Ace Combat 2

The Good
Nice combination of action/simulation with fast paced missions and thrilling atmosphere

The Bad
The planes could vary more in their flight characteristics

The Bottom Line
A hugely improved successor to Air Combat, this game features more mission variations, like: escort bombers, high altitude chases, low flying penetration or cover for ground forces and so on. The music kicks in always perfectly, its a very dramatic soundtrack in the style of the TOP GUN movie, there are plenty of really good tracks which keep you entertained for the whole game.

It is of course not a real simulation, but features nice flying physics for a ps one action game - the flying is more fun than in later Ace Combat games. Especially the high altitude flying is tricky, since you easily stall your plane when not going fast enough. The difficulty settings are perfect - beginner will have fun with this game - but on the expert level it is a superb challenge!

The game featured achievements before the whole achievement hype with the online consoles - you got medals for shooting down special enemies (like other ace pilots with high flying skills)

The whole game is really flawless - from the interesting briefings with nice abstract graphics and voice over narration to the always thrilling missions with all kind of objectives. The hangar is full of original fighter planes, you start with a small A4 attack plane, work yourself up over a F4 Phantom, to more advanced and fast planes like the F16 or Mig 29 to the heavy Su 35 Fighter.

I still enjoy this game, even after so many years after its release and all those follow ups!

Thumbs up!