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By Lonnie on November 9th, 2001
Introduction The world is caught up in a massive war, and it is up to you to take to the skies. Enchanting story telling as well as photo realistic graphics make for one hell of a ride. Ace Combat 4 is a suprise at the least, fulfilling every fantasy you can imagine. For a flight sim lover to the casual "blow something up" type Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies has something to offer.Presentation
Well designed menu systems give you the felling that you are truly looking at a heads-up display.
Everything is easily accessible and loading time are a thing of the past. Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies sets the pace with an out right amazing CGI scene of seagulls soaring through the skies when all of a sudden the silence is broken by what appears to be a F-22 Raptor, a plane that has appeared to be dormant due to peace times, don’t be surprised to see this plane a lot more in some of the united states bombing missions. Everything fits really well into the story. The story is told in a series of still frame, almost comic book-style, cut scenes. Cut scenes run in between missions tales a tale that at first has no relation to the game, however, soon your missions and the events that the little boy describes will intertwine.Graphics & Sound Photo-Realistic jets were once only something that computer gamers could enjoy, However since the severely lacking Air Force Delta on the Dreamcast no other game has attempted to achieve this high of detail level. Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies easily surpasses the detail in many PC flight simulators such as Falcon 4.0 just to give you an idea. Everything is fast and smooth with little or no slowdown. When you get close to another jet, your mind can be fooled into believing it is real. The sound was about the same that most jet jocks have grown to love. However this time with the sound processors inside the Playstation2 you truly get that low rumbling feeling of the jet engines surrounding you [Editors Note: This is if you have Surround Sound]. There is not much music involved, however the voice acting is superb drawing you into the heat of the battle as you can hear the people scream their last words after tasting the wrath of your rockets.Gameplay Just like all of the Ace Combat games before, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies shares the same half arcade half simulation formula that console gamers have grown to love. Personally being a major fan of flight games, I would prefer more simulation. Control is one aspect that is very much arcade style. You use the right analog stick to maneuver the aircraft and the L1/R1 buttons to accelerate or decelerate. This is somewhat lacking compared to PC flight sims where you have controls of everything from flaps to deicers. Your aircraft seems to hold an innumerable amount of ammunition such as Homing Missiles, secondary weapons however are more limited. Aircraft are bought and sold in a system much like that of Air Force Delta’s. The hangar expands as you progress with a few extra craft awarded when you progress through the game as well as when you have enough cash to purchase more. Every plane has at least two secondary weapons to pick from. In the beginning you ride in a "Fox Phantom" and will eventually work you way up to the F-22 Raptor. The only major gripe is that there are only about 20 missions in Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, Making it one of the shorter flight games around. Possible to finish in about 4 days on normal difficulty. However while there are not many missions the few that you have are very replayable. Replaying the game a few times is about the only way, short of cheating, to gain all of the aircraft. After you beat the game you can choose "New game+" that allows you to start the game over with all of your aircraft from the previous game. Cant forget the multiplayer aspects of the game. Split screen dog fighting is very interesting. However the game also features co-op training missions and your typical dogfights. Lasting Appeal While Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is one of the shortest flight simulations I have played it is definitely one of the most well developed and all out fun games on the Playstation 2 this year. If your a fan of any of the other Ace Combat games or even an Air Force Delta fan, Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is the game for you. Mixing classic storytelling with one hell of a flight game you cannot go wrong.Conclusion The xbox may have Air Force Delta, and the Playstation 2 also has Top Gun neither are any real challenge to the overall experience felt when playing this game. Definitely worth a look for anyone who is even remotely interested in flight sims. | 
