This entry is so well-loved by both the fans and devs that the player character, Mobius 1, would go on to cameo in every mainline entry in the series going forward, to the point where he essentially becomes the series' mascot.
The entire community has basically agreed at this point that Mobius One is the protagonist of Ace Combat. There are many protagonists in the Ace Combat series, but only Mobius One can be the true protagonist of all Strangereal.
I've only seen Mobius 1 referred to in the Arcade of AC5, is he in any other installments, or mentioned in the story in any way? Or am i just forgetting?
@@Avenger-K His signature light blue livery for the F-22 is unlockable for every entry past AC4. but other than that, there's also: In AC0, Mobius 1 will only appear on Ace difficulty and under the condition that the player shoots down Espada Team in under one minute during the mission to destroy XB-0, and is also the final boss of "The Gauntlet" extra mission. In AC6, he is mentioned during a couple of radio broadcasts. IN AC: Joint Assault, he is another boss of the "Ace of Aces" extra mission. In AC7, he is the playable character in the short VR campaign.
Ace Combat 4 does have alternate paint jobs, they unlock after your first play through. The Aces from 2 return, shooting them down unlocks their color scheme to be able to be purchased. The Aces show up in your next playthrough one the same file. I don’t think you’re going to like five as much do to… certain gameplay changes. Still a damn fine game though… just not as fun after your first playthrough. The arcade mode is fun tho.
AC04 was the game that introduced me to, among other things, the F-14A Tomcat. To this day, not only is the Tomcat one of my favorite combat jets, it is the plane that I associate the most with the series - Not the Raptor, not Yellow 13's Su-37, the humble F-14. It's also a game that I, to this day, play in remembrance. The person who introduced me to Ace Combat when I was a kid, that being my older cousin Robert, passed away in December 2014 - two days before my own birthday - after years of suffering from Addison's Disease. Every new playthrough I start, I mentally dedicate to his memory. AC04 is, to me at least, an evergreen game - No matter how many times I play it, I always feel the same way, the same emotions of sadness, hope, and optimism, that peace would prosper in the shadow of Ulysses. It works incredibly well as a standalone, while also fitting into a neat little niche across the overarching Ace Combat timeline, that isolation of being the transition between the real and unreal, telling a simple story about a young man's memoirs, is what helps make it my absolute favorite video game of all time.
"You're not gonna believe this, Jean-Louis! All of them have ribbon insignias!" Man I love Ace Combat 4. I picked it up from a bargain bin for 5 dollars and it was the best purchases I made that month. Been hooked ever since.
I have 4 5 6 soundtracks on my phone and i listen to then ever single day because my music is on shuffle. Whats your favorite AC04 mission? Mine is emancipation. Look up nassault and watch his ace combat videos on his youtube channel!! They are amazing especially in the fact that he mixes ace combat stories with the full flight simulator DCS
I’ll say it again. Not one AC04 piece made me think of skipping to the next one. All of them had something that made them so memorable, and were composed in a way where it didn’t feel dragged out or repetitive. I could listen to all of them in one setting, especially Blockade, Comona, Operation Bunker Shot, Stonehenge, and Farbanti for me
In Europe the subtitle of this game was "Distant thunder" - and the first cutscene about yellow 13 and the boy losing his family for me is still a masterpiece. The voice hearing a sound "like distant thunder" and then the quite together with the still image of the burning plane crashing into his home gives me goosebumps everytime. It is a simple story but very effective together with the very fun gameplay and the for the time almost revolutionary visuals burned this game into my mind.
The story is less about the man thanking Mobius One. It is about him writing about his own feelings regarding the people who became like a second family to him, Yellow Squadron. He wanted to know what the personality of the man who essentially killed his second family was like.
@@JobberVHis relationship with Yellow Squadron was complex and odd in general. Not necessarily odd in a bad way, though. They inadvertantly killed his family. They're a part of the people who are oppressing his people. He even calls Yellow 13 a fascist pig at one point, if I remember correctly. But even still, there's a pseudo-familial bond he has with them.
Regarding sound design, it’s not only better than previous games, but tops all games since: comparing this to Ace Combat 7, for example, is night and day. The explosions sound more real, they have weight to them, the super weapon Stonehenge firing on you is always fear inducing, and the jet engines? They actually sound like jets unlike the weed eaters we get in 7. Part of this is because they went out to record the noises from a real jet aircraft (F-4 Phantom) and it shows in the game’s quality. 04 is the best
I booted up the game a couple weeks ago, and played it with an open mind to make sure my hype for it wasn’t based on nostalgia. And again, it blew me away. No wonder it’s my favorite of all the Ace Combat games
Shattered Skies isn't as refined or fleshed-out in terms of gameplay and narrative as the later games, but it's still full of iconic moments and really the point where I think Ace Combat truly came into its own as a series. Like you said, its just a damn good game, and I like it a lot. Looking forward to hearing your takes on the rest!
It has some of the best gameplay and the more solid narratives of the series. But you make a good point regarding Ace Combat as we know it coming into being through 04
The highlight for me is the briefing after the Stonehenge mission when the music amps up, telling you the tide of the war has finally turned. It gets you fired up.
Ah my first Ace Combat game. And the first to establish the world of Strangereal (not conically of course but I’ll touch on that later) This is the game that sets up the premise of what Ace Combat will be. You will have a blast going through the trilogy.
Yes! even after Infinity and 7, four remains my favorite, cant beat old reliable, I'll concede that the U.I isn't the best though, even 11-year old me thought so back in the day. Comona is still one of my top five tracks in gaming.
Such an helluva fun game that has aged pretty well. A little fun fact: Shattered Skies was the best selling game of the franchise at around 2.5 mil. sales, and the only game that has managed to surpass it was Ace Combat 7 at 5 million sales as of today.
4:30 LMAO To be fair it’s THE FIRST in the series to have an Actual Modeled Cockpit WITH Internals and Still TO THIS DAY does Better with especially Night or low light Maps with showing the Cockpit Instruments Lit Up from 3rd person !!
This game definitely changed AC franchise to new start with radio com is important and the soundtrack with that epicness and rock, also the first time Strangereal finnaly shown in Ace Combat universe
Can confirm, AC4 still maintains momentum. It's just toned back in responsiveness. I found it out when I was doing Mach2 in a Raptor while diving, pulled up at ~5000ft Alt. and still belly flopped into the dirt. And it might just be the fact I grew up with the game, the UI issues I didn't really agree with. I hope you're ready for AC5's story
@@trevelyandovah8479Yes The “Momentum” , “Aerodynamics” “Drift” Isn’t it Fun if not Interesting to play/control !? That Sensation of Actual FLIGHT As THATS HOW PLANES FLY IRL Or Close enough as a Video Game !? And Not just Dumb Lazy Flight graphics that have None of that
I'm gonna type this now, before I watch the video, and continue after. This was _the_ Ace Combat game for me. It's presentation and story absolutely knocked it out of the park. I have ended up transcribing the letter _twice_ because I lost my original, because God help me I do love what they did with that. The letter holds up so well to a full read it blows me away. Additionally, I can't escape the OST, and while Morrigan/Zero (from AC0) may top the list, Rex Tremendae/Agnus Dei remains my second most emotional song in any game. (The winner on that context is _that_ song from Homeworld, and the fact I don't need to tell you which one or why should speak for that.) Mid view: I'm going to toss this in here now: AC 4 has the best post mission recap system of any game I've played. Watching those simple arrows dance with the trails behind them lets you better understand what happened and paired with the soundtrack for it, feels like an actual post mission review. Post View: I think you did the right thing, not going into too much detail. Both because there should be dedicated videos out there to watch, and because honestly it's a story worth letting people experience if they wish to. The way the letter ties into events, while still being coherent on its own, along with the fact this story is simple enough to easily understand works in it's favor. The story of the enemy ace you shoot down, the mysterious ace pilot you play, and the man sending a latter to you to let you know the man you killed would not begrudge you for it? It sticks with me all these years later. 5 and 0 have their solid stories, characters and moments to be sure, but 04 is the one which I would tell children asking me to tell them a story.
What I loved about AC4 is how it made you feel like a hero, especially at the final mission with the music. I haven't played the ps1 games but I feel from just seeing that AC4 is where the series starts to bloom.
Holding the missile / bomb button to get the camera to follow it all the way up to its target was always my favorite thing as a kid as you would get a brief look at the details on the tanks and planes you were going after, AC04 is definitely my favorite as it was my first but 5 is an extreme close second for sure.
Ace Combat 4 was one of my most favorite games from my childhood. I did play Air Combat on the PS1 and also thoroughly enjoyed it but AC4 has stuck with me and had a special place in my heart for all these years. I'm happy you enjoyed it and look forward to you playing the next few games in the series, then having to slog through 6 and assault horizon, and then enjoying yourself again with 7 lol.
AC4 does still feature inertia like AC3 had, it's just not as extreme in its implementation. I know this because I slammed into a cliffside after waiting too long to pitch up to avoid it.
Great review! Of the entire series, AC04 is definitely the purest and well rounded of the more modern games, and it holds up really well still. Curious to see your take on AC5 (my beloved). It has some... interesting design choices on some things but over all its still a continuation of AC04's improvements. Also side note like others have mentioned, this wont be the last time you see Mobius 1. AC5's arcade mode is based around him taking on the remnants of the Erusian resistance that didn't disarm after the war. Nice quick little time/score based arcade run that adds some more world building with its ending.
Playing this game on my pc via emulator in cockpit view with an old joystick control was an absolute blast and gave me that perfect immersive arcade game I wanted. Though I still say I enjoy Zero and 6 more, it's a massive highlight for the series.
"Who let Koboyashi cook? Cause we need him to do a full course meal everytime" Enter legendarily slept on (outside of the Ace Combat community) videogame composer, Keiki Kobayashi. His signature trademark: the skies start speaking Latin as boss music. Now of course, he's only one dude and he can only do so much. The efforts of the other composers (which is a growing list with each entry) shouldn't be diminished and allow Kobayashi as much time as he needs to score up some amazingly beautiful and dramatic pieces.
This was the first AC game that I played and I was hopelessly in love with it. Up to that point, it was the best action video game that I had ever played. Everything about it was mind-blowing from the gameplay to the graphics to the realism of the planes themselves. I have piloted planes IRL and this game taught me how by showing me how the control surfaces on planes work. This game should be in the video game hall of fame.
2:25 hey c’mon those Briefings are Nostalgic and Just Fine as they’re trying to be like Holographic and StarWarsy 🤷♂️ Though Ace5 Briefings were My Fav as they were so In depth and Cohered with the Story etc.
Zero is my personal favorite, so I'm waiting for you to reach that one, but Shattered Skies is probably the one that started the meme of "You're screwed when sky starts singing in latin" kind of thing the AC community references. And aside from that, this game IS GOOD. All the numbered games from now on will be VERY GOOD games, note I said the "numbered" ones. There are a few AC games that stray off and I really don't like them, but I will wait to see your experience.
I gave it a 10, up until now, there's still no installment that can topple AC04. The physics is just right, the story is very enjoable, and it was the first of the golden trilogy.
There a concept posters for Ace combat 4... And there's a sick line and maybe a hint that ace combat is set in fantasy world. The line say "Strange real, world". Project Aces sure was cooking something that time
Ahhh. I still think about Yellow Squadron and fantasize about having the money and experience later in life to fly a Suikhoi jet. I loved this in elementary school and contemplate buying systems to play them all again
This is still my favorite game in the series. Played it so SO much back when it came out. I had played AC2 and AC3, but this game was something special. It made you FEEL like a one-man airforce, like you single-handedly did win the entire war. AC5 is a better game in almost every aspect, but the story for 4 was just plain better. I wish this was available for PC properly without emulation, there's a few games I keep a PS2 around for and this is the main one. Great video
Another great video. You have some interesting points on the linear missions forcing the developers to improve the missions themselves. Though I never played this game, i would have found the randomised missions appealing for repeat playthroughs. I play a few RTS games and generally, I don't like timed missions. On occasion, they can add an additional layer of challenge that is enjoyable, but on the whole, I'd rather not have them. But it is a very different style of game. There are a lot of ways to engage with storytelling, both cutscenes and in-game. The art style of these games has always continued to evolve but they are really appealing. One of the few flying games I liked was Yager on the original Xbox. An arcade play style with a bright, almost cartoonish colour scheme and some tongue-in-cheek humour. You flew a jet that had a hover mode which gave you more options for gameplay.
Ah yes, the golden trilogy fans always showing up in chats to talk about how this is the best the series has been and ever going to be. Never understood the pure obsession over these 3 as much as the others. I didn't play it back then, sure. But after playing a damn good chunk of them, theres no era thats inherently better than the others.
🤙 Except the Titles that Try too hard to Say “Hey Remember this ?” “Remember the Good oL times ?” Instead of Actually being Different or Unique Tend to Do Suck
AC4 blew my mind when it came out. Before it, I'd only played AC2, which was great but couldn't wait until the console technology caught up. AC4's story scenes I thought was great, with its somber beautifully drawn art as opposed to every other game at the time trying and failing to do real-time rendered cutscenes. What really got me hooked was the game's replay mode, where I could watch a cinematic version of the dogfights I just was in. The thing that bugs me about the AC games after AC4 are the cartoonish over-reactive voice acting. Here in AC4, Moebius is focused and calm in the middle of the crazy chaotic combat. I miss this aspect a lot.
Ace Combat 04 may be my number 2 favorite Ace Combat game (my number one being Ace Combat 5), but it is still a ridiculously fantastic game. One that has aged really well after all those years!
The actual reason why it's called "Strangereal" is because the trailer showed words "A STRANGE REAL WORLD" however space between E and R was somehow so thin, some people assumed STRANGEREAL was the name of the world. And it just stayed like this.
The game that completed the formula, with simple but strong storytelling, half-sim half-shmup gameplay and multiple SP weapons to choose from per plane AC3 was EXTEREMELY experimental, even it WASN'T an Ace Combat game in the draft state, and this is the proper sequel to AC2 AC04 could have been my most favorite one if I played this game first
Ace Combat 4 reminds me a lot of Armored Core 3 in terms of how they stack up to their predecessors and their sequels. I think they are both the best games in their respective series.
Obsessed with AC games. There are optional paint schemes. You have to find the aces hidden in each mission and if you shoot them down, you obtain their paint design 👍
Great reviews of one of my favourite series. Glad to see the appreciation of this classic and your reviews do the game justice. Really just wanted to comment how close you came to the ground at 6:49, in the single digits! loved to see that close cut to the ground. Nothing gets you going as good as a hard pull up like that, an enjoyable bit of gameplay. Can't wait to see your final review of AC7. My fav is AC5, my first experience in the series, nothing compares to the story except maybe Zero, which i thought the gameplay was just beautifully refined and I enjoyed that aspect more. Final note, did you know if you press accelerate and decelerate at the same time as turning, you pitch faster?
Ace 3 is still considered canon (because it's fantastic) but there's that "it was all a simulation" aspect to it that could ultimately make it non cannon in the future.. we'll just have to see
"if you didn't quite catch it earlier, this game came out in September of 2001." When you said that I had a completely different idea for where the video was going. What an awful coincidence to release a plane game around that time
“Captain Torres” surviving that and going on to be a part of AC7 is such bull… every time I hit the Tanager it goes under in 2 seconds flat. lol despite what cope people may give… The man is dead as a doornail
I wish they would revisit AC3's futuristic style for the next game. I don't want to spend half the game as a boring Mig 21 or F-16 and eventually graduate to the same old F-18 and F-35 we've been piloting for the past 20 years in every flight sim/combat game.
God I love 4 so much. 5 is a personal favorite of mine as is 0, but damn does the Holy Trinity really mean something. All 3 games deserve the praise that they get. Oh, you mentioned how you emulate older games. For 6, get the physical copy, if possible. Yes, AC6 was only released only for 360. The 360 emulator, at least for me, doesn't work all that well. There was black triangles on the ground and cutscenes would stop playing sound about 30 seconds to a minute in. Which sucks, buuuuut the game is really cheap so you're not breaking your wallet or anything by getting it physically.
At the time I found ac2 to have best gameplay, but ac3jp the best plot. The VR version is the best I'v played... being able to move your head to spot the enemy arround is invaluable.
Ace Combat 4 is the game that sparked my interest in aviation and this complete saga to the point that I made a custom patch for my jackeet with my initials in the style of the ISAF logo
ah the golden trilogy. god if there is one thing that sticks with me from these entries it's the music. and going forward they let this type of music stick (for the most part) from bangers like Megalith Agnus Dei to Zero. between the overal presentation becoming more uniform, the lack of retcon of previous entries, and the missions having narrative reason including failstate that makes sense. AC4 is still to this day an amazing official welcome to "StrangeReal" can't wait to get to the Belkan War
Or just when the devs were at their peak ? With one banger after another 😊 Too bad they don’t know what the Hell their doing with Tue Actual Flying gameplay as in Flight model
I'm using PCSX2! The game still had a solid handful of visual glitches, I just edited around them 😅 There's a few great videos out there for fixing bugs and stuff, so just playing around with fixes in those videos and seeing what works is the way to go 🙂
See, you can get by just using musics, slideshows, and great voiceovers and still create an interesting and compelling story... even in 2001. *looks at redfall*
I actually like 4 a lot better than 5. To me, the fifth one focused too much on the story line and not enough on things like mechanics and physics. Also, in 4, there's an ace with a unique skin hidden on every map. If you can find and kill them, it will unlock that skin for that particular aircraft.
Ace combat four ace combat zero and ace combat X reminds me so much of the Ukraine war right now the things you see happened in the game look exactly like what is happening in Ukraine right now. Your neighbor invading your home it feels so similar it’s like a combat predicted the future of what will happen in the future.
and you played Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown by now and ever thing good the first 3 games had got throw out the window Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown the game fails to easy Ace Combat 2 and 3 gives you a mission over were in Ace Combat 2 you can get more credits for having more to shoot if get spiket
ah yes funny Comona game and the start to the period I liked to call "Who let Kobayashi cook so hard and please tell them to make him keep Going"
This entry is so well-loved by both the fans and devs that the player character, Mobius 1, would go on to cameo in every mainline entry in the series going forward, to the point where he essentially becomes the series' mascot.
The entire community has basically agreed at this point that Mobius One is the protagonist of Ace Combat.
There are many protagonists in the Ace Combat series, but only Mobius One can be the true protagonist of all Strangereal.
I've only seen Mobius 1 referred to in the Arcade of AC5, is he in any other installments, or mentioned in the story in any way? Or am i just forgetting?
@@Avenger-K His signature light blue livery for the F-22 is unlockable for every entry past AC4. but other than that, there's also:
In AC0, Mobius 1 will only appear on Ace difficulty and under the condition that the player shoots down Espada Team in under one minute during the mission to destroy XB-0, and is also the final boss of "The Gauntlet" extra mission.
In AC6, he is mentioned during a couple of radio broadcasts.
IN AC: Joint Assault, he is another boss of the "Ace of Aces" extra mission.
In AC7, he is the playable character in the short VR campaign.
@@Avenger-K He's literally the protagonist of the game in the video...
@nong333 Thanks for all the info, really comprehensive. I had no idea he was in AC0 as a secret ace. Gonna have to replay that now.
This game was the beginning of Ace Combat becoming something more than just an arcade flight game. It became an experience
And now it’s just An arcade fly’y game Again !?
@@mrandrossguy9871 no
Ace Combat 4 does have alternate paint jobs, they unlock after your first play through. The Aces from 2 return, shooting them down unlocks their color scheme to be able to be purchased. The Aces show up in your next playthrough one the same file.
I don’t think you’re going to like five as much do to… certain gameplay changes. Still a damn fine game though… just not as fun after your first playthrough. The arcade mode is fun tho.
AC04 was the game that introduced me to, among other things, the F-14A Tomcat. To this day, not only is the Tomcat one of my favorite combat jets, it is the plane that I associate the most with the series - Not the Raptor, not Yellow 13's Su-37, the humble F-14. It's also a game that I, to this day, play in remembrance. The person who introduced me to Ace Combat when I was a kid, that being my older cousin Robert, passed away in December 2014 - two days before my own birthday - after years of suffering from Addison's Disease. Every new playthrough I start, I mentally dedicate to his memory. AC04 is, to me at least, an evergreen game - No matter how many times I play it, I always feel the same way, the same emotions of sadness, hope, and optimism, that peace would prosper in the shadow of Ulysses. It works incredibly well as a standalone, while also fitting into a neat little niche across the overarching Ace Combat timeline, that isolation of being the transition between the real and unreal, telling a simple story about a young man's memoirs, is what helps make it my absolute favorite video game of all time.
"You're not gonna believe this, Jean-Louis! All of them have ribbon insignias!"
Man I love Ace Combat 4. I picked it up from a bargain bin for 5 dollars and it was the best purchases I made that month. Been hooked ever since.
The entire Ace Combat 4 soundtrack is seared into my brain. I love it.
I have 4 5 6 soundtracks on my phone and i listen to then ever single day because my music is on shuffle. Whats your favorite AC04 mission? Mine is emancipation. Look up nassault and watch his ace combat videos on his youtube channel!! They are amazing especially in the fact that he mixes ace combat stories with the full flight simulator DCS
I’ll say it again. Not one AC04 piece made me think of skipping to the next one. All of them had something that made them so memorable, and were composed in a way where it didn’t feel dragged out or repetitive. I could listen to all of them in one setting, especially Blockade, Comona, Operation Bunker Shot, Stonehenge, and Farbanti for me
In Europe the subtitle of this game was "Distant thunder" - and the first cutscene about yellow 13 and the boy losing his family for me is still a masterpiece. The voice hearing a sound "like distant thunder" and then the quite together with the still image of the burning plane crashing into his home gives me goosebumps everytime. It is a simple story but very effective together with the very fun gameplay and the for the time almost revolutionary visuals burned this game into my mind.
The story is less about the man thanking Mobius One. It is about him writing about his own feelings regarding the people who became like a second family to him, Yellow Squadron. He wanted to know what the personality of the man who essentially killed his second family was like.
Not to mention this 'second family' he became attached to was responsible for accidentally killing his blood family at the start of the game.
@@JobberVHis relationship with Yellow Squadron was complex and odd in general. Not necessarily odd in a bad way, though.
They inadvertantly killed his family. They're a part of the people who are oppressing his people. He even calls Yellow 13 a fascist pig at one point, if I remember correctly. But even still, there's a pseudo-familial bond he has with them.
Regarding sound design, it’s not only better than previous games, but tops all games since: comparing this to Ace Combat 7, for example, is night and day.
The explosions sound more real, they have weight to them, the super weapon Stonehenge firing on you is always fear inducing, and the jet engines? They actually sound like jets unlike the weed eaters we get in 7. Part of this is because they went out to record the noises from a real jet aircraft (F-4 Phantom) and it shows in the game’s quality. 04 is the best
I booted up the game a couple weeks ago, and played it with an open mind to make sure my hype for it wasn’t based on nostalgia. And again, it blew me away. No wonder it’s my favorite of all the Ace Combat games
Shattered Skies isn't as refined or fleshed-out in terms of gameplay and narrative as the later games, but it's still full of iconic moments and really the point where I think Ace Combat truly came into its own as a series. Like you said, its just a damn good game, and I like it a lot.
Looking forward to hearing your takes on the rest!
What? Shattered Skies has the best narrative in the entire series.
It has some of the best gameplay and the more solid narratives of the series. But you make a good point regarding Ace Combat as we know it coming into being through 04
The highlight for me is the briefing after the Stonehenge mission when the music amps up, telling you the tide of the war has finally turned. It gets you fired up.
Ah my first Ace Combat game. And the first to establish the world of Strangereal (not conically of course but I’ll touch on that later) This is the game that sets up the premise of what Ace Combat will be. You will have a blast going through the trilogy.
Yes! even after Infinity and 7, four remains my favorite, cant beat old reliable, I'll concede that the U.I isn't the best though, even 11-year old me thought so back in the day.
Comona is still one of my top five tracks in gaming.
Such an helluva fun game that has aged pretty well.
A little fun fact: Shattered Skies was the best selling game of the franchise at around 2.5 mil. sales, and the only game that has managed to surpass it was Ace Combat 7 at 5 million sales as of today.
I just finished AC7 and it is an awesome game, but man... AC4 hits different, everything in that game is amazing. Mobius 1 > Trigger
Most underrated point here
I just wished we could have bought ac 4 on ps store on the playstation 5 i really mis the game😢.
4:30 LMAO
To be fair it’s THE FIRST in the series to have an Actual Modeled Cockpit WITH Internals and Still TO THIS DAY does Better with especially Night or low light Maps with showing the Cockpit Instruments Lit Up from 3rd person !!
This game definitely changed AC franchise to new start with radio com is important and the soundtrack with that epicness and rock, also the first time Strangereal finnaly shown in Ace Combat universe
Can confirm, AC4 still maintains momentum. It's just toned back in responsiveness. I found it out when I was doing Mach2 in a Raptor while diving, pulled up at ~5000ft Alt. and still belly flopped into the dirt. And it might just be the fact I grew up with the game, the UI issues I didn't really agree with. I hope you're ready for AC5's story
I found out the game had momentum when I nearly crashed an A-10 into a solar panel
@@trevelyandovah8479Yes
The “Momentum” , “Aerodynamics”
“Drift”
Isn’t it Fun if not Interesting to play/control !?
That Sensation of Actual FLIGHT
As THATS HOW PLANES FLY IRL Or Close enough as a Video Game !?
And Not just Dumb Lazy Flight graphics that have None of that
I'm gonna type this now, before I watch the video, and continue after. This was _the_ Ace Combat game for me. It's presentation and story absolutely knocked it out of the park. I have ended up transcribing the letter _twice_ because I lost my original, because God help me I do love what they did with that. The letter holds up so well to a full read it blows me away. Additionally, I can't escape the OST, and while Morrigan/Zero (from AC0) may top the list, Rex Tremendae/Agnus Dei remains my second most emotional song in any game. (The winner on that context is _that_ song from Homeworld, and the fact I don't need to tell you which one or why should speak for that.)
Mid view: I'm going to toss this in here now: AC 4 has the best post mission recap system of any game I've played. Watching those simple arrows dance with the trails behind them lets you better understand what happened and paired with the soundtrack for it, feels like an actual post mission review.
Post View: I think you did the right thing, not going into too much detail. Both because there should be dedicated videos out there to watch, and because honestly it's a story worth letting people experience if they wish to. The way the letter ties into events, while still being coherent on its own, along with the fact this story is simple enough to easily understand works in it's favor. The story of the enemy ace you shoot down, the mysterious ace pilot you play, and the man sending a latter to you to let you know the man you killed would not begrudge you for it? It sticks with me all these years later. 5 and 0 have their solid stories, characters and moments to be sure, but 04 is the one which I would tell children asking me to tell them a story.
What I loved about AC4 is how it made you feel like a hero, especially at the final mission with the music. I haven't played the ps1 games but I feel from just seeing that AC4 is where the series starts to bloom.
Holding the missile / bomb button to get the camera to follow it all the way up to its target was always my favorite thing as a kid as you would get a brief look at the details on the tanks and planes you were going after, AC04 is definitely my favorite as it was my first but 5 is an extreme close second for sure.
Ace Combat 4 was one of my most favorite games from my childhood. I did play Air Combat on the PS1 and also thoroughly enjoyed it but AC4 has stuck with me and had a special place in my heart for all these years. I'm happy you enjoyed it and look forward to you playing the next few games in the series, then having to slog through 6 and assault horizon, and then enjoying yourself again with 7 lol.
6 is great, probably some of the most satisfying gameplay in the series. Pretend the story doesn’t exist though lol skip the cutscenes
AC4 does still feature inertia like AC3 had, it's just not as extreme in its implementation. I know this because I slammed into a cliffside after waiting too long to pitch up to avoid it.
Underrated point. I appreciate the inertia the jets have so much in this game. Feels much better than 7 for sure
Sept 2001 release? Im surprised this game was even played in the US then.
7:47 The pew in the song matches with the railgun firing...
Its called a beat kill
7:00 everything in AC04 just sounds better than Literally ANY OTHER AC GAME lol
7:55 is it just me or does that remind anyone else of the Fireman Sam theme song?
Great review!
Of the entire series, AC04 is definitely the purest and well rounded of the more modern games, and it holds up really well still.
Curious to see your take on AC5 (my beloved). It has some... interesting design choices on some things but over all its still a continuation of AC04's improvements.
Also side note like others have mentioned, this wont be the last time you see Mobius 1. AC5's arcade mode is based around him taking on the remnants of the Erusian resistance that didn't disarm after the war. Nice quick little time/score based arcade run that adds some more world building with its ending.
Ah yiss, chole reached "The Holy Trinity"
Playing this game on my pc via emulator in cockpit view with an old joystick control was an absolute blast and gave me that perfect immersive arcade game I wanted. Though I still say I enjoy Zero and 6 more, it's a massive highlight for the series.
Plz sir tell me how to do it myself! I want to know step by step on how to play this game on my computer 2 i miss this game so mutch😢.
"Who let Koboyashi cook? Cause we need him to do a full course meal everytime"
Enter legendarily slept on (outside of the Ace Combat community) videogame composer, Keiki Kobayashi. His signature trademark: the skies start speaking Latin as boss music.
Now of course, he's only one dude and he can only do so much. The efforts of the other composers (which is a growing list with each entry) shouldn't be diminished and allow Kobayashi as much time as he needs to score up some amazingly beautiful and dramatic pieces.
always great to see someone talk about this game, still my favorite of all time.
This was the first AC game that I played and I was hopelessly in love with it. Up to that point, it was the best action video game that I had ever played. Everything about it was mind-blowing from the gameplay to the graphics to the realism of the planes themselves. I have piloted planes IRL and this game taught me how by showing me how the control surfaces on planes work. This game should be in the video game hall of fame.
Ah, yes. My first entry into the franchise. So glad i got it as a b-day present (the only good game i got in that bundle, but I'm not complaining).
2:25 hey c’mon those Briefings are Nostalgic and Just Fine as they’re trying to be like Holographic and StarWarsy 🤷♂️
Though Ace5 Briefings were My Fav as they were so In depth and Cohered with the Story etc.
Zero is my personal favorite, so I'm waiting for you to reach that one, but Shattered Skies is probably the one that started the meme of "You're screwed when sky starts singing in latin" kind of thing the AC community references. And aside from that, this game IS GOOD. All the numbered games from now on will be VERY GOOD games, note I said the "numbered" ones. There are a few AC games that stray off and I really don't like them, but I will wait to see your experience.
This game was a miracle 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I gave it a 10, up until now, there's still no installment that can topple AC04. The physics is just right, the story is very enjoable, and it was the first of the golden trilogy.
Couldn’t agree more. 10/10 for me as well
There a concept posters for Ace combat 4... And there's a sick line and maybe a hint that ace combat is set in fantasy world. The line say "Strange real, world". Project Aces sure was cooking something that time
Ahhh. I still think about Yellow Squadron and fantasize about having the money and experience later in life to fly a Suikhoi jet. I loved this in elementary school and contemplate buying systems to play them all again
Ace Combat 4 looked that good while running at 60fps on a PS2 console. Namco's devs back in the day were among the very elite back then.
When the sky speaks Latin, you are always in for the fight of your life.
This game means the entire world to me, most important piece of media in my life. Just hearing the snippets of music has me tearing up
This is still my favorite game in the series. Played it so SO much back when it came out. I had played AC2 and AC3, but this game was something special. It made you FEEL like a one-man airforce, like you single-handedly did win the entire war. AC5 is a better game in almost every aspect, but the story for 4 was just plain better. I wish this was available for PC properly without emulation, there's a few games I keep a PS2 around for and this is the main one. Great video
TBF, Japanese AC3 is a very good game, throwing it all away because of localization issues was a mistake.
LoL L Devs
Another great video. You have some interesting points on the linear missions forcing the developers to improve the missions themselves. Though I never played this game, i would have found the randomised missions appealing for repeat playthroughs. I play a few RTS games and generally, I don't like timed missions. On occasion, they can add an additional layer of challenge that is enjoyable, but on the whole, I'd rather not have them. But it is a very different style of game. There are a lot of ways to engage with storytelling, both cutscenes and in-game. The art style of these games has always continued to evolve but they are really appealing. One of the few flying games I liked was Yager on the original Xbox. An arcade play style with a bright, almost cartoonish colour scheme and some tongue-in-cheek humour. You flew a jet that had a hover mode which gave you more options for gameplay.
Ah yes, the golden trilogy fans always showing up in chats to talk about how this is the best the series has been and ever going to be. Never understood the pure obsession over these 3 as much as the others. I didn't play it back then, sure. But after playing a damn good chunk of them, theres no era thats inherently better than the others.
🤙
Except the Titles that Try too hard to Say “Hey Remember this ?”
“Remember the Good oL times ?”
Instead of Actually being Different or Unique Tend to Do Suck
Megalith will always be in my top 5 final boss songs ever
AC4 blew my mind when it came out. Before it, I'd only played AC2, which was great but couldn't wait until the console technology caught up.
AC4's story scenes I thought was great, with its somber beautifully drawn art as opposed to every other game at the time trying and failing to do real-time rendered cutscenes.
What really got me hooked was the game's replay mode, where I could watch a cinematic version of the dogfights I just was in.
The thing that bugs me about the AC games after AC4 are the cartoonish over-reactive voice acting. Here in AC4, Moebius is focused and calm in the middle of the crazy chaotic combat. I miss this aspect a lot.
Megalith version of Agnus Dei is 👌🏾🔥
Oh sweet! You’re reviewing the Ace Combat games! Awesome! 😊
Ace Combat 04 may be my number 2 favorite Ace Combat game (my number one being Ace Combat 5), but it is still a ridiculously fantastic game. One that has aged really well after all those years!
There was a fun video i saw ages ago that intercut the final mission with footage of No Fighting In The War Room from COD4
Megalith gives me chills every time I hear it.
The MGS Font looks amazing
I love to see that this amazing game is finaly getting some recognition I still have my ps2 probably going to play it tomorrow
surprised you didnt mention how god-like the voice acting , drama and pilot chatter is in this game
The actual reason why it's called "Strangereal" is because the trailer showed words
"A STRANGE REAL WORLD"
however space between E and R was somehow so thin, some people assumed STRANGEREAL was the name of the world. And it just stayed like this.
The game that completed the formula, with simple but strong storytelling, half-sim half-shmup gameplay and multiple SP weapons to choose from per plane
AC3 was EXTEREMELY experimental, even it WASN'T an Ace Combat game in the draft state, and this is the proper sequel to AC2
AC04 could have been my most favorite one if I played this game first
Ace Combat 4 reminds me a lot of Armored Core 3 in terms of how they stack up to their predecessors and their sequels. I think they are both the best games in their respective series.
Obsessed with AC games. There are optional paint schemes. You have to find the aces hidden in each mission and if you shoot them down, you obtain their paint design 👍
yess, my all time favorite ace combat entry. i remember this game releasing when i was 6 years old
Great reviews of one of my favourite series. Glad to see the appreciation of this classic and your reviews do the game justice. Really just wanted to comment how close you came to the ground at 6:49, in the single digits! loved to see that close cut to the ground. Nothing gets you going as good as a hard pull up like that, an enjoyable bit of gameplay.
Can't wait to see your final review of AC7. My fav is AC5, my first experience in the series, nothing compares to the story except maybe Zero, which i thought the gameplay was just beautifully refined and I enjoyed that aspect more.
Final note, did you know if you press accelerate and decelerate at the same time as turning, you pitch faster?
Ace 3 is still considered canon (because it's fantastic) but there's that "it was all a simulation" aspect to it that could ultimately make it non cannon in the future.. we'll just have to see
We finally reached the PS2 era, and from your comments this time I can tell this will be interesting.
"if you didn't quite catch it earlier, this game came out in September of 2001."
When you said that I had a completely different idea for where the video was going.
What an awful coincidence to release a plane game around that time
“This game is important” but not the FLIGHT MODEL !?
“But it’s not what you think”
I'm really looking forward to see how you review games from the PS3 and onward
Durimg your next playthrough, hit the Aegir fleet hard. Extra hard. Especially the battleship Tanager.
“Captain Torres” surviving that and going on to be a part of AC7 is such bull… every time I hit the Tanager it goes under in 2 seconds flat.
lol despite what cope people may give…
The man is dead as a doornail
I wish they would revisit AC3's futuristic style for the next game. I don't want to spend half the game as a boring Mig 21 or F-16 and eventually graduate to the same old F-18 and F-35 we've been piloting for the past 20 years in every flight sim/combat game.
Or Just have over 50 to 100 different Aircraft to choose from !?
You know VARIETY
An accurate review. Although I don't have your fore knowledge of the previous three. Your insight into the 4th is interesting and eye opening for me.
God I love 4 so much. 5 is a personal favorite of mine as is 0, but damn does the Holy Trinity really mean something. All 3 games deserve the praise that they get.
Oh, you mentioned how you emulate older games. For 6, get the physical copy, if possible. Yes, AC6 was only released only for 360. The 360 emulator, at least for me, doesn't work all that well. There was black triangles on the ground and cutscenes would stop playing sound about 30 seconds to a minute in. Which sucks, buuuuut the game is really cheap so you're not breaking your wallet or anything by getting it physically.
I always source a copy! Emulation is legal, piracy is not 🙂
@@notcole My man! 😁
At the time I found ac2 to have best gameplay, but ac3jp the best plot. The VR version is the best I'v played... being able to move your head to spot the enemy arround is invaluable.
Ace Combat 4 is the game that sparked my interest in aviation and this complete saga to the point that I made a custom patch for my jackeet with my initials in the style of the ISAF logo
ah the golden trilogy. god if there is one thing that sticks with me from these entries it's the music. and going forward they let this type of music stick (for the most part) from bangers like Megalith Agnus Dei to Zero. between the overal presentation becoming more uniform, the lack of retcon of previous entries, and the missions having narrative reason including failstate that makes sense. AC4 is still to this day an amazing official welcome to "StrangeReal" can't wait to get to the Belkan War
Played this game since it came out and still do. Its the best imo.
this make me realize berifing in ace combat 2 is the best
It's "The Holy Trinity", actually.
Or just when the devs were at their peak ? With one banger after another 😊
Too bad they don’t know what the Hell their doing with Tue Actual Flying gameplay as in Flight model
Plane game released in September 2001 and you didn't go there, nice. :)
There’s Still a Modeled Single Twin Tower In Invincible Fleet !
Besides the Twin Towers Were Literally in Ace2 just one without the Antenna
Yeah you don't go into detail about stuff but you're getting there, just pay attention to stuff a bit more and you're gonna be an Ace soon enough
what emulator you're using? very smooth. Im having a problem running the thing.. would be great to have some pointers.
I'm using PCSX2! The game still had a solid handful of visual glitches, I just edited around them 😅
There's a few great videos out there for fixing bugs and stuff, so just playing around with fixes in those videos and seeing what works is the way to go 🙂
I really liked the menu and AI in this game, but I was also like 9 the last time I played thru ac4
First Dumbass move The Devs made was Having Separate Versions of Ace3 amd Dumbing the World Wide one Down 🤷♂️
I highly recommend you try Aero Elite: Combat Academy. It's more of a simulator and very difficult.
Yeah, about the stat bar
I'd recommended not taking them as gospel since they are often an inaccurate representation of the planes' performance
This game would have been so famous if it hadn't been released ONE day after 9/11 in the US
Whatchu talken bout Willis?
Also they modeled A Twin Tower in Invincible fleet !
Besides the twin towers Were in Ace2 in anchor head !
Thought you were going somewhere else with the September 2001 statement...
Grow up
@@ChrisMaxCisneros Man I try but I live in New York.
See, you can get by just using musics, slideshows, and great voiceovers and still create an interesting and compelling story...
even in 2001.
*looks at redfall*
Wasn't this called Distant Thunder?
I actually like 4 a lot better than 5. To me, the fifth one focused too much on the story line and not enough on things like mechanics and physics. Also, in 4, there's an ace with a unique skin hidden on every map. If you can find and kill them, it will unlock that skin for that particular aircraft.
16:05
Oh boy you're gonna _love_ Ace Combat 6
Love ace combat, since i love top gun
Ace combat 3 the story line are just a simulation, no Intercorporate War “yet”
I’ve been waiting for you to get here lol
1:15 except it’s NOT a trilogy
And Neither was the First Three smdh
Ace combat four ace combat zero and ace combat X reminds me so much of the Ukraine war right now the things you see happened in the game look exactly like what is happening in Ukraine right now. Your neighbor invading your home it feels so similar it’s like a combat predicted the future of what will happen in the future.
Bro how old are you 🤤
Watching too much Simpsons predictions?
and you played Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown by now
and ever thing good the first 3 games had got throw out the window
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown the game fails to easy
Ace Combat 2 and 3 gives you a mission over
were in Ace Combat 2 you can get more credits for having more to shoot if get spiket
Holy Trinity, not Golden Trilogy, lmao.