Ace Combat 5 Was a Step Back

[@fightertales]

Comment "Flyby2025!" to be entered into the steam key giveaway! Winners will be announced on my discord which can be accessed via: discord.gg/XFQPftSxNm Ace Combat 5, while often seen as the best in the series, was overly ambitious and extremely flawed in many ways. Let's take a look at it! ============================= SUPPORT ME ON PATREON! patreon.com/fightertales My partner Hellion's Website and Patreon: www.ratsnest.me/ patreon.com/lavendersoldier Discord: discord.gg/XFQPftSxNm =========================== Music Used: Karl Casey Music karlcasey.bandcamp.com/ Chronicler, Fighter Tales Soundtrack -chroniclermusic.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-brink-fighter-tales-soundtrack-volume-1 Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War soundtrack

[@dragonbutt]

How bout no

[@corsairraven973]

your wrong, and that's ok, its your opinion. and that's fine. but AC5 was amazing, and i WILL die on that hill, proudly!!

[@himwo.]

Counterpoint: "First Flight" was played at the Tokyo Olympics during the marching in of the athletes during the opening ceremony

[@fightertales]

@@himwo. I have no issue with the game's soundtrack

[@26th_Primarch]

​@@fightertales Ace Combat games consistently have some of the best music around. To be honest, aside from the flight mechanics, the music of Ace Combat makes me wish that we could get a Star Wars Rogue Squadron-esqe game made by Project Aces...

[@shira_yone]

​@@26th_PrimarchSW rogue squadron by Project ACES but all the spacecraft flies like the Idolm@ster A-10 in AC6

[@26th_Primarch]

@shira_yone played AC 6 but never messed with the Idolm@ster stuff.

[@shira_yone]

@@26th_Primarch try look up the "AC6 idolmaster A-10", it's quite comical

[@YJRail]

Ace Combat 6 is underrated, I will die on this hill

[@fightertales]

@@YJRail the gameplay is great

[@chrisyoung1576]

it's great, but it's trapped as x360 exclusive making it bit hard to access

[@PopeMetallicus]

It's my favorite overall, game is a masterpiece

[@chrisyoung1576]

@@PopeMetallicus the sheer scale of the combat is so mesmerizing

[@Boo_Yeah]

I wouldn't know since Ace made it Xbox exclusive for some stupid reason.

[@darkjedi5646]

The wingmen's abilities in this game depend almost entirely on the plane's rating AND the special weapons. Give them A-10s or F-22s, they obliterate ground and air targets, respectively. Heck, if they fly planes with fire & forget weapons in general, they'll do a decent job of killing stuff. Give them dumb bombs, RCLs, or SAAMs, on the other hand, and they're next to useless.

[@baronvonslambert]

Yeah, they don't seem like they do much until you check their stats in the career record, but on my ace campaign I'm playing on right now they're averaging roughly one target for about every six I take out, and that's with having to buy new craft. Like you said though that depends on what aircraft you assign them, back in the days when I had a 100% save file on normal and used the best planes for the grind to purchase and unlock everything, IIRC the squadron record from that save, the wingmen averaged somewhere between 2 and 3 destroyed targets for every five I destroyed myself. I'm always flummoxed when people say the single wingmen perform better in other games, on an individual level, yeah Pixy and PJ can outperform the squadron members of AC5, but not the three wingmen combined. I had an equal-ish amount of hours in Zero, and, again, IIRC, the single wingmen in that game are about half as effective as the three wingmen in AC5 going by the squadron record across hundreds of hours of play.

[@gluever54]

Yeah, the AI's performance is....weird. like, last month i was replaying 5 and the wingmen either struggle with one tank or they wipe out the combined Ofnir/Grabacr squadron almost singlehandedly (they were using F-14As)

[@mobiusraptor7]

Osea is the largest military in Strangereal yet only sends 16 vehicles, and is countered by Yuke bunkers (who have the 2nd largest army) that open fire when they feel like it. Meanwhile the Usean continent is full of developing countries (all of whom got affected by Ulysses) yet has a literal D-Day (Operation Bunket Shot) both in numbers and intensity.

[@nicorozner7417]

The Belkans are in your walls

[@Borinquen_1]

THEY ARE IN THE GODDAM WALLS

[@Nmille98]

In defense of not having Harling's transport IFF on, didn't he already suspect the treachery in the military, and was trying to end the war before he got coup'd?

[@fightertales]

Idk man it's asking to get shot down

[@hurricaneace143]

Oh yeah. Kinda forgot that detail

[@cypher1o1]

​@@fightertales I always thought that between the iff and the interceptors it was a ploy from the shadow government to get rid of Harling and use the propaganda of the presidents death to further drive the war

[@CountSpartula]

​@@fightertales Considering who showed up, their concern was well founded. What part of "Harling's situation was really bad" did you not get?

[@furocindras]

@@CountSpartula the part where the writers put it too early in the narrative so a lack of foreshadowing makes it jarring

[@henryfleischer404]

Yeah, a lot of anti-war stories no longer appeal to me. I don't like war, but wars only need one side to want them to start. That's a big part of why I like Gundam 0079- it's pretty anti-war, but it acknowledges that sometimes a war has to be fought. And if you're not a fan of Unicorn, Zeon's aggression is unnecessary and unfounded.

[@furocindras]

This is why I can't stand Harutoshi Fukui. The man seems to have made Zeon apologism his entire narrative identity. "Zeon did nothing wrong" was already annoying when it was being said in jest but trying to canonize it feels downright insulting

[@fightertales]

Destroy all spacenoids

[@SgtPotShot]

​@@fightertales The only good Zeon died in their Mobile Suits & space ships.

[@SgtPotShot]

This, & Gundam SEED, has convinced me that the Japanese media is completely divorced on how international politics, & especially war, works.

[@fightertales]

@SgtPotShot what losing a world war does to a mf

[@mediawarrior5957]

Keiki Kobayshi is literally the John Williams of Japan.

[@ryanpayne7707]

-Rap- Composition battle when?

[@phillandon4127]

Blurry by Puddle of Mudd was one of the songs used during the commercial. Still think of the game when that song plays.

[@sharkface129]

This song played on the radio one day and it completely blindsided me.

[@baronvonslambert]

I used to think of AC5 when Blurry came on, blew my mind too when I first heard it outside the game. Then I met Wes Scantlin, the singer, and Wes Scantlin is to this day, the absolute HIGHEST person I have ever encountered, and I lived and worked with literal hippies who tripped balls to make their art once upon a time. Me and an ex had a meet and greet after a concert with him and his wife like 12-ish years ago. And whoooaahhh boy, dude wasn't just in a completely different universe, he was on an entirely different plane of existence lol. So now when I hear Blurry I think of those 15 minutes I spent with the highest man in the known universe and probably like twelve others lol

[@furymyboy]

Bro, those IRL coms are absolute madness and adrenaline at maximum.

[@newtypealpha]

I once listened to a recording of a guy flying Iron Hand during desert storm, dodging 8 different SAMs in a 2 minute period. Basically: Heavy breathing Grunts "Oh shit oh shit oh shiiiiiiiitttttt" More grunts "Shit..." Groans "SHIIIIIITTTTTTTT" Ragged gasps Sighs "Damn I'm thirsty..."

[@furymyboy]

@@newtypealpha "damn I'm thirsty" while dodging missiles XD

[@badmoth242xl3]

I swear to god, with how much Blaze’s wingmen complain about having to do their job you’d think they wouldn’t’ve joined the military

[@callsignapollo_]

It seems a lot more fitting for a 21 year old "terminal lance" marine who joined out of high school than a pilot who's been through officer school, yknow?

[@Zack_Wester]

I think a lot of that have to do whit the Casus Belli been none existent. Remember in real life in order to start a war you need a Casus Belli or else having the nations troops fight or at least risk there lives gets hard... even if you have to fake it. see germany and Poland in 193X where germany leadership needed to fake a Casus Belli by having some spies take over a radio station and do some false flag broadcast (Gleiwitz incident) Ace combat 5 your teammate are rightfully pointing out that the whole war that they are fighting in have no real Casus Belli. (for the player it does not matter all we care about is shooting stuff and doing stunts). But for them thats deeply disturbing. Remember Ace combat 5 started the ace combat meme of Belka been the mastermind behind every single war in the game. add in that the pilotes are getting fatigued. (someone said that the player squadron files more then the mission we fly in game just that thoes are small stuff, like patrol mission or intercepting one lone aircraft kind of stuff).

[@farenhitegr6493]

I still remember the moderate disappointment of the fact that my wingmen are unable to use the Tactical Laser System mounted on the unlockable ADF-01 (which was already goddamn expensive to buy four of to begin with), even though they could even use other weapons just fine - even the ECM pods. "It's just a single button, pilots - it's not that hard."

[@Mint-Lynx]

As someone with much nostalgia for 5, reflecting on the points of this video I can't help but agree on the story. AC5 kinda cheapens its superweapon boss by having the player sink the Scinfaxi as soon as they do. Makes sinking the Hrimfaxi feel almost like a rehash, and the story in general throws a lot of ideas at the wall which don't quite piece together well. Overly ambitious is quite an apt description. AC4 proves the merits of "Less is more" with its story, with the storyteller's narrative providing a quiet and thoughtful contrast to the simple yet engaging story of Mobius 1. 4 paced itself a lot better, ramping up as you progress before reaching an epic climax in Farbanti, only to surprise you with a "fly through the tunnel!" mission to cap it all off.

[@spenjak18]

I have been taking an interest in AC04 again. Guess the fact that no pilot's being all sappy and, y'know, acting like fighter pilots just... Actually feels refreshing.

[@Chromefall]

stories where the superweapons are present longer more like 4/6/7/X etc heck even zero Excalibur didn’t last much before cypher cleaves it in two

[@nihil8607]

I dunno, I really don't agree myself. There's a certain level of... blandness I feel in 4, compared to a lot of other games in the series It's one of the ones I come back to the least by far as a result

[@Mint-Lynx]

@@nihil8607 I can see where that perspective would come from. AC4's definitely not as bombastic and in my opinion if AC5 was better written it'd easily surpass 4's narrative.

[@Randomusername56782]

Honestly, I feel like if AC05 wanted to delve into an anti war message, it should've at least delved into the ethics of violence at least somewhat, especially when you consider that political maneuvering is at least SOMEWHAT involved in the game's story directly.

[@ChiefCrewin]

Just like Gundam does for giant robots/Mecha, Ace Combat's real lesson is "war is bad, but planes are rad."

[@zbee-nah-lah]

AC04 is the goat, AC0 made us hate borders, and AC5 is both long and has a cool cover (Also the AN/ALR-67 beeps are gold)

[@madkoala2130]

Now i think about it, Project Wingman is just heavily downgraded AC Zero with main antagonists being complete opposites. Pixy with: "i hate borders" and Crimson 1 with "WE NEED BORDERS"😂😂

[@danielmolinar8669]

Lowkey, my headcanon is that Kei Nagase, both tbh, comes from some sort of martial dynasty with large influence in Strangereal politics and military. Explains why you see “Nagase” everywhere. It could also explain Reiko Nagase too.

[@rehanrheinendra1197]

Funny enough, didn't they confirm that Kei Nagase (the AH Legacy version) was sisters with Reiko?

[@craiggivens4083]

Ace combat 4 shattered skies was my introduction to the Ace Combat series. It's still my favorite to this day.

[@Groza_Dallocort]

Many years ago after I played the failure that is AC:AH I installed a PS2 emulator for my PC and found the rom for AC:04 and AC5 on the web and from then I am playing those two games on my PC with a controller

[@RushZ3r]

6:43 *WE MUST GO EVEN FASTER!*

[@fightertales]

@@RushZ3r great video

[@RushZ3r]

@@fightertales Just like this one mate!

[@griffinfaulkner3514]

ACZ did more for its anti-war narrative in a single mission (Hoffnung) than AC5 did with most of a game's worth of over-the-top handwringing and whinging. That's honestly the single biggest takeaway, 5's story just comes across as trying too damn hard for its own good. Dialing back some of Nagase and Chopper's more exaggerated whining (Grimm's somehow mostly alright), and making a few plot points more solid (Having Harling publicly announced as dead after Mother Goose 1's shootdown would give Osea _massive_ reason to escalate things rather than him just vanishing) would dramatically improve the story without much effort.

[@ashipnerdoffical4260]

Holy crap, that's actually really good.

[@deviousN]

This sentiment is actually quite popular in the Ace Combat subreddit. A large portion of the Reddit fandom agrees that 5 is the weakest in the trilogy because of the storytelling.

[@notani3533]

That makes sense why back then I just replaying AC Zero than 5.

[@fightertales]

@@deviousN could have fooled me. They act like I kicked a puppy there lmao

[@deviousN]

@@fightertales I understand your sentiment, but as of late, there's a growing number of Ace Combat redditors who are beginning to take of the nostalgia glasses and look at the trilogy more objectively. One of my most upvoted comments in that subreddit was about my critique of AC5's audience infantilization on the anti-war narrative. There were some who downvoted me, but overall, my comments were in the positive double digits and other chimed in on why AC5 could've been handled better.

[@chrisyoung1576]

I understand the story flaws, but I can't help but love wardog squadron. Their silly chatter makes the game makes the game feels warmer compared to quietness in ac4

[@shira_yone]

Might want to replay 04 since it's hardly a quite game with AWACS SkyEye (my beloved) constantly giving you mission relevant information. Sadly after 04 the AWACS' role has been way way diminished, no more target bearings report, and warnings are now commed by your wingmen instead.

[@chrisyoung1576]

@shira_yone yea I miss the target bearings its pretty useful

[@yokobono1180]

Sameeeeeeeeeee bro, this is my fav ace !

[@josephhelgersonjoseph6115]

Flyby2025! And shoutout to the Republic of Emmeria for having the most competent military in all of Strangereal!

[@erebo._.sapien]

They make the Golden King smile.

[@blitzkrieg1711]

An Ace combat game they really need to port over to console imo is Ace Combat X that was released for psp. It was a great game though could've used a bit more story though it's a neat detail that the reporter in Ace Combat 5 is the same as the one telling the story in Ace Combat X

[@ohjiajun1]

Fuck yes I love X. The first AC title and the one that really gave birth to the customisable parts that has exists in 7 today

[@incipimitusiterum4261]

I think 5 has a great story, and 7 has the epilogue to their story playing in the background. 1) Harling, not wanting the erusians to weaponize the space elevator like the arkbird was weaponized, ordered the gargoyle squadron to destroy the tower, that's why he was there in the first place. 2) the catapult from 4 is the same one from Tyler Island that we see as Mobius 1 and it's being weaponized AGAIN. 3) Nagase shows up at the end of the game once the war is over and thanks trigger for squashing the AI drones. Poetically, she left a peaceful osea and returned to a peaceful osea. As if the arkbird was some sort of harbinger of peace or something. 4) it's mentioned that Yuktobania supplied the refugees at the space elevator and backed up the reconstruction of osea. 5) honorable mention for the "some of the gray men survived" part of the story. Except he wanted to create sort of a "team America world police" but with drones which was an objectively terrible Idea but he was too high on his own supply to see that until the drones turned on him.

[@incipimitusiterum4261]

Also, chopper is a reference to bill Murray's character in stripes. Especially in the English one, the voice actor goes REALLY HARD on trying to do a Bill Murray impression the whole time.

[@JLF-cn1rr]

I disagree about your first point. I think Gargoyle was given orders by someone else, as he would not have that authority as a former president at that time, whereas Harling was trying to prevent the destruction of the elevator. Why, you ask? In the last mission, Nagase and her team returns from space using the elevator. He was trying to protect the woman who saved his life.

[@nickmanning2348]

That dogfights clip at 21:34 with McKinney celebrating always give me goosebumps, it’s so exhilarating

[@Branflakes143]

AC5 has the worst replayabillity out of any Ace Combat game. Too many missions have weird gimmicks that are NOT fun on replays (Looking at you Handful of Hope, and that one mission with the camera). Doesn't help that even on NG+ you still have to use the F-5 for the first 4 missions. It's still a really good story outside of the cringe anti-war dialogue

[@AdmiralThrawn.ImperialNavy]

"Before you start throwing full wine bottles at your computer screen." that's how you know he's about to offer you Dangeresque too as a cop-out. (thanks for the nostalgic feelies)

[@fightertales]

This guy gets it

[@andrewrogers3067]

I don’t want to defend 5, but sadly AC has a constant issue to be both and anti-war story that talks about how tragic and sad war is, while also playing badass rock and roll music as you slaughter countless pilots, never made sense for tone. It’s absolutely EGREGIOUS in 5 however, as cheesy dialogue and weak characters compliment this issue already, and obviously the batshit insane plot doesn’t make sense either. In general, Ace Combat needs to stop treating the player as this holy messiah that destroys everything he sees. Sure you can be complimented as a pilot, but missions like comona where you’re essentially slaughtering countless pilots without slowing down should be treated as borderline horrifying instead of glorifying it. ACZ is the only game where this is really attempted, while Cipher is this badass that destroys countless pilots, he’s also seen as this malevolent killer who bombs houses and shoots down planes that can’t fight back. AC3 does this to some extent too, not really praising your skill and instead focusing on the mystery aspects of the story.

[@kyleJohn1997]

I always thought AC5 was overrated and that 4, 0, X and 6 are better

[@TheD3rp2]

18:12 The funniest part about this is that when a similar situation occurs in Ace Combat 3, one of the characters explicitly calls out how suspicious the light escort is (which is still leagues better than no escort.) The thing is, while that was a setup masterminded by the military head of the organization you belonged to, here it's just another result of Harling being a black hole that sucks in the intelligence of every being in a 500km radius, himself included. 19:15 I like to call the 8492nd Schrödinger's squadron because they simultaneously exist and don't exist officially according to the narrative. Also, you'd think it'd be hard to keep an aggressor squadron, whose entire purpose is to fly in mock battles against the rest of your air force, a secret. 27:04 I actually burst out laughing at this moment when I played 5 for the first time. The fact that it's only a tiny frigate that detaches from the fleet, and this is treated as carte blanche to massacre the rest, was unintentionally hilarious to me given the game's themes and messaging. Probably the moment when the (to use a term borrowed from another KZbinr) "Genocidal Pacifist" archetype is at its most brazen. 29:31 It actually is, in a way. The two games that push "Belka is secretly responsible for everything" the hardest (5 and 7) were both written by Sunao Katabuchi, with Kazutoki Kono as project lead. The former especially I don't think is a very good writer, and it shows with both of the games he penned having the weakest stories in the franchise.

[@cloudmangalm03]

In my current save file, ironically, and quite poetically, Grimm ended up being the best wingman, with more scored kills overall. But yes, I have to agree that gameplay-wise, AC5 feels the weakest from the holy trinity. And Strangereal countries had those juicy belkan scientists on their eyes to recruit, much like USA did with Von Braun.

[@jaytee-134]

22:23 bro almost 9/11ed the CN tower

[@adrianadams1243]

This was my first ace combat game as a kid and the very thing that started my love for the Tomcat

[@Overdoseplus]

Five's story was a series of big hits and wide misses. There are some hugely epic series defining moments but also the complete opposite. It was just too ambitious and sort of unfiltered. The worst thing though was the wingman AI. I'd see them all the time moving through the ground and terrain, and often they'd get stuck there. Pixy's AI runs like an ace combat chess engine compared to them. It is not as bad as 6's story or AH but the cinematics of those game games aren't the main focus of the game like 5 was. 7 had its own issues but the DLCs were perfect. On par with 4's story my favorite.

[@thealliedpowers]

I'll never understand how people can come at 5 on the basis of character writing when PJ in Zero is in like 1/3rd of its very compressed runtime and is the most blatant example of a filler character... ever. You can FEEL how PA went, "aghh, we only really wrote one major character for our game and there's a large section where you'd basically be flying solo, quick, we need someone to fill air so the player doesn't feel like its too quiet." Did anyone actually care when he died in the most cliche possible way?

[@jdub5200]

Love that lil wave animation at 0:51 , I had never noticed that before.

[@scarecrow108productions7]

21:13 Sean Murray never fails to cook with that Black Ops rooftops music! 🔥🔥🔥 Also I completely lost my sh*t when you featured the infamous IFF DB-3 footage from this video and still never fails to make me laugh 😂😂😂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6PdqomLqb-gppYfeature=shared

[@LordofAoD]

The Unsung War was my first Ace Combat game, and started a lifelong obsession with the series. I'd love to hear your opinion on games like Project Wingman and Airforce Delta Strike

[@jparbiter1972]

I am hoping to see next Ace take a step back so we can fly more cold war planes.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

A really interesting video. I never played any of the games, flight games really weren't my thing. I love exploring lore to games, even ones that I haven't played. These is something amazing about the worldbuilding.

[@acematthew01]

How I view AC5: Story: ✅ Missions: ✅ Gameplay feature: ok Aircraft: ok Music: ✅ Definitely wouldn’t be my #1 choice for the PS2 Era of AC games

[@ChrisVesgo]

flyby2025 hug from Brazil Your situation is near identical to mine, and I 100% agree with you although I didn't experience Ace in the ps1 era (I did recently through power of emulation), in the ps2 era, ac5 was my first game of the series, and I fell in complete love with it, being born in 95 and not a aviation nerd until ac5, it sparkled something inside me, we didn't have much media to get young people interested in aviation or tanks, I only watched top gun around 2008 for example Anyway, after playing ac4, ac0 and ps1 ace combats, skipping xbox/ps3/psp exclusives because of poverty couldn't afford mumbo jumbo, getting my first gaming PC in 12th February 2019 and then playing ac7 I still see myself going back to ac5 sometimes Besides the story flaws, the characters and the soundtrack hold a special place in my heart "Are those drones remote controlled?" - Edge

[@DesertPunks]

Ace Combat 5 was my first PS2 title as a kid. Back then growing up in a navy town it felt like they did their homework. The worldbuilding, aesthetics of the OMDF, their outdated looking software for 2010, and the jargain felt like PA toured JASDF and US Naval bases in Japan and talked to pilots. The letdown really comes down to the writing. As a kid I didnt really notice it, but having grown up it really shows. I still love this game to death though. You did a great job with this review!

[@aidenhill2715]

I think it would be really interesting if in the next Ace Combat they make us play as a Belkan pilot under the new government who are trying to do better as a nation, but they end up being forced to fight an aggressive neighbour (possibly trying to take territory since the collapse of the information highway) who in turn are secretly being supplied by old Belkan Nationalists, Grey Men etc. Could give the game a really interesting atmosphere where every other nation distrusts you and you get constantly looked down on, but you fight to do the right thing anyway, having to take on your own countrymen, and by the end your actions help to start mending the reputation of Belka

[@salveritual]

I like the idea of multiple wingmen, it would be nice if they were actually effective and could be used to coordinate in combat

[@CrystalKingdomGeneral4942]

9:20 Oh, my. Every single *freaking time* I played that mission, I got hit with some kind of glitch that muted the OST and dialogue, and the game wouldn't progress. It ended upon me resurfacing the disk, but Dear Lord, I don't know why that was an issue in the first place...

[@LugesunBismarck]

Unsung War was my very first aerial combat game, ever. I got it along with two other games as Christmas gifts with my PS2 in 2004. The nostalgia bug from this game still hits me hard to this day. I have the final soundtrack piece, The Unsung War, as a constant song on playlists. I have mocked up probably like 4 different carrier models at this point to be the Kesteral. And just today, I bought one of the limited edition Hasegawa 1/72 'Razgriz' F14As (of note, after spending a day at a pottery shop for a friend's B-day painting a cartoonish ceramic F15 as Galm 2 from Zero). I got Shattered Skies and Zero at the same time in late 2006, so I had similar experiences to you of seeing the better gameplay (and, yea, writing....) of 4 & 0 but the nostalgia for 5 keeps it near the top of the list. In late 2010, I did a four-month-long play where I did each mission on the day it canonically happened in the game and even got fussed at for ditching out on family New Year's Eve to have SOLG panels hit me in the face repeatedly. During break time each year, I still do a 'holy trinity' playthrough of 4,5, and Zero just to get my yearly cheesy dog fight arcade high. One funny note, I also noticed the near uselessness of wingmates as well and started tracking their kills across different yearly play-throughs and noticed that the numbers did change from playthrough to playthrough, but the "best" wingmen ALWAYS (for me) followed Wardog numbering order with Edge always having the most, Chopper always had the 2nd, Archer 3rd, and Snow 4th. Though, despite only being in the final 1/4th of the game as a squadron member, Snow frequently would come close to getting more than Archer. The other thing I noticed is I think the game artificially gives your wingman kills in career stats because in a few play-throughs, Edge would have over 100 kills... No offense random Yuk pilots and aerial not-Nazis, but I'm not leaving you all alive long enough for Edge to kill 100 of you.

[@BlakeSStormElite]

OK, i really loved this video. There was only one problem i have with it. It is impossible to fit in all the things that go into ace combat, even singular games, into a 30 minute video. You are correct in points about game-play, story, and even real life aspects. The game play is actually one of the worst in the series in my opinion and you just reinforced that. The story to new players is completely confusing and was even more so when it was released. However until you dive deep you get more aspects and see why most of the games are connected based on the common enemy. Plus i love anti war stories and ACES does it well a lot of the times (so I'm biased there) and it might not appeal to a large group of video gamer's. I myself love video games and complex stories (and i have tons of nostalgia value for ace combat games, even the recent ones). If i had to rate them in order of the trinity based on opinion it would be 1.ace combat zero 2. ace combat 5 and 3. ace combat 4. Thanks for the amazing video, you just got a subscriber and i am currently looking at you on Patreon. Keep flying aces! Belka did nothing wrong. (had to say it)

[@JMTrof117]

Falcon, loved the AC5 vid :) AC4 got me pulled into the franchise and I loved it. However, AC5 is the one that made me fall in love with Strangereal. While it’s not the deepest AU world or anything, I just love the alternate Earth idea. With different but recognizable nations and throwing in a mix of the sci-fi but not ‘completely’ out there tech. Like lasers, railguns, space vehicles and so forth. Additionally, I’ve always been a sucker for the ‘trick two countries into war’ plot. It’s why I enjoy Tomorrow Never Dies, The Sum of All Fears (novel and film), Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, and By Dawn’s Early Light (rare case where the film adaption is better than the novel). When you lay out the AC5 plot…yeah there’s more than a few issues. One thing that I think is more implied than outright said is, Harling’s disappearance is able to be covered up thanks to the Vice President’s involvement in the plot, and I presume other Osean officials as well. Since there was a ‘pro-War’ faction in Yuktobania, not surprising there’s on in Osean. And with Osean being somewhat inspired by the USA, typically VPs will reflect traits or positions/experience to counterbalance the president. Harling being Peace/Space Development, while his VP is the Defense Hawk. I do agree overall the idea that the Strangereal version of POTUS can just disappear for months on end and it doesn’t come up, is quite silly, I can SOMEWHAT wave it away due to the complicity of Oseans under Belkan influence. And yeah the gameplay stuff can be annoying, especially playing the campaign and being stuck with the F-5 for so long (especially during the St. Hewlett stuff). Though, this was the one where I really wanted to get all the aircraft. So that aspect of it, wasn’t a downside for me personally. I felt a bit sense of accomplishment when I got the Falken :) And as others have said in the comments, as have you, the soundtrack for this one rocks. I love listening to it as I’m doing stuff during my days off. While its flawed, I enjoy the story of this one more than AC6. While 6 had the better gameplay, I could not give a damn about the story in that one. It was sort of weird, like they fixed the gameplay but the story suffered compared to 5 and Zero. I look forward to when you cover both of those in the future :)

[@kazekamiha]

I've only played AC7, so can't overly comment on the series... but it'd be great if they rereleased all of them on Steam.

[@shira_yone]

If you have a PC to play AC7 on Steam, you can easily emulate all the other games. Playing the PS2 games in release order (04, 5, Zero) is an easy recommend.

[@kazekamiha]

@@shira_yone I'd still like to buy them; support the creator and all. Worse comes to worse, maybe I'll find them used.

[@shira_yone]

@@kazekamiha buying used won't support the devs either so I guess you can further support them buy gifting AC7 to friends and family for each past game you're about to emulate.

[@kazekamiha]

@@shira_yone True. Hence why I think an Ace Combat Collection would be dope. Doesn't even need to be remastered.

[@shira_yone]

@@kazekamiha apparently they lost the source code so I won't hold my breath if I were you. Ace Combat 6 on the other hand, god I wish they'll somehow port it to PC; it's technically and mechanically more advanced than any AC game to date and it has frigin online co-op!

[@Plaprad]

I'm curious how you played this? I don't remember most of the issues with the gameplay you mentioned. But, it HAS been about a decade since I played it last. Wondering if they had a re-release that messed something up. I do remember when it came out. I forgot how much I paid for the deluxe version with the joystick and throttle. I remember getting a preorder for it months before it came out. I went to Babbages to pick it up, and one of the Grand Theft Auto games released the same day and there was a line out the door because they GTA hadn't been delivered yet. No one would let me in because they didn't want me to get cut in line before they got GTA. After a few minutes of no one listening to me I yelled to the clerk asking how long I was going to wait, they said another hour or so. I said screw it, got out of line, walked up to the counter and everyone in line flipped out complaining they were there for GTA first. I just sat my receipt on the counter, the cashier looked at it, turned around, and grabbed the giant box with planes one it and handed it over. Suddenly all the GTA fans shut up. Still hate GTA because of those guys. But always loved AC5, and it's probably the only game I truly want a remaster of. Spent WAY too many hours on it, collected all the aircraft, everything. Still in my top three games of all time. Zero, on the other hand... Sorry about the wall of text.

[@shira_yone]

If you can, do NOT replay it. I also played and loved the game years ago, but then I replay it (multiple times just to make sure I wasn't delusional) and my perception of it has went down significantly; all the gameplay issues he mentioned is true.

[@shdwmav]

Flyby2025! -- AC5 was my intro to the series. Definitely far from perfect, but still a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time grinding F-5s just so I could unlock the X-29.

[@maxy1172]

Ah another ace combat game covered by falcon excellent. Keep flying high falcon truly you are the demon lord of the round table

[@CrystalKingdomGeneral4942]

I remember how I got AC5. I was looking for games for my PS2 with my dad. Came across Heroes of the Pacific (a Pacific War arcade dogfight game) and met this. Unfortunately, Dad could only afford one. Whilst I ended up getting HOTP, I did eventually get Unsung War. Dad also liked to see me play these games. He got me into this stuff, as he was an aerospace engineer. Love you, Dad. Rest well up there.

[@defaulted9485]

Did you meant, "Step Back and Observe" moment? Jokes aside, I do understand the amount of in game content we almost never seen, the inconsistency between the in game cutscenes to the dialogues, the lack of subtlety, the lack of branching options other then selectable missions, the arbitrary weapon limitations to aircrafts, and the missing ADA-01B Adler. But the devs managed to slot that much story and world in a 3.8GB worth of disk is still an achievement I relive every year.

[@solowingborders3239]

I agree with everything here. There is no Ace Combat game where I've wanted to shoot down my own wingmen apart from this one, nevermind the cult of personality that Harling has. I enjoy the gameplay and music and that's what brings me back from time to time. I only got to play this when I was an adult so childhood nostalgia isn't a factor here. In future, I hope we fight Yuktobania again as a new never before featured nation.

[@Coysprout25]

Would it be possible for you to do a video on the Indian Air Force or maybe write your own ace combat story?

[@RACC_970]

Don't matter how cheesey the Ace combat series is, it's still holds a good place in my heart, For everything with aircrafts started with UN Squadron (Area 88) to the SNES, maybe you one day take look on that

[@SonOfAB_tch2ndClass]

Flyby2025! Post Ukraine War I can see your point and I kinda look at that anti-war/anti-nuke message that AC5 and the *entire Metal Gear series* with a little contempt. Also Was that a wild Tomcat171 I spotted?!

[@fightertales]

@@SonOfAB_tch2ndClass yeah, Tomcat171 now known as MobiusJon joined me in my AC5 stream at times

[@MobiusJon]

Hi

[@SonOfAB_tch2ndClass]

@MobiusJon Heyo! :3

[@rider4440]

I love and appreciate the accurate flight gear and survival vest in the video cover art. I own an HGU-55 like that at home

[@fightertales]

@@rider4440 i love my 55

[@JangoPeppers]

I think part of the reason we’ll never see any port or remaster for 04 is because they may have lost the source code for the game. Nothing is concrete, but they wouldn’t be able to replicate the complex flight model 04 without it. A shame, it was very interesting. Though I wouldn’t call 5’s a downgrade per se, it’s much more arcadey, much quicker, and much easier to master due to its simplicity. It can be a nice change of pace at times.

[@MooseGaming33]

AC5: Side character complains about fighting mid battle. Fal: Here's like 5 irl examples and a render/radio stitch of how of all combatants, pilots are the least likely to do that until they're at the very least on solid or floating ground.

[@AspenTitan]

Flyby2025 and I wish this game was just a bit more polished cause it could definitely be one of the best

[@DanielV42]

I think Assault Horizon is the real step back as far as Ace Combat goes, with its half an hour missions and the weird chase mechanic. And I enjoyed it still, specially the paint job tool, but yeah it's better to separate it from the other ACs.

[@fightertales]

I think you commented on the wrong review I did lmao

[@DanielV42]

@fightertales Nope.

[@keko-jones540]

„We don’t talk about the readhead step child that Horizon is in this household.“

[@ChiefCrewin]

AH was, for better or worse, the CoD of Ace Combat. I definitely enjoy it for what it is, but it would be like Activision making a gritty RTS like company of heros using modern warfare assets.

[@jamesharris4695]

I was in best buy when I saw AC5. I saw F-14 and had to get it immediately, I had no idea what I just got myself into lol

[@jadeskye6755]

I remember thinking as a much younger man with a fresh copy of AC5 in hand how good the story was. Oh boy.

[@randallmart92]

Ace combat 5 is definitely more anime like. Over the top story etc but its still my favorite no matter what. Ill take this game to my grave. Salute the Aces Of Razgriz!!!

[@superluigi6968]

Haven't watched the video yet. TBH, I feel like 5 is only praised for its beginning and end, as well as the idea of its story. The actual missions and story beats can be pretty bad to downright annoying. I don't think there's a single mission in 5 I can think of that I'd like to replay for fun, but I have a fair number of missions like that for 4, 6, 7, 2 (3DS edition), even Assault Horizon had kind of fun missions regardless of their narrative context. Aside from the plot points and solid voice acting, 5 doesn't have much to write home about. Also, the process of acquiring and managing aircraft is REALLY annoying.

[@sentientbakedziti]

R.I.P. Chopper

[@fightertales]

F

[@ISAFMobius18]

Ace combat 5 is, and probably always will be my all time favorite Video Game. AC got me into the idea of Game Series. i also think its story is the strongest by far. Between the stunning Cutscenes and the comradery between your wingman. you actually felt like you were apart of the story. i also think AC5 is when the Soundtrack took a leap forward, with so many hard hitting and emotional tracks. Not to mention i think it still holds the record for most playable aircraft in an AC game, over 50. Its what got me into Military hardware.

[@shira_yone]

You'll make the AC5 fans angry with this one lul. (Flyby2025!) Personally I loved the game as a wee child and only bothered to do one playthrough of it, played that way the game is enjoyable. Years later (after I finished AC7) I went through a small journey of trying out various AC games, tried the PS1 games for the first time and AC2 is a surprise favorite, my love of AC04 and Zero has deepen and reinforced, but not with 5; it truly is the worst AC game to replay and will ruin your perception of it (especially if you care about gamefeel).

[@chrisonthedot]

Honestly. Ace combat 5 is one my top favorite game ,but you bring up some really good fucking points fr. I still love the game regardless. Imperfections and all

[@fightertales]

I never stopped liking it.

[@MayumiTakezoC-chan9377]

what’s your thoughts on both Area 88 anime and manga? my husband loves Area 88 and he’s a big fan of the F-1 Mirage and Kfir which they call the Cheetah in his native country

[@jamesfra1311]

I would love the Y/N interactions with AC5 as well as the squad control, AC6 wide and massive battles and allied fire support plus gun mechanic to be implented in Project ACES next game. That said, AC5 was my first game of the series so I have fond memories playing it and the story+music is just AWESOME. Oh and also: GO DANCE WITH THE ANGELS!

[@Truex007]

Ace Combat 4 was my first. Ace Combat 5 was... ok. Better than assault horizon... But Ace Combat 0 is still my favorite. The writing was much better, Pixie is a vastly superior wingman than anyone else in that HE SHUTS THE F*CK UP! And... the soundtrack... OMG, the soundtrack. Probably SSSS Tier music in Ace Combat 0, easily the best.

[@donnycorn3086]

The quieter they go, the more proffessional you know they are. That's how things go in AC for me, and likely why it's always the mute who's the Ace among Aces.

[@Irishflyboy255]

I will say there were implications in the story that the generals in both Osea and Yuktobania were beguiled into making several of the stupid decisions, but not making that more clear is still a flaw in the writing.

[@nomar5spaulding]

I never knew the thing with Pops and Ginette looking at wreckage was supposed to be an X-02. I just assumed it was done generic wreckage from a battle, or something captured by the Osean Army, which by that point was pushing deep into Yuktobanian territory.

[@mushuwu]

I feel the Scinfaxi/Hrimfaxi burst missiles were effective because they always fired when you had a ton of naval targets ripe for picking. So youre tempted to continue gobbling up the ships and boats, and can underestimate how quickly you can fly up when the missile closes in. Or maybe i just suck, idk

[@josiahweber7285]

Have you played Ace Combat 6? Also, could you review it?

[@DarwinAwardWinner]

I totally agree with your critique of the role of Belka in the narrative. It basically absolves both Osea and Yuktobania of any responsibility for the war they waged against each other, because surprise, it was actually a silent double-coup by Belka. So ultimately neither government is actually culpable and the entire war gets more or less swept under the rug, along with any thorny moral questions one might raise about it, once the Belkans are defeated. With this in mind, what's the actual "anti-war" message of AC5? Don't let another country secretly take over your government and use your army to wage war? If the two nations actually waging the war have no culpability, that means they also didn't have any agency. Even if we ignore the dissonance with the gameplay incentives to wage as much war as possible, the anti-war aspect of the story is severely undermined by scapegoating Belka as the secret mastermind. ...On the other hand, perhaps "don't let fascists take over your government" is a more relevant lesson today than it was a decade ago.

[@keko-jones540]

AC5 is a good one but story wise it falls short of 4. IMO is a good game but will never fill the shoes of 4. I felt more connected to 4 more than any other in the series games. Zero was just weird story wise. To me it felt like a cash grab.

[@Coysprout25]

I’d be curious to get your analysis on ace combat 6 as that’s one of the less popular titles.

[@notani3533]

The fact that at AC 7 the Belkan supplying the Eurasian kinda makes the whole event in AC 5 pointless. Since the ISAF just got wrecked and Osean had to be involved directly.

[@CrystalKingdomGeneral4942]

BTW, you thinking of reviewing Fires of Liberation?

[@fightertales]

@@CrystalKingdomGeneral4942 not in the immediate future

[@CrystalKingdomGeneral4942]

@fightertales I see.

[@scagmo_au]

This was called AC Squadron Leader in the PAL regions. It was the first AC i bought with my own money. It will always be the greatest entry imo. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, kids.

[@RogueBeatsARG]

Lets be honest here Every Ace Combat after 3 was a step back other than in graphics.

[@PaperPlane634]

wait.....

[@chrisyoung1576]

definitely need the combat return line mechanic and squadron control back in next games

[@Boo_Yeah]

I wish Ace Combat 7 was more like 5 in terms of missions. Ace Combat 7 was way too gimmicky with each mission having that certain weird gimmick that made it unique. Which was fun but not every mission needed a weird modifier. I wish more were just straight kill missions. Not to mention a lot of the missions in AC 7 have time limits that are way too short.

[@shira_yone]

Funny because for me 7's missions are way more fun and solid overall, while 5's are too slow, gimmicky, or unexciting.

[@codybaker1150]

​@@shira_yone I finished 7 and my first reaction was wait, that's it? It felt like filler, or half a game. I was super let down. The plane tree was also super lame. I'd have rather had a 5 remaster

[@shira_yone]

@@codybaker1150 7 is underwhelming I agree, but it's gameplay is too fun personally (I am addicted to dunking AI with Post Stall Maneuver). Love the chain reaction destruction targets too, pure dopamine when you hit them and see big numbers. I don't find 5 very fun to play, many standard enemies take 3 missiles to kill, which means there's a lot of wasting time just to loop back around to get that last hit on them. 5 have too many bloat like that (we don't talk about the plane grind aeugh).

[@codybaker1150]

@shira_yone 7's gameplay was phenomenal. The jets flew great and the chain kills brought me joy. In 5 the only fighter I remember that took 3 missiles was the rafael, the rest were 2 except bombers and stuff. I don't know if I didn't unlock the final difficulty in 7 or what, but Ace on 5 where you had way fewer missiles and super limited ammo I found a more satisfying challenge. I think the gimmick missions in 7 were super cool, especially the escort where the friend or foe is busted. But I found myself really missing the "just take out more enemies" filler type missions. Especially the ground support ones. 7 just felt like DLC.

[@shira_yone]

@@codybaker1150 many ground targets in 5 takes 2-3 missiles (I presume to compensate for their lack in number?), combined with no return line, you're essentially forced to take planes with the highest payload (MiG 1.44) to have any more fun, especially in higher difficulties. If you play 5 and Zero back to back, it's a difference you can *_feel_* since Zero nerf most of them back to 1 or 2 missile shot kills, resulting in a faster paced and action packed game.

[@lx1995Mk2]

Ahh the obligatory SOLG sweep I don't miss that mission

[@just_matt214]

It absolutely was! All bombast, no susbstance - kinda the same reason why 7 is not the best. Edit: FALCOON MAKE ACE COMBAT 3 BIDEO, IS BEST GAEM PLEES

[@nomar5spaulding]

Pretty much every mission in 7 makes me go, "Ugh I don't like this mission," but there are a couple that are genuinely AWFUL.

[@shira_yone]

Unlike 5 however, most of 7's missions (there are stinkers, just like any AC game) are actually fun to play. Plus return lines exist so there's no limit to how much you can have fun in the mission.

[@heakhaek]

I played Ace Combat for the first time in 2022 and yeah when I played AC5 there were things I wish it did and things I wish it didn't but in the end I had fun either way. I wish I was vorn back in the 2000s so I could experience being that kid on the carpet playing the PS2 but I'm not even legal drinking age yet so I grew up in the 2010s. oh yeah and FlyBy2025!

[@TheD3rp2]

Just wanted to say that I agree that Ace Combat 5 is the weakest of the PS2 entries, and in my opinion one of the weakest in the entire franchise. It's the only mainline game I haven't replayed besides the first one (and 6, but that's because haven't had the pleasure to play it in the first place on account of never owning an Xbox.) As an aside, there's another critique of the game on KZbin titled "AC5, A Drama With War." It raises a few of the same points you do here, which got me wondering about whether or not you've seen it.

[@fightertales]

I have not, but I'll have to check it out!

[@RobotPanda15]

Zero is by far the greatest release. I will die on this hill

[@fightertales]

@@RobotPanda15 I disagree overall but that is a respectable opinion

[@LaCorvette]

Still my favorite of the series so far. It managed to instill the most emotions in me of all the titles.

[@enzoacorda]

Honestly the Osean military in general has been shit. Imagine getting their asses kicked not just once, but twice due to incompetence. The entire plot of AC7 could've been avoided had Trigger not been made a scapegoat.

[@TuposAviationChannel]

Being honest, I can tolerate a clunkier story (Ace Combat 5's story is essentially The Sum of all fears mixed with GUNDAM SEED) as long as the gameplay itself is solid. Unfortunately, Ace Combat 5's biggest and absolutely unrelenting drawback is its mission design. Not all of it is bad (Scinfaxi vs White Bird fight is genuinely really cool), but when Ace Combat 5 has bad missions (Handful of Hope, Four Horsemen and the Hawk mission), it's stunningly awful. A lot of it is a case of a cool idea being hampered by poor execution. Now few stinker missions would still not be so impactful on gameplay had it not been for the fact that AC5's mission design issues are inherent. Having long, drawn out missions where there's a lot of moments where nothing happens (for the purpose of build up) with no return lines is incredibly unforgiving. Doesn't help the fact that its by design, so that there's more emphasis on wingmen, who in practice are definitely not the best implemented (or even implemented well in general), so often you'll run out of ammo without having any option to restock on your weapons. There's a very good reason why return lines returned in later entries and checkpoints appeared, starting from Ace Combat 6. Another major flaw Ace Combat 5 suffers from is that it does not give good indication on what is going to happen next. A good example of this would be dialogue based mission branching. Unless I missed out on something, there are no clear indication what dialogue choices actually affect the branching system. Lets just say I'd be happier that I'd known in advance that the game is going to remove my choice of aircraft and force me to play an aircraft the game itself wants me to (Mirage 2000D chemical attack mission comes to mind, but more frustrating example is Four Horsemen mission). Once again, there are many good reasons why some features and design choices only remained in this game. Looking back to it, it's a game that is absolutely ambitious, with a lot of passion put into it, but it's all marred down by strange (yet deliberate) game design choices. It's a shame really, because a lot of aspects of this game are really cool, just that in-practice, it can be extremely frustrating. Although one could argue that Ace Combat 5's whole "cinematic" approach is contradictory to Ace Combat's own roots (cool dogfighting, rocking soundtrack, BOGEY ON YOUR SIX, YEEHAW!!!!), but it's a case of each entry having their own identity.

[@originalSPECTER]

Hey, what’s that needle building?

[@TheFuri0uswc]

This plot is hella dumb even dumber than 7 insane plot. Flyby2025

[@shira_yone]

Nah, nothing beats 7's convoluted mess of a story... except maybe Joint Assault, but even that made more sense.

[@stevemc6010]

I always like to play this game around Christmas for some reason (so recently given this posting) just for the atmosphere/presentation tbh also might just be me but ACE5 wingman work best when set to "Disperse"