Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation Review

You have to admit, at some point in your life you probably wanted to be pilot of some sort. Whether you have seen the Blue Angels, watched Top Gun, or enjoyed the stories about the Red Baron, the notion of hoping into a cockpit and banking for negative Gs might get your blood pumping…into the Danger Zone. Okay, Top Gun references aside, there are few console titles which can deliver a proper flying experience; in its essence, it’s a niche-genre that still holds strong to the PC format. In 2007, Namco Bandai looked to reclaim its dominance of console-based flight action with Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. Presented more as an arcade title than simulator, AC6 integrates licensed aircraft with fictional conflict for an exceptional entry into the franchise.Stovies are to Soviets, as Emmerians are to Americans…Back before Namco had a surname, Air Combat was released on the Playstation, introducing the mid-90’s to a new arcade, flight-simulator. Fast forward to our current-gen, and we see how the franchise has evolved: An engaging, conflict-ridden title with beautifully recreated fighter jets. Ace Combat 6 doesn’t deviate from the established formula of past titles, but this 360-exclusive takes competent gameplay and delivers action well.Like earlier Ace Combat games, Fires of Liberation is set on a fictional continent, and is divided between the nations of Estovakia and Emmeria—although the names may be made up, it’s entirely possible to call Estovakia, Soviet Russia, and Emmeria, the United States. The story starts off as Estovakia invades Emmeria years after a giant meteor has destroyed the infrastructure of Estovakia, with military generals taking over political power. The plan is simple: take over Emmeria because it is a prosperous country that didn’t suffer from the Ulysses disaster. Apparently, in this alternate world, either international aid doesn’t exist, or the Emmerians are totally selfish.In either case, you play as Talisman, Garuda Team leader of the Emmerian Air Force, and your routine day has just been ruined by the attacking Estovakians, complete with Russian accents. As you retreat from the capital, after specialized missiles demonstrate your military inferiority, the goal of the game becomes recovering your republic from the invaders through a succession of 13 missions, and two epilogue sorties. The story elements unfold through cutscenes before and after each mission. Instead of following Talisman, the story is about the people affected by the conflict, as well as how they inf




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