Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (2006) Online

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War serves as a prequel/expansion pack to Ace Combat 5. Set 15 years before the events of AC5, you take control of a faceless mercenary named Cypher in the Galm Squadron of the Ustio Air Force. Your objective is to push back the Belkan aggressors out of Ustio using all available aircraft at your disposal. At your command is another mercenary fighter pilot named "Solo Wing" Pixy and later PJ. ACZ offers many different types of missions and different aircraft, from the second generation fighters (F-4E Phantom, MiG-21bis Fishbed, J-35J Draken) to the fifth generation modern aircraft (F-22A Raptor, Su-37 Terminator, Su-47 Berkut). Your Wingmen's A.I. is improved from the last game. They will attack, cover you, and disperse to attack either ground, air, or both at your command. A major addition to this title is that your actions on the battle field will determine what kind of ace ranking you receive. At several points in the game, you will encounter rival aces depending what ace ranking you are on. Overall, any one who is a fan of the Ace Combat series or flight sims should definitely buy this game.

Ace Combat Zero is a smooth, enjoyable flight simulator with more planes than you'll care to fly, a long enough campaign to keep you hanging in there and a story which deals extensively with deeper concepts than the vast majority of other games. The best example of this is Fight Club-style character connection which only goes to prove the prowess this game bears. It's one of the most fun games I've ever played and from beginning to end, the game is a complete package. The only flaws the game has is it's tacked on multiplayer and sometimes frustrating difficulty, which is why I give this game a more than solid 9 out of 10.

Set fifteen years prior to the events of AC:5, Zero puts you on the frontlines of the infamous Belkan War. As the ubiquitous mercenary "Cypher" you and your wingman "Pixy" must defend the Republic of Ustio from the Belkan onslaught. With less missions than the earlier installment it was based on, it brings back the entertaining, if not short, memories of AC:4. An improvement is the Ace Gauge System, which allows multiple gameplay as you change from fighting as a merciless Mercenary, straightforward Soldier, or upright and honorable Knight ace. Having your performance affect the storyline and the aces interviewed also adds to the variations possible within the storyline. The introduction of rival pilots and their narration of your story gives a different side to the other games, which tell it from only one viewpoint. And the biographies of the aces you shot down enhances the storyline further.

Spoiler: While the game does show some of the events of AC:5, mainly the nuclear blasts and the intro. of Huckebein(Pops) some parts were erroneously portrayed. For instance, HB One(Bartlett) doesn't get shot down in the battle where Pops is featured, and there is no mention of the EMP weapons Belka was supposed to have.

Aside from that, it was a great game, and while I would have liked it to be longer, the bonuses make up for it.

Yo buddy, still alive? And thanks, friend, see you again.