Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
| Developer: Namco | Graphics: |
 | |
| Publisher: Namco | Sound: |
| |
| Year: 1999 (Japon), 2000 (elsewhere) | Difficulty: |
| |
| Genre: Flight simulation / Arcade | Lastability: |
 | |
| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
6/10 | |
I remember giving Ace Combat 3 the cold shoulder back in the day. I found the atmosphere flat, particularly due to its insipid mission briefings, conveyed through poorly translated lines of text against a backdrop of lift music. Moreover, the futuristic design of the aircraft didn’t enthral me (the story is set in 2040). The prospect of facing Mig 28s and Sukhoi Su-27s excited me far more than encountering R-101 Delphinus and R-201 Asterozoa…
However, I recently learned (in 2024) that the European version had been severely truncated compared to its Japanese counterpart; that the original version featured a rich storyline, supported by fully voiced dialogue and anime cutscenes. Better still, players were offered choices, opening different story branches, punctuated by additional missions, leading to five distinct epilogues!
It appears that the decision to reduce the international version to single-CD content instead of two was made following a budget cut (the savings must have been made on translation rather than CD manufacturing costs). I find the initiative absurd and telling of their lack of interest in the Western market.
I discovered a second thing: the existence of a fan translation in English. I previously mentioned the importance of context in a game of this style (mindless and repetitive), so I was delighted to be able to revisit this title in its complete version and update my opinion accordingly. The following critique thus tackles the translated Japanese version (in “Hard” difficulty mode).
The presentation:
As the final title in the series on PlayStation, one could say the technology is well mastered. There are certainly more polygons on screen. Both missiles and aircraft leave lovely smoke trails. Finally, the sunlight reflection effects convincingly simulate the glare experienced by a fighter pilot…
Nevertheless, where have my big fluffy clouds gone? They’ve replaced the thick cloud layer, which I never tired of racing through at full speed, with an ugly fog. Why? But why on earth!
Another questionable change: the Head-Up Display (HUD) proves excessively cluttered. I would have preferred to disable certain indicators rather than having an “all or nothing” approach. Do we really need a whatsit next to the speed or altitude counter? Do we need a “HUD” badge permanently displayed in the top right of the screen? In case we forget whether the HUD is active… And why is the compass plastered right in the middle of the screen? It obstructs visibility while becoming unreadable. How unfortunate!
As for the soundtrack, it sadly falls short of previous games. It’s not so much the music, more trance techno than electric guitar (fitting the futuristic context), but rather the sound effects that disappointed me. For instance, missile launches produce almost no sound, while the co-pilot’s voice shouting “Bingo!” has been replaced by that of a robot. The result is a cold atmosphere, in keeping with a pessimistic storyline that I’ll discuss later.
The controls:
A welcome detail: expert mode is now selected by default. The game also utilises the DualShock vibrating controller. This is particularly useful for warning of stall risks at low speeds or high altitudes. The right stick allows you to turn your head 90 degrees in both directions, or by clicking it, to observe what’s happening behind you.
Unfortunately, these improvements come with notable flaws, such as the sensation of inertia, much more pronounced than in Ace Combat 2. You’ll notice this during your first low-altitude loop when you can’t pull up! The controls are generally more rigid. I’m unsure whether this stems from a programming flaw or a commitment to realism, but moving the analogue stick diagonally produces an unexpected effect (impossible to command pitch and roll simultaneously). It’s unpleasant, makes missile evasion more precarious, and incidentally, it becomes almost impossible to perform stunts between suspension bridge pillars, as you can’t straighten up and turn at the same time. I won’t even mention trying to target a moving object with the machine gun, for those who still use it…
I also regularly grumble about the automatic target switching when surrounded by enemies. I take the trouble to manoeuvre behind my prey, and just as I’m about to line up the shot, the computer arbitrarily assigns me another aircraft outside my field of vision. It’s tremendously irritating!
On the upside, guided missiles have more arched trajectories and “lock on” better to their targets (simulating proportional navigation). In attack mode, this property diminishes as the campaign progresses. By the end, enemies are dodging like acrobats, which I compensate for by delivering my missiles in salvos of six!
Defensively, for the first time, one feels genuinely endangered when an anti-aircraft battery locks on. Similarly, we must now consider surrounding aircraft, particularly those behind us, before engaging a target. In this respect, it’s a clear improvement over previous games.
Finally, note an effort to diversify the arsenal, at least superficially. I quite like the bombs that must be dropped with precision using a reticle. All other weapons leave me with an impression of useless gadgets, exemplified by the “MIRV” missiles, which fragment into multiple projectiles that spiral in all directions trailing smoke, but miss their target every time. And if, by miracle, you hit, they barely inflict any damage anyway.
Oh, that reminds me of something…
“Ignis!”
“Fsshh…”
“Missed!”
The missions:
First, the positives: I love this form of interactivity, where objectives evolve on the fly, shaped by story developments. Furthermore, the player’s consequential decisions translate into gameplay actions (following one character rather than another, shooting at someone who rubs us the wrong way…) rather than clicking in a menu. What’s the term again? Organic, or diegetic? Game changer! I don’t know… It’s pretty cool.
Then comes what I consider the major drawback: most missions require completing an objective within a time limit to ensure a “good grade”. It’s something I loathe in Mega Man Zero 2. I no longer enjoy myself knowing that the slightest imprecision will be penalised. I have enough constraints at work—let me play at home as I please!
Yet, once the game assigns a grade (from “A” to “D”), I can’t settle for anything less than the best, even if it means retrying fifty times, fearing I might miss a hidden mission or the acquisition of a new aircraft.
The trouble is that the conditions for obtaining an “A” are rarely clearly indicated. Regarding time limits, these are generally (though not always) displayed at the very end of the briefing (sometimes for less than a second, as you’re abruptly sent to the aircraft selection screen once the briefing ends). I therefore imposed upon myself to complete all missions with an “A”, which I didn’t find difficult, save for two or three exceptions towards the end. I remember one mission that required shooting down 12 particularly evasive fighters in under 4 minutes, allowing 20 seconds per target. But if the twelfth decides to be a nuisance, endlessly circling whilst avoiding all my shots, I’m forced to start over! This time pressure, combined with my obsession with achieving “A” grades, irreparably spoiled my experience.
While efforts were made to diversify the missions, I often perceived them as sources of additional constraints and frustration; like the one requiring you to shoot down stealth aircraft flying above our maximum altitude, or the one where you drop antivirus bombs on nano-thingummies (within a time limit, naturally), not to mention the final duel in a closed, low-ceiling arena…
The plot:
he future is a corporatocracy (dystopian, needless to say). Two factions are at war. You’re a pilot enlisted in a peacekeeping institution, attempting to intervene…
Here’s the crowning achievement. Ace Combat 3 s universally hailed as the most narratively ambitious title in the entire series. Being rather ignorant and unreceptive to Japanese culture, I’m not certain I can properly convey the work’s fascination.
The story is told 90% through hollow chatter between mini-portraits, and the remaining 10% through mind-numbingly boring fictional television programme excerpts. Given that no character is properly introduced, one must first wade through an endless lexicon to understand who’s who and what the myriad of acronyms mean.
The characters, supposedly military personnel in a state of war, behave like overemotional and irrational schoolgirls. There are silly do-gooders, a mystical lunatic, a villain who delivers unintelligible monologues (something about “kudeta”, I believe), not forgetting the token blonde (follow her, you won’t be disappointed). And everyone betrays everyone else, multiple times! In short, a generic anime, a poor man’s Ghost in the Shell (from the same animation studio, incidentally). I’m beginning to understand Namco’s decision regarding the international market…
Conclusion:
Praising a game for its narrative ambition, quantity of dialogue and multiple endings would be like applauding a film merely for being three hours long. Writing and direction count for something too, don’t they?
Despite certain technical merits, I really had to force myself to reach the end five times; unlocking and completing all 52 missions, watching all cutscenes and reading all dialogues. It’s glaring proof that “more” doesn’t equate to “better”. Paradoxically, I come away with a worse impression than when I’d completed the European version, reduced to 36 linear missions and purged of its wild ramblings.
|
