(*) The two-player mode is limited to split-screen duels.
Ace Combat: Distant Thunder is the European title. The exact original designation is Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, and this is the one and only time you’ll see me write “04”. These quirks in naming conventions make my nose twitch.
In fact, I’d planned to stop at the third game, just covering the ones I’d played as a teenager. But a small detail nagged at me. I couldn’t recall an old memory I associated with Ace Combat 3—a guy reminiscing about his childhood during the war… Out of curiosity, I watched the opening scenes of Ace Combat 4, and suddenly it hit me: I actually owned a PlayStation 2 back in the 2000s! I must have bought it around the release of Mega Man X7, before succumbing to some kind of traumatic amnesia…
The story is set at the end of the 20th century. In response to Paco Rabanne’s predictions and the imminent threat of an asteroid about to crash into Earth, a union of countries built a battery of giant cannons (called Stonehenge). The asteroid was promptly pulverized, only for one of these countries to claim this terrifying weapon to conquer its neighbors.
Naturally, the player takes on the role of a pilot serving the besieged coalition, but the story is told by a civilian in the past tense, as he was a child when the war broke out. He speaks with a melancholy tone, over simple illustrations, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. These short narrative scenes remain subdued enough not to descend into melodrama. It’s clichéd, but tastefully and subtly executed. The imagery evocative of World War II, in a village reminiscent of occupied France, certainly resonates with me more than the corporate dystopia babble endured in the previous game.
Still, I don’t understand why, after all this accumulated experience, the briefing remains so barebones. It was the easiest part to produce; they only had to copy Ace Combat 2. As for the debriefings, they resemble a stock market show, full of numbers and arrows. And besides being frosty, the user interface doesn’t even bother being legible. Take a look, for example, at the aircraft selection screen.
As for handling, it’s closer to the second than the third game, which I’m pleased about. Turning and leveling off is easy; stalling almost never happens anymore. I still regret that enemy missiles have become too easy to dodge again. The aircraft market also returns, now with a module to buy secondary weapons, which finally brings a clear distinction between aircraft classes (fighters, bombers, multi-role).
With a new console generation, of course, we get larger maps, more targets, and naturally, more detailed scenery. However, I find the environments dreary, dominated by grays and browns. The silver lining of this increase in scale is that, for the first time in the series, we’re keeping an eye on our ammo count. This restriction on the number of missiles (about sixty on average, with double the targets) is a smarter way to encourage us to use the machine gun (especially on ground targets, at the risk of crashing) than the tired old excuse of radar jamming… That’s what I thought before hitting the twelfth mission, then the thirteenth. Nope, they didn’t get it. Too bad…
While the mission-end scoring system endures (and will for the rest of the series), at least the objective is clearly stated (in points to reach) and the time limit is less oppressive. I admit this brings a certain tactical aspect: choosing the priority targets (those that earn the most points) as well as the best-suited aircraft and armament.
On the other hand, there are far too many bombing missions for my taste. Can someone explain the fun in hitting dozens of stationary targets on the ground? Same goes for this new ability to make a tedious round trip in the middle of a mission to restock ammunition.
Still, I appreciate the effort to add a bit of atmosphere with radio messages from both sides of the conflict (apparently, they’re unfamiliar with communication encryption). The presence of allies is also felt much more than in previous titles, though competing with them for points reduces them to mere nuisances rather than comrades-in-arms.
In mission 8, I managed to hit a member of the “Yellow Squadron” (elite enemy fighters). This triggered some radio chatter, where they wondered who this mysterious pilot could be, so extraordinarily talented, dashing, with a piercing gaze and brawny arms. They were talking about me, in case that wasn’t clear. My enormous humility kept me from responding, and after a few moments of affected awe, they preferred to flee the battlefield. I found the sequence surprising and flattering. It’s the first time a flight sim has treated me with such reverence. I have to admit, it didn’t leave me indifferent…
Let’s get to the heart of the game: the aerial combat. Just like in the third instalment, there’s something off about the enemy planes’ behavior. Sometimes they fly in a straight line like total blockheads, blissfully unaware of the missiles headed their way, while other times they’ll spin in place for several minutes, perfectly synced with me at such a narrow angle that I can’t even get behind them. It’s like two boxers locked in a clinch, too close to land a punch. It reminds me of those old brick breaking games where the ball would just bounce vertically, creating an artificial stalemate the AI should really know better than to let drag on.
You’ll say it’s more realistic if the enemy tries everything to dodge our shots. Sure, it would be, if my numerous allies used the opportunity while I’m pinning down a target to jump in, or if I felt even remotely in danger at a lower speed… No, it’s just annoying.
What’s more, this random behavior really doesn’t work with a points-based objective on a timer (not to mention the ammo rationing). I’d much rather have a prolonged dogfight against more aggressive foes, if you’d just get rid of this blasted time constraint. On the contrary, if the goal is to make a fast-paced arcade game where it’s all about the score, then it seems important to implement consistent behavior. It’s immensely frustrating to see this level of variation, not because of how we play, but because of the arbitrary tendency of enemies to dodge our shots and tank our score.
In conclusion, Ace Combat 4 felt formulaic and boring to me, despite the impressive narrative scenes. The drab presentation and points chase made me feel like I was punching a clock, not embodying Tom Cruise. I’d have preferred the game take on a structure more like Colony Wars, where atmosphere and storytelling take precedence over scoreboards.
The campaign includes 18 missions, plus 5 special “challenge” missions. Unlocking the ultimate plane requires earning an “S” rank in each mission (with the rank’s colour tied to the difficulty level) but also, finishing the game a second time. I found this decision pretty stupid, because by the time I finally acquired the long-coveted plane, I no longer wanted to play.
