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ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE
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ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

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People are still in their honeymoon phase with this game,
As for me, I typically dislike Ace Combat games at first, until they eventually grow on me. Granted, I just finished mission 21, and I think it's a good game, but it's not without faults.

My 3 biggest criticisms is the actual lack of setting content, mission design and music.

<setting>
I am tempted to gather a bunch of screenshots from each mission that takes place over a sea with clouds, and then ask fans to name to which mission they belong to.
Besides repeating some stages (Theve, Selatapura, Comona), there are a lot of missions that take place at the sea, which tends to look the same.

Make no mistake, I am over the moon I got to see Comona again, and with different time of days, and specially since the series is scratching space again... but I gotta be objective here.

<mission design>
It feels like most missions are escort/defense types of missions. Maybe it's just the game causing that sense of urgency, and I'm not saying it's terrible, because it tends to keep the combat pace, but it feels like I have lost a bit of freedom.

I got curious and have spoiled myself, and I know the final mission is anti-climatic. Also, not (main-path) tunnel run. Perhaps a 3-mission DLC could fix this, but IDK how the game actually ends yet, so maybe it's not possilbe.

<music>
The music is not bad, at all, but it lacks personality. There hasn't been a song that has caught my ears yet (I'm at mission 22), and by now, AC7 has had a lot more deliveries. I'm not a music person, but it's like previous ACs had their own "style", but this game feels kinda generic. It's like in Final Fantasy where each game had its own style, and then came FF15 (and FF7R1) and felt this way too.
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Showing 1-10 of 10 comments
TotesAdorbs
Oct 11 @ 3:00pm 
You should really wait until you finish the game. I have a feeling your opinions may change, at least a little.

Regarding your first point, the setting, I feel like the clouds of each mission are half of the setting design, especially on the maps which are mostly or entirely sea. I understand why they spent so much time developing and hyping their cloud tech, they've really done some cool things with the usage of clouds in these levels I think. I also feel quite strongly that if given a picture of one of the distinct cloud formations in any of those sea missions, I could absolutely tell you which mission it came from.
#1
蛍Firefly
Oct 11 @ 3:02pm 
Here's a good thought.
AC8 is AC7 again. Nothing worse, but nothing better.
#2
TotesAdorbs
Oct 11 @ 3:03pm 
Originally posted by 蛍Firefly:
Here's a good thought.
AC8 is AC7 again. Nothing worse, but nothing better.

I disagree pretty strongly. I think this is by far the best AC game I've yet played (though I've never played the first 3 on PS1).

AC7 on the other hand, for some reason, could never keep my interest long enough for me to finish the full story mode before I would find myself just inevitably drifting off to play some other game. I've given it 4 attempts at this point, it just doesn't do it for me.
#3
Jonathan J. O'Neill
Oct 11 @ 3:04pm 
Originally posted by 蛍Firefly:
Here's a good thought.
AC8 is AC7 again. Nothing worse, but nothing better.

I have to say AC8 is FAR better than AC7.

Convicts with planes and the overuse of BS maneuverability on the UAVs made 7 extremely unfun. Especially after getting saddled with Count for three-quarters of the game.

Like my review says, it ties AC5 as the best in the franchise, IMO.
Last edited by Jonathan J. O'Neill; Oct 11 @ 3:05pm
#4
Selgald
Oct 11 @ 3:09pm 
Originally posted by 蛍Firefly:
Here's a good thought.
AC8 is AC7 again. Nothing worse, but nothing better.

I like AC7 more, in AC8 they spent too much time on "press F to pay respect" like stuff. And the missions were too much alike.

Also MP just sucks, they did the absolute minimum.
Last edited by Selgald; Oct 11 @ 3:09pm
#5
Jonathan J. O'Neill
Oct 11 @ 3:11pm 
Originally posted by Selgald:
Originally posted by 蛍Firefly:
Here's a good thought.
AC8 is AC7 again. Nothing worse, but nothing better.

I like AC7 more, in AC8 they spent too much time on "press F to pay respect" like stuff. And the missions were too much alike.

Also MP just sucks, they did the absolute minimum.

It's pretty prompt heavy at the start but that goes away almost entirely by mission ten or twelve. Also, entirely optional. You don't have to hit any prompts and the Yes/No responses only matter in mission 27 and 30.
Last edited by Jonathan J. O'Neill; Oct 11 @ 3:12pm
#6
RAWRmonger
Oct 11 @ 3:24pm 
Originally posted by TotesAdorbs:
You should really wait until you finish the game. I have a feeling your opinions may change, at least a little.
I'm sure it will, and I will like it for what it is.
Only (quite a few) replays will tell the truth.

But I think this will stay below AC7 (even the base game) in some aspects.
And AC0 still has the better campaign of the series.
#7
Jonathan J. O'Neill
Oct 11 @ 3:25pm 
Originally posted by RAWRmonger:
And AC0 still has the better campaign of the series.

You shut your Belkan mouth!
#8
蛍Firefly
Oct 11 @ 3:42pm 
Hrmph, I thought it was a good observation. Both games have linear stories with linear missions and alot of melodrama mid-mission that makes it difficult for me to replay as I just want to get back to blasting stuff.

Maybe I expected too much evolution after what was a safe "we're back" moment with AC7. More than 3 SPWs per plane, maybe scrapping the Aircraft Tree in favor of a more classic system where you can buy and sell whatever you want, reintroduce ACX style acts where your path determines differences between the missions, AC6 style operations where you can have multiple methods to complete a mission and can skip out on ops you don't like, ACJA or ACAH style campaign/mission co-op multiplayer, Project Wingman, HAWX2, or ACJA hardpoint/loadout system (you can field 2 SPWs, a good start, but each plane is limited to 3 SPWs still), less scripted dramatic dogfights with enemies who are invincible until they say they're not anymore...

Now, I'll give credit where it's due. The part system is superior and easier to understand than ACI and AC7 while offering more potential than ACX, ACJA, and ACAHL, but could use more depth, more give-and-take. ACI style multiplayer is a good start but it seriously needs work. More meat, more balance, I stopped playing because all paths lead to LAAM and I won't play a game I'm not having fun in. The initial plane lineup (more than 2 attackers) and SPW ratio (read: only 1 plane got MGPs, 1 got SODs, and 1 got XSDBs) is better. And, of course, they always knock it out of the park for graphics, sound design, controls, and gameplay, every game, except ACJA. I hate ACJA... Damn Sulejmani...
#9
Soren
Oct 11 @ 5:20pm 
Originally posted by RAWRmonger:
My 3 biggest criticisms is the actual lack of setting content, mission design and music.
I guess I can agree with the music criticism. I'm 12 missions in personally so far. I do think AC7 and AC6 had some real good music moments throughout their campaigns. The liberation of Gracemaria in 6, Daredevil in 7. And AC8 is just kind of normal for a video game and not quite at their level (yet). Maybe I'll disagree after I beat the campaign here in 8.

I like the mission design so far though. I think it's around what 7 had, which I also liked. It's been almost 2 decades since I played 6, so I can't even remember what the mission design was actually like. I just remember liking it too. Along with it's music.
#10
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ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE > General Discussions > Topic Details
Date Posted: Oct 11 @ 2:55pm
Posts: 10
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