Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
North American box art
Developer(s)	Project Aces
Publisher(s)	Namco Bandai Games
Designer(s)	Satoshi Kawase
Composer(s)	Keiki Kobayashi Tetsukazu Nakanishi Hiroshi Okubo Junichi Nakatsuru Ryuichi Takada
Series	Ace Combat
Platform(s)	Xbox 360
Release date(s)	NA October 23, 2007 JP November 1, 2007 EU November 23, 2007 AUS December 13, 2007
Genre(s)	Arcade, Combat Flight Simulator
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen) PEGI: 12+ CERO: A (All ages)
Media/distribution	DVD-DL

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (エースコンバット6 解放への戦火, Ēsu Konbatto Shikkusu Kaihō e no Senka^?) is the sixth installment developed by Project Aces and published by Namco Bandai Games exclusively for the Xbox 360 as part of the Ace Combat franchise. It was released on October 23, 2007 in North America, November 1 in Japan, November 23 in Europe, and December 13 in Australia.

Gameplay

Gameplay during co-op mode. The player, center, is surrounded by the HUD in this camera view.

Throughout Ace Combat 6, the player must pilot a fighter jet or other aircraft to destroy foes both in the air and on the ground. As an arcade flight game, it simplifies flight controls and gives the player a large amount of bullets, missiles and other weapons, putting them up against a very large amount of enemy forces. In addition to missiles and a vulcan cannon, the player can equip special weapons such as heat-seeking missiles, bombs, rocket launchers, and others. The player can lock on to a number of foes, and assist different tactical squads by switching between their respective HUD readouts.

The game includes 4 default multiplayer modes: Battle Royale, Siege Battle, Team Battle, and Co-Op Battle. In Battle Royale, the basic Deathmatch game mode, up to sixteen players shoot each other down to earn the highest points at the time limit. In Team Battle, a basic Team Deathmatch game is created. Points are awarded based on the type of aircraft destroyed. A unique type of multiplayer game, Siege Battle is played with two teams, Attacking and Defending. The Attacking team attempts to destroy the target (usually heavily defended by flak) within the time limit. The Defending team tries to halt their attack. The co-op battle mode consists of two single-player missions without AI that can be played with up to three other humans.

Plot

Characters

Main article: List of Ace Combat characters

Story

Ace Combat 6 follows the fictional war between the Republic of Emmeria and the Federal Republic of Estovakia on the Anean continent, north of Yuktobania. It begins with the invasion of the Emmerian capital, Gracemeria, by the Estovakian Air Force on August 30, 2015. Players take on the role of an Emmerian pilot and squadron leader who has the callsign Talisman. The player's wingman goes by the callsign Shamrock, and will fight alongside Talisman throughout the entire game. Both characters are assigned to the Garuda team of the Emmerian Air Force's 28th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Prior to the war, an asteroid shower devastated Estovakia while Emmeria was left unscathed. After a period of chaos and civil war, the country was taken over by The Generals, who begin a massive military buildup to invade Emmeria.

The game begins in the Emmerian capital of Gracemeria, with the story of Melissa Herman as she watches her daughter getting on to a school bus for a field trip. As she watches, an enemy plane suddenly swoops in and fires on the King's Bridge, the one Matilda's school bus will be crossing, cutting it in half. Emmerian pilots are scrambled to meet what has turned out to be an all out surprise attack by the Estovakian Air Force and this is where the player is introduced into the game.

The Emmerian Air Force and Navy manage to beat back the first wave only to suffer heavy casualties from Nimbus cruise missiles launched from the P-1112 Aigaion. Ace pilots from the Estovakian Air Force's "Strigon Squadron" arrive on the heels of the attack to establish air supremacy over Gracemeria. An evacuation is ordered by Air Defense Command and all pilots are informed that the Army is planning a mass rendezvous on Khesed Island, still under the control of Emmeria.

During the next few missions, Garuda Team are tasked to assist ground forces cut off from the bulk of the Emmerian Army and eventually aid in conducting a landing at Rargom Beach in Anea, before rescuing various units trapped at Silvat Town. An eventual confrontation with the P-1112 Aigaion leads to its destruction alongside several members of the Strigon Squadron assigned to protect it, removing the threat of its Nimbus anti-air missile system in future operations. During a later mission, Air Defense Command orders all forces to suddenly pull out just as they are on the verge of success. Shamrock ignores the order and engages members of the Strigon Squadron that are in the area, forcing Talisman to assist. They are both severely reprimanded for disobeying orders. It is revealed that Estovakia is planning to disperse chemical weapons inside Gracemeria as a last resort option should Emmeria succeed in breaking through. After a short restriction from flying, Garuda Team is tasked with the destruction of the WMD catalyst stationed at Fort Norton. After its destruction, the Emmerian military is now free to begin the Liberation of Gracemeria.

After an intense ground, naval and air battle, the Emmerians manage to liberate Gracemeria. Ilya Pasternak, the new leader of the Strigon Squadron, orders his squadron to retreat and faces off against the Garuda Team in the skies over the city alone and nobly sacrifices himself, knowing that Garuda Team is superior, but wanting the final challenge. Garuda team and various other pilots are then assigned to a night-time air patrol over the capital city in celebration. During the patrol, Shamrock reveals that his family, his wife and daughter, who he had been fighting for all along, were killed in the war and that he could not call himself an Ace pilot since he was unable to defend those he cared most about, and announces that he intends to resign after the mission. Subsequently, a surprise wave of cruise missiles are launched at Gracemeria from a previously unknown Estovakian weapon, the Chandelier, accompanied by stealth fighters which engage the pilots. Garuda Team proceeds to shoot down the missiles before any serious damage is done. During this time, Melissa is reunited with her daughter. Lt. Colonel Voychek, an Estovakian officer, is disgusted at his country's willingness to slaughter civilians and hands over vital information concerning Chandelier, including its weaknesses.

The final mission takes place deep within Estovakian territory, the only time Emmeria enters Estovakian territory throughout the game. They manage to slip past the Chandelier's defenses and damage the railgun's cooling systems but fail to destroy the weapon. Shamrock then goes on a suicide mission to locate the final weakness of the weapon by performing a recon of the loading trench below the gun to confirm the position of a backup cooling unit. With his plane heavily damaged by anti-aircraft fire, he crashes his plane into the ground. Talisman follows through with the destruction of the cooling unit, before flying into the barrel of the cannon to blast the core, destroying the Chandelier. Voychek narrates the ending, stating that Estovakia's war was born out of desperation and convinced that it was still the right thing to do under the circumstances, but also hoping for a peaceful future between both nations. He also reveals that The Generals were ousted from power as a result of the war and the new government negotiated a peace deal with Emmeria. Shamrock is also seen narrating the ending, however he is restricted to a wheelchair due to injuries sustained from the crash. The final cutscene shows him arriving at the Herman household, which has become a shelter for war orphans. The scene finishes with Shamrock narrating to Talisman that the peace between both nations had been what they'd always been fighting for and that it had finally come.

Downloadable content

Namco has released seven sets of downloadable paint schemes for Ace Combat 6's aircraft. These paint schemes modify the plane's maneuverability, speed, armor, and payloads.^[1] Among the schemes available are those of Ace Combat 2's protagonist, paint schemes based on aircraft prototypes, an A-10 with the Shark mouth, and a Halloween paint scheme for the F-14D that gives the plane stealth capabilities. "Colored Wings", aircraft with monotone paint schemes each themed to a different color for airshows are also available. There are also a series of paint schemes modeled after various Ace Squadrons from previous games. These Ace Squadron colors include the Grabacr and Razgriz Squadrons from Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War; the Rot Squadron (EF-2000 Typhoon), Espada Squadron (Rafale M), Gault Squadron (Su-47 Berkut), Galm Team (Cipher and Pixy F-15E), and Crow Team (PJ F-16C, currently not available) from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War; Mobius 1 (F-22A Raptor) and Yellow Squadron (Su-37) from Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies; Gryphus 1 (F-22A Raptor) from Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception and Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere organizations UPEO (Eurofighter Typhoon) and General Resources (A/F-117 Nav Hawk).

In addition to the above, allusions to several characters exclusive to the Namco Bandai game The Idolm@ster are featured.

Furthermore, Japanese players were awarded a bonus for pre-ordering the game online. The bonus came in the form of a card with two codes on it. Both would unlock special paint schemes for the F-15E Strike Eagle, based on the Yellow 13 Su-37 and Mobius 1 F-22A Raptor from Ace Combat 04.

Namco has also released downloadable co-op versions of single player missions. Ragno Fortress, and Chandelier are now available in addition to The Aigaion and San Loma which came with the game.

As of early November 2007, GAME, a leading UK gaming retailer, awarded the same pre-order bonus to buyers in the United Kingdom.

Ace Edge

Ace Combat 6 Flight Stick
(Ace Edge)

Ace Combat 6 Flight Stick
Manufacturer	Hori, Namco Bandai
Generation	Seventh generation era
Retail availability	October 23, 2007
Connectivity	USB

The Ace Edge is a joystick and throttle controller designed specifically for Ace Combat 6. Produced by Hori, it was only made available for purchase in a special-limited edition package of the game. The Ace Edge package was only officially released in North America and Japan. The price of the package was $149.99 US dollars. The package also includes an Ace Combat 6 faceplate for an Xbox 360.

It is called "Flight Stick EX" in Japan. It is very similar to the Saitek X45 HOTAS joystick / throttle system popular with PC flight simulation players. The throttle unit is identical, while the control column is slightly different (likely to better accommodate Xbox button maps). The top of the X45 stick featured two 8-way hat switches, one on the left and one at the bottom, and three thumb buttons above them with one under a safety cover; the Ace Edge retains the left 8-way hat switch, but swaps the positions of the thumb buttons and the second hat switch, with three of the Xbox controller's four main buttons in a rearranged order (Y, B and X, left to right, A being the trigger) below an analog mini-stick rather than a second hat switch. The stick also features both a flexible sleeve over the shaft and spring, and a wrist pad, neither present on the Saitek X45.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	81.57% (56 Reviews)[2]
Metacritic	80/100 (54 Reviews)[3]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly	6.5, 6.5, 8.0[4]
Game Informer	8.75/10
GameSpot	8.5/10[5]
IGN	8.4/10[6]
Official Xbox Magazine	8.5/10

The game received positive reviews from critics,although these were significantly lower than the previous games. TeamXbox gave it an 8.8/10 rating.^[7] While X-Play rated it a 4/5.^[8]

References

1. ^ Ace Combat 6 DLC Coming Next Week, 1Up.com
2. ^ Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation for Xbox 360 - GameRankings
3. ^ for Xbox 360 at Metacritic.com
4. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly, Issue #222, December 2007. pg. 122
5. ^ "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation". http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/acecombat6/review.html?sid=6181570. 
6. ^ "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (X360)". http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/828/828870p1.html. 
7. ^ "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Xbox 360)". http://games.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1688/Ace-Combat-6-Fires-of-Liberation. 
8. ^ "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation". http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1678/Ace_Combat_6_Fires_of_Liberation.html. 

• EGC Games 83/100 [1]
• Xbox Live Marketplace

External links

• Ace Combat 6 Official Site (Japanese)
• Namco Ace Combat 6 Site (Japanese)
• A list of Xbox 360 Achievements for Ace Combat 6
• Ace Combat Series Wiki