Ace Combat | |
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The logo used from 2004 to present
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Genres | Combat flight simulator |
Developers |
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Publishers | Bandai Namco Games |
Platforms | |
Platform of origin | Arcade |
Year of inception | 1992 |
First release |
Air Combat December 1992 |
Latest release |
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus January 29, 2015 |
Ace Combat (エースコンバット; Ēsu Konbatto) is a hybrid flight simulation action video game series featuring 18 games published by the Japanese company Bandai Namco Games and produced by Project Aces, an internal development team. The series emphasizes fast-paced action and dramatic plots, and has established itself as one of the longest running arcade flight action franchises.
Most games of the series take place in the same fictionalized world populated with fictional countries with details loosely based on real-life location, events, and wars. One of the main selling points of the series is the ability to pilot a range of aircraft that include accurate or slightly modified representations of present-day military aircraft, prototypes that never saw actual battle, and completely fictional boss-type superweapons. Longtime fans of the series are rewarded with small hints of the continuity between the games, as some characters and events are referenced from one game to another.
The first three titles in the series were released on the Sony PlayStation system: (Air Combat also known as Ace Combat in Japan, Ace Combat 2 and Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere). Three subsequent titles were released on the PlayStation 2: (Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War). Two titles were released on the PlayStation Portable: Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception and Ace Combat: Joint Assault. One title was released on the Xbox 360: Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion was released on the Apple iOS in 2009. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows, making it the only multiplatform title in the series. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy was released for the Nintendo 3DS. In 2013, they revealed Ace Combat Infinity, the first free-to-play title in the series, which was released in 2014 exclusive to the PlayStation 3. On December 5, 2015, the next main installment in the series, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, was announced, and is set to be released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam.