Ace Combat Joint Assault

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Ace Combat X2 Joint Assault Trailer | IshTalkers

DO WANT! Love Ace Combat X, and I have a feeling Joint Assault will be a better game.

[shiroikaze]

I kinda chuckled when I heard "It was a golden axe that I dropped." I know, pretty random.

[mikeszekely]

Ace Combat X2 Joint Assault Trailer | IshTalkers

DO WANT! Love Ace Combat X, and I have a feeling Joint Assault will be a better game.

Ace Combat X was a great game, much better than Ace Combat 6. In fact, my only gripe about Ace Combat X was that it didn't get a PS2 port like so many other PSP games at the time, as the control just didn't feel as precise on the PSP.

If we're lucky, X2 might be out by the end of this year.

Talking about X2 reminds me that I never got to play Ace Combat Xi... it's too bad they didn't release that for something besides the iPhone.

[D.D. Ivanov]

Well then, it's time to throw in the next axe...

Honesty is the best policy, isn't that right?

It was a GOLDEN axe...that I dropped.

Must they put in random references to fables?

Also, the fact that the SU-37 is ALREADY confirmed saddens me.

[Graham]

Hopefully it will have the T-50 Pak Fa!

Have to go back and retry Ace Combat X, I gave up on it after getting stuck on a mission.

Graham

[D.D. Ivanov]

If we're lucky, X2 might be out by the end of this year.

There's no specific release date, but barring unforeseen delays, it's scheduled to be released in the latter half of this year.

[mikeszekely]

All the hullabaloo about Assault Horizon reminded me that this game is also coming, and apparently soon. Amazon lists it for 8-31.

[mikeszekely]

Game's out. Anyone pick it up? I grabbed it after work, but my PSP's battery ran down since last I played it. It's charging now while I entertain myself reading about Apple's presser today.

[Cowboy17]

Game's out. Anyone pick it up? I grabbed it after work, but my PSP's battery ran down since last I played it. It's charging now while I entertain myself reading about Apple's presser today.

I just started playing it today. 5 missions in. As awesome as ACX was, this is even BETTER. The soundtrack is nothing short of epic. The best AC soundtrack by far, adds a lot to the game. God, why couldn't AC6 have been more like this

[mikeszekely]

I think the camera In this game has me understanding Assault Skies better. The camera isn't glued to your tail anymore, so when you roll and start to turn, your tail end drifts to a corner of the screen. So just because the planes were off-center in Assault Skies doesn't mean AS is on rails.

Other stuff I've noticed:

It's easier to get gun kills.

Despite being set in the real world, the story is pure Ace Combat, replete with betrayals, villains trying to manipulate aware behind the scenes, super weapons, and squadrons with odd names.

Other AC tropes are there too, including the old "fly through a canyon" and "fly through the inside of an enemy base" missions. Although

you fly an airliner on the canyon mission

.

While I've heard that there's more planes than any other since AC5, you must unlock them pretty slowly. I flew an F-4E for the first three missions, flew an F-16C for the next two, and have been flying a Su-27 ever since. Granted, I've unlocked other planes, but none that had clearly getter stats (including, oddly, the Typhoon and the MiG 1.44).

[David Hingtgen]

That's a good thing IMHO---I never liked how most AC games you upgrade by 2 planes in 2 missions. Most every game becomes "get the F-15/Flanker at the mid point, then save up for the F-22/Super Flanker at the end" and you don't really get to experiment until your 2nd or 3rd run. But you've got the Flanker already? Gah, kinda screws everything else up. AC games always emphasize A2A over everything else, so even a much more advanced multi-role plane will never really be "better" than a basic F-15 or Flanker.

(I don't even have a PSP, but this plus AC:X may make me get one some day)

[mikeszekely]

I finished my first play through. I unlocked the F-22 right before the final mission... and couldn't afford it. It's like three times the cost of my next most expensive plane! I know, that's oddly realistic, but not particularly fun. So from the time I unlocked it until I finished the game, I only used the Su-27. Not a lot of experimentation there.

In fact, I unlocked just 15 planes during my first play through, including the one I got after completing the game. That's out of an apparent 44. Like any good Ace Combat game, there's branching paths that will have me replaying the game, but that still seems a bit stingy.

Oh, and David, you can get a used PSP pretty cheap these days. It's worth it. There's not a ton of games for it, but some of the ones that it has are really good. Ace Combat X was, IMHO, one of the best in the series. It just takes a little adjusting to the floaty analog nub and yaw controls on the dpad.

Editted for grammar.

Edited September 5, 2010 by mikeszekely

[Graham]

Just picked up Joint Assault on Sunday, but haven't tried it yet. Still need a few more days to finish off AC:X first.

I hope Joint Assault has more real world planes. One thing I disliked about AC:X, was the large amount of made-up sci-fi planes, which I have no interest in buying and flying. I don't mind concept stuff based on real world designs, like the F/B-22, but not all those planes that Namco make up that look straight out of Yukikazi or something.

Does anybody know yet if the T-50 Pak-Fa is in this game?

Graham

[David Hingtgen]

AC:X has a lot of fake planes? I hate fake ones too, in AC. But IIRC, AC:X does have the YF-23, which is a big plus for me.

[Graham]

AC:X has a lot of fake planes? I hate fake ones too, in AC. But IIRC, AC:X does have the YF-23, which is a big plus for me.

In AC: X, 8 out of the 40 planes are fake.

Graham

[mikeszekely]

Does anybody know yet if the T-50 Pak-Fa is in this game?

Graham

I don't know. I don't have it, anyway.

AC:X has a lot of fake planes? I hate fake ones too, in AC. But IIRC, AC:X does have the YF-23, which is a big plus for me.

I don't have it unlocked, but the YF-23 is mentioned on the trademark screen before the title screen in Joint Assault, too.

[Ghost Train]

Just got this. Been through first 3 missions, just feels like good ol ac for now. A lot of similar mechanics from acx

[F-ZeroOne]

I don't mind fake planes, as long as they don't make up the majority of the designs - one of my favourites was the one with variable geometry rudders... What I do like is lots of choice, which is where I felt AC6 fell a little flat. I want my TigerShark, dammit!

[Graham]

As long as an Ace Combat game has a Typhoon, A-10 & F-22, I'm happy. I seldom fly anything else.

Although the F/B-22 in AC-X is kinda fun.

Graham

[mikeszekely]

As long as an Ace Combat game has a Typhoon, A-10 & F-22, I'm happy. I seldom fly anything else.

They're all there. I have them all unlocked.

[Graham]

OK, just started playing AC: Joint Assault this morning. I've only played though the first 2 missions, but already I love this game and can say it is a huge improvement on AC: X.

Here's what I like about Joint Assault:

• Better graphics both for the planes and the landscapes. Flying through the landmarks in Tokyo on mission 2 was so cool, especially flying past the Tokyo Tower, as I just visited there only a few months ago.
  
• The BGM is excellent in this game. Really atmospheric and matches the game perfectly. A big improvement on AC:X.
  
• The voice acting in AC:Joint Assault is also a huge improvement over AC:X, far more professional. To be honest, the voice acting in AC:X was one of the worst things about the game and really made my cringe every time the operator or reporter spoke. It was so bad, that most of the time I played with the sound off.
  
• The ability to have multiple choices not only for your main weapon, but also your secondary weapon, is a big improvement and something all AC games should have had from the start.
  
• Gun kills are a bit easier........yay!
  

Definitely highly recommended for any Ace Combat fan. If you don't have a PSP already, go and buy one just for this game (& MUF of course)!

Can't wait to get my Typhoon.

Graham

[shiroikaze]

I've been bamboozled, here I was thinking that this was an actual sequel to AC:X .

Also, I didn't know this new Ace Combat game would have WWII fighters.

...

[*]Gun kills are a bit easier........yay!

...

I thought gun kills were pretty easy once you upgraded the craft with the auto lock-on part.

[Graham]

I thought gun kills were pretty easy once you upgraded the craft with the auto lock-on part.

I've never even head of an 'auto lock-on part" Is that something from AC:X?

I only played through AC:X 1.5 times, so didn't get all the planes and didn't come across any upgrades.

Graham

[myk]

I thought gun kills were pretty easy once you upgraded the craft with the auto lock-on part.

Ok, upgrades aside, is there a technique to gun kills? I make it a point to get as many as possible but I almost feel like I'm making it more difficult than it has to be. Is it supposed to be that hard? lol...

[shiroikaze]

I've never even head of an 'auto lock-on part" Is that something from AC:X?I only played through AC:X 1.5 times, so didn't get all the planes and didn't come across any upgrades.Graham

Yeah, it is from AC:X. I think it's called the "Sniper OS". if I remember correctly, it allows the gun reticule to break out of its confined area to target enemies.

[Graham]

Really enjoying Joint Assault. Up to mission 7 or 8 now. Currently playing the one where you have to escort a chopper into an oil field to rescue a hostage.

I really can't stress how much better I think this came is than AC:X and how much more I'm enjoying it.

Only a few planes available so far (F4, F-16, F-18, F-5, Mig-21 and Tornado) And of couse, the only one I like out of those, the Tornado (hey, I'm British, gotta support our planes), is too expensive at the moment.....LOL!

Currently using the F-16, which I'm not really a fan of, as I've always thought they are quite ugly, but at least it flys better than that dump truck with wings, AKA F-4. I'd prefer to use the F-18, but can't afford that either yet.....Ha Ha!

I like that you play as a private military contractor, but that this is set in the real world. I dunno, playing in real world environments makes it more enjoyable to me than playing on some made up fantasy planet.

I do wish the game featured more choice of older real world Cold War era planes though. I'd love to fly the English Electric Lightning, Buccaneer, F-105, F-106 etc.

Some more modern, but not yet in production planes, like the Silent Eagle and Pak Fa would have been great as well.

Buy it, play it!

Graham

[Graham]

Love this game, but if I have to destroy one more Spiridus, I am going to scream!

Graham

[Graham]

Bloody hell, mission 21A is hard!

No problem taking down the first 3 Varcolacs, but usually run out of time before killing the leader.

Graham

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I've never even head of an 'auto lock-on part" Is that something from AC:X?

I only played through AC:X 1.5 times, so didn't get all the planes and didn't come across any upgrades.

Graham

Those upgrades are for the futuristic original planes, like XFA-27, Forneus, et al. Got my copy today too. Have not played yet. RELIEVED to here the atrocious dubbing from the 1st ACX was done with.

[Graham]

In Joint Assault, you can get upgrade parts for the real planes.

Graham

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

In Joint Assault, you can get upgrade parts for the real planes.

Graham

Holy crap..I didn't realize that when I played it last night or today!

I set the language to Japanese, like I did with AC5. Might try it in English after I finish the campaign.

Fought online last night...did a 1 on 1...me in an F-5E, other dude picked a Cariburn(seriously?). Anyways, I wasn't able to shoot this guy down but I managed to hit him twice. Unfortunately, the old tricks are still here; pick any super fighter, hold R1 and you'll pretty much run circles around everyone else.

Music and gameplay is good so far but on normal(I want to finish this on normal 1st), the AI seems a bit too easy for the enemy fighters. Was able to rack up a bunch of gun kills easily since some of them just float around waiting for you to shoot them down.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Okay done with my 1st playthrough. While the AI for the enemy fighters seems easier to take down overall, the game itself is harder than some of the previous games. It's noticeably more difficult to obtain A and S rankings. Not to mention, it seems that the only way to obtain weapons for your specific planes is to keep using said planes. For example, in previous games, you could use an F-5 all throughout, by other planes, and if you get further in the campaign, most of the weapons would be unlocked. In Joint Assault, if you want to unlock the Tomcat's weapons for example, you have to keep using the Tomcat to get the rest of its weapons. By the same token, if you buy the F-16 and never use it, by the time you finish the campaign, you will never have unlocked any of it's additional weapons. It's like the same premise as AC5 with regards to upgrading plane, only with weapons this time.

Each plane has 8 weapon slots and you have 4 different "short range" arms and 4 different "SP" weapons per plane. It seems like you get less money in this game too. I have only unlocked under 10 planes so far, and there are a bunch in the game. Up 2 5 paint schemes each too.

In addition to weapon unlocks, you can upgrade your planes' parts. Not all parts are compatible per plane. For example, the Tornado IDS can use the Raven upgrade for avionics, which boosts its A2A capability, meanwhile the F-16 and others can't. I personally like this upgrade system and think this should be available on future AC games.

Music is good, better than ACX, and there are some songs from AC2 that fit the mood and missions well too. In fact, while ACX seemed like a love letter to AC2, this game seems like it goes further. All in all, Joint Assault is a worthy and superior successor to ACX. It definitely feels more complete with more to do. Your character, an Antares Sqn pilot, is not hyped up anywhere near as much as Moebius 1, Blaze and Cipher THANK GOD!

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I plan to get this game. Sounds good. I noticed it has online co-op mode so you can play the single player campaign with another friend. Have you tried this mode out yet, and can you give us your thoughts on it? (lag?)

Thumbs up to bandai namco for including that mode.

This is getting some solid reviews on metacritic too.

edit:

I ask mainly because ign review seems to think the multiplayer is the main appeal to buy it but seem to think single player is kinda boring all alone by yourself.

The multiplayer is where Joint Assault comes to life. Gather a group of friends over via ad-hoc or infrastructure mode and choose to co-operate in the campaign missions (up to four players) or face off in the competitive mode (up to eight players). Joint Assault's campaign missions have multiple branches that can be tackled simultaneously with other players. What's more, in many missions, the outcome of one player's objective will have an effect on another's. Cool, right?

The multiplayer options in Joint Assault are plentiful. You can limit invitees by rank, share career data back and forth, set mission parameters and create teams in Vs. modes. If you get a solid group of friends together with multiple copies of Joint Assault, you're in for some serious stick time.

But if you're going to be playing solo, there's just not that much to get excited about in Ace Combat: Joint Assault. Sure, you can unlock dozens of planes, emblems, weapons and paint jobs as you make your way through the missions. But most of the missions are uninspired and cheap. "Oh, no! The giant flying fortress that's firing Electro Laser Cannons also has 12 anti-aircraft guns on it! Let's take them all out! Awesome, we took them all out! Wait, why did they all come back again? Let's destroy them again and hope they don't come back! S**t, they came back again!" You get the idea.

Edited September 20, 2010 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I plan to get this game. Sounds good. I noticed it has online co-op mode so you can play the single player campaign with another friend. Have you tried this mode out yet, and can you give us your thoughts on it? (lag?)

Thumbs up to bandai namco for including that mode.

This is getting some solid reviews on metacritic too.

edit:

I ask mainly because ign review seems to think the multiplayer is the main appeal to buy it but seem to think single player is kinda boring all alone by yourself.

I haven't even tried co-op yet man, I've only played multi-player battles like battle royales and team matches. The game is fine in single player mode. Lots of replay value too, because I have barely unlocked most of the stuff during my 1st play-through, and this wasn't the case in previous games.

[Graham]

Up 2 5 paint schemes each too.

I just unlocked a 6th paint scheme for my Typhoon.

Graham