Ace Combat: Joint Assault
Fly the unfriendly skies again on your PSP
Posted September 10, 2010
The Ace Combat series has long been the standard bearer for flight combat simulators. And since the PSP aims to bring a console experience to your handheld system, it only makes sense that the series would make its way to the PSP. Of course, this isn't the first time Ace Combat has been on the system, and frankly, it's seen better days.
You play a member of a private security force who, during special training with a Japanese air team, encounters a series of villainous fighters attacking Tokyo. The group call themselves the "Valahia," and they seem to be attacking major metropolitan cities for...ill-defined nefarious purposes. The other members of your team defect over, but you stick to your guns and fly straight, daring to stand up to generic evil.
Frankly, I think it would have been a lot more interesting if the game had let you defect. After all, in a game like this, you're blowing up other planes. Whether they're good or bad doesn't matter too much. It would have helped the story, which was bland and uninteresting. Even the trick of turning your former teammates against you falls flat, mostly because the guys whose betrayal is meant to hit you like a knife in the back were jerks anyway. Even worse, the voice acting is some of the worst I've heard from a major game franchise since I don't know when. Perhaps all of last decade.
The gameplay, on the other hand, is as good as one would expect from the Ace Combat franchise. The controls are as smooth as butter, and the combat is as satisfying as ever. To break up the monotony you can do some things like take-offs and mid-air refueling, but you can skip them if you want to jump right into the combat. However, pretty quickly you'll wonder why your teammates can't seem to take out any target whatsoever.
The reason for this is because you can in fact bring in up to three other live players via ad hoc or infrastructure mode. Suddenly the lackluster campaign missions take on a whole new life. Playing with other people really adds a level of excitement, as you take down targets in tandem, or compete to see who can take down the most enemies. If playing cooperatively isn't your thing, you can also play in several competitive versus modes.
Of course, like any Ace Combat game, there's a surplus of planes, weapons, plating, and so which you can upgrade. And you'll have no problem telling the planes apart, as the graphics are detailed and thorough.
While not the best Ace Combat game (in fact, it may be the weakest entry in the series to date), Joint Assault still has some high points. The cooperative play is fast and exciting, the planes are detailed, and the gameplay is satisfying. If you can get past the horrid voice acting and bland plot, and have some friends who want to join in on the fun, then Joint Assault would be worth a look or two. Recommended.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum
You play a member of a private security force who, during special training with a Japanese air team, encounters a series of villainous fighters attacking Tokyo. The group call themselves the "Valahia," and they seem to be attacking major metropolitan cities for...ill-defined nefarious purposes. The other members of your team defect over, but you stick to your guns and fly straight, daring to stand up to generic evil.
Frankly, I think it would have been a lot more interesting if the game had let you defect. After all, in a game like this, you're blowing up other planes. Whether they're good or bad doesn't matter too much. It would have helped the story, which was bland and uninteresting. Even the trick of turning your former teammates against you falls flat, mostly because the guys whose betrayal is meant to hit you like a knife in the back were jerks anyway. Even worse, the voice acting is some of the worst I've heard from a major game franchise since I don't know when. Perhaps all of last decade.
The gameplay, on the other hand, is as good as one would expect from the Ace Combat franchise. The controls are as smooth as butter, and the combat is as satisfying as ever. To break up the monotony you can do some things like take-offs and mid-air refueling, but you can skip them if you want to jump right into the combat. However, pretty quickly you'll wonder why your teammates can't seem to take out any target whatsoever.
The reason for this is because you can in fact bring in up to three other live players via ad hoc or infrastructure mode. Suddenly the lackluster campaign missions take on a whole new life. Playing with other people really adds a level of excitement, as you take down targets in tandem, or compete to see who can take down the most enemies. If playing cooperatively isn't your thing, you can also play in several competitive versus modes.
Of course, like any Ace Combat game, there's a surplus of planes, weapons, plating, and so which you can upgrade. And you'll have no problem telling the planes apart, as the graphics are detailed and thorough.
While not the best Ace Combat game (in fact, it may be the weakest entry in the series to date), Joint Assault still has some high points. The cooperative play is fast and exciting, the planes are detailed, and the gameplay is satisfying. If you can get past the horrid voice acting and bland plot, and have some friends who want to join in on the fun, then Joint Assault would be worth a look or two. Recommended.
Discuss This Game on Our Official VGT Forum