line, second because it was a voice line from MISSILE

[@leurunner4764]

About Prospero: Prospero is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

[@toptiergaming6900]

54:22 crimson is saying you can't (unless perhaps you're like Mehily from AC7) fight for cascadia in 50 years

[@gimmeallurmoney3883]

THE ACE IS BAAAAAACK!

[@SolitarySpade_Davon]

Imagine if Kevin MacLeod scored Project Wingman.

[@02suraditpengsaeng41]

8:49 thank for this part I figure what the dude laughing huh, couple

[@Triplication]

Damn I got absolutely destroyed 😂😂😂

[@SlyAceZeta]

I was wondering if I should ping you or just let you find out yourself 😅

[@Triplication]

@@SlyAceZeta It was sent to me this morning it was hilarious.

[@Firewatch___]

5:10. Did you crash in that in-mission landing attempt?

[@SlyAceZeta]

I pitched up right at the end! :P

[@grantstafford-renard9095]

My everything wrong with project wingman (not applicable to PS): There’s no frontline 59