Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Angry Review
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
Developer: Project Aces
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Genre: Flight Combat Simulator
Players: 1 Offline Player, 16 Players Online
Broketober is now in full swing! Angry Joe takes a look at a title that may be flying under the radar, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon! Can it outfly its competition? Find out!
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112 thoughts on “Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Angry Review”
I actually went and downloaded the game after seeing this review and I haven’t regretted it.
Being able to use so many different aircraft leaves a lot of room for experimenting, as well as different types of armaments for different situations. My only real complaints about that is that there’s only…
2 helicopter missions (I actually do like them now that I’m used to using them; Red Moon and Motherland)
1 Attacker mission (Hostile Fleet, using the Warthog and such)
1 Gunner mission (Lock and Load, 2 if you count Shockwave during the opening credits)
…and 1 actual Bomber mission (Launch) which is more like half a mission given the other half has you in a jet protecting said bomber.
If there were more missions involving the use of more specialized aircraft (and maybe a bit more freedom rather than being so linear), I think it could’ve been a lot better and add a bit more diversity.
Personally, I also wonder why they put in the F-117 Nighthawk for Hostile Fleet, given it’s 2014-15 and it was retired in 2008 while also having it using weapons it doesn’t actually have (vulcan cannon and normal missiles like any other jet). Yeah, it’s more of an arcade game than a simulator, but still…
As mentioned, the gameplay can get a bit repetitive, but at the same time, it doesn’t actually bore me by doing so.
And the things that separates the AC-130U mission in ACAH from the AC-130U mission on CoD4 or MW3 is that enemies on the ground actively try to shoot you down (partially because you ARE flying in the daytime and not at night) while it’s also a lot easier for your guys on the ground to get killed since, to me anyway, the areas you’re covering feel a bit larger with more types of enemies (normal, mortars, snipers, etc). With CoD, the only time they ever shoot at the AC-130U is in MW3 in a scripted event (passing MiGs) that takes you back to playing on the ground.
The only tiny advantage the CoD missions have is your ability to freely zoom the camera in and out when aiming, regardless of what weapon you’re using while the ACAH mission has fixed zooms for each weapon, so if you want to zoom in to get a closer look at anything, you’re forced to switch to the 25mm Gatling Gun.
Did you know that GameSpot gave this a 5.5/10 while H.A.W.X 2 is a 7/10?!?!?! That did not make sense to me! I played H.A.W.X 2 and it’s boring! Assault Horizon is more fun even though it is overly scripted and repetitive!
I gave this game 8/10. It’s really not that bad to me, even if you compare it to “Call of Duty” series because there are turret sections and a AC-130 mission. I don’t even think it’s the worst game in the series! Assault Horizon is an “Arcade” game. The previous ones are “Simulators”. DFM is intentionally featured in this game for fast paced action. Though I have to agree with Joe, DFM needs balance because initiate DFM couple more times and it gets repetitive. This game does not lack challenge, I died bunch of times while playing with the original control and started at pilot difficulty. Overall I had fun with this game and I did not regret buying it, unlike H.A.W.X 2.
I always wanted to join the navy seals when I grow up but since this game has something to do with fighter jets I would totally buy it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=636b3Ajp4e0&list=PLCF3AC5A629FE1C37
Only if you know this, you are a true veteran.
This Zileth tool is a moron!
Use the force luke..Bahaha
Also…refillable health bars in an Ace Combat game = Good-bye remaining shred of realism..
Gotta disagree with you Angry Joe. This may have been the worst Ace Combat in the series. It wants so hard to be like Call of Duty, and it barely becomes a flight sim of any kind. I mean…you can’t even barrel roll, the controls are so limited.
Yes, you can barrel roll, you’re just too stupid to figure out how
and no, ace combat assault horizon does not offer traditional combat, because you are forced to use DFM to take down targets… like bombers or mission critical enemies.
Hey Joe, just to say, I am a huge AC fan… DFM was a great idea, but they really glitched it up. go on Ace mode (hardest difficulty), get someone on your tail, and brake to stalling point. look behind you, and the plane will be pushed back, just to stay on your tail. the game was amazing, but they should have reduced the DFM usage in the game. the best new feature in the game, aws ASM (Air Strike Mode), and had little glitches at all. also, if i have a faster plane than an enemy, and they activate DFM on me, (I’m at my top speed) they are immediately put at my speed. the basically took away the importance of speed, from the other games. you should review AC The Unsung War.
Actually I am a MASSIVE AC fan, I absolutely love AC, the first game I got was Shattered Skies and ever since I’ve been hooked. That said I cannot fathom why some people think this game is garbage. This game is freakin Excellent, mechanicly this is exactly where the series needed to go imo. Sure the story was cliche as hell but it’s hard to beat the world of Strangereal so it’s almost not a fair comparison.
erm your angryness may i suggest to remove the bad ass seal..
the game is tedious and after i got the pc version and cleared the single player campaign i feel robed both of my time and my money… i feel like ive done something really bad and dont want to remember the game at all…
Not like ace combats before: Its garbage YOU BASTARDS WHAT HAPPENED TO ACE COMBAT!?!?!?!?!?!?
This game was ok.Though it made me sad as a fan of the series who like ever ace combat a lot before this one.I really hate that you u have to go into a special mode to shot down certain enemies.I loved actually out flying the old bosses.
This looks really really good! I’ve never really owned a flight combat game before; I had a demo of one for the PC but it was a really hard learning curve and I hadn’t got a clue what was going on. If they’re bringing air combat to a level that gamers expect this must be good! I’m going to go ahead and buy it when I get some money together.
This game is more suited for people that like fast-pace, action packed flight games. If you like slow and steady professianal flight games, You’ll like the main series. I persoanally want to buy this game because of all the action and the DFM mode. Also the multiplayer seems way better the Ace Combats 6′s.
Lucky for us. This was only an experiment and not counted for the Main series.
i only watch angry joe game reviews the other ones are liars or being paid off corperet commander
I’m glad I listened to this review rather than the terrible one on Gamespot, DFM is epic, seeing the pilots getting ejected from their plane is so fun.
trust me joe if you played the previous ace combat you would dislike this game
actually maybe i should try it before i disclaim it
Joe this is the one time where I disagree with you I hate this game because I liked all the ps2 ace combats as in 5 and 0 in this one you cant even do a barrrel roll how lame is that
Personaly i think that Ace Combat Zero was a great, i’ve noticed that Ace Combat Assualt Horizon kinda kept the flight controls from the PS2 games theres no more high g turns like in Ace 6 but what bothers me is that the graphics in AH seems a little watered down its not that high detail planes that if you compared to a real one you would have a hard time telling the differance. Dont get me wrong AH is a great game just miss the whole Ustio and Erusia fantsy world Ace Combat got its main settings in the previous games like 5, zero, and 6
While Ace Combat 5 still reigns supreme, the graphics and gameplay make this a great game. Personally I thought it could bit a tad bit longer(still a good length though)and have a bigger selection of helicopters and bombers but still a 8.5 for me.
still have to buy the game love these flight sims… people who like this have to try out “Top Gun; Hard Lock” youll see its fun and cool like this game
Angry Joe i would come to this website a lot more often if the videos were no so laggy and slow. And i know how much you hate choppy screens and annoying sounds (Mind Jack).
Btw Joe? Birds Of Steel also got Quoted commentaries of real fighterpilots from back in the days the classic music make you go back too haaha
Ace Combat always had the music that made it more intense then other flight sims.
Got all of the Ace Combat games in the past on PS2 and they never bored me. Although this one lookes fresh, ive tried the DEMO and wasnt FULLY satisfied but liked it a LOT. The controlles are just a BIT too arcade. BTW played the DEMO of Birds of Steel too its awesome love WW2 planes slightly more then modern jets because of their engine sounds VERY different looks and of course the close combat Dogfights. thats why i sure like Ace Combat Assaust Horizon even more then their previous ones. H.A.W.X was a GOOD change too but still a bit too hard to really take an enemie plane down sometimes with just the guns
Pretty comprehensive review for someone who claims to have never played an Ace Combat game. I personally enjoy AC6 with the HOTAS combo.
The reason they added DFM was for exactly the reason you described: Aces in previous games do not have to conform to the same physical rules that everyone else does, meaning dogfights with aces usually last 10+ minutes and are frustrating as hell. DFM is brilliant in bringing FUN back to the game space.
Hey Joe!!Have you played IL2 Sturmovik Forgotten Battles? I know you totally believe in total game immersion & total game emotion. I struggled home once,,aircraft ‘shot to shit’!!! Holes through the fuselage,, airlerlons damaged,, smoke streaming behind,, one wheel,,,, brought the fucker home!!! Landed & schreeched to a halt !!! Freakin’ awesome!!!!! Correct me if I’m wrong,, but I believe aerial warfare should stay at WW2 level (WW1 is cool too), once you get to jets it’s way too fast for us mere mortals!!!!!!
Arrrrg,,,WTF???? I love yer vids from youboob,,seamless streaming..I think,, WOW!! This dude is COOL!!!! I’ll check his site,, every single freakin’ vid I check out I get this 10 secs of streaming,,,then pause for 3 secs,,, It’s SO FREAKIN’ ANNOYING!!!!! F%*K!!!!!!! SON OF A BISCUIT!!!!!!!! How about low-res versions of yer vids for us poor inferiors overseas?? please??? There’s nothin’ worse than ‘lag’!!
They really should have just called this game ‘Hawx 2: the good edition’. Lets hope they go back to their established world for the next one. How bout another game like electrosphere?
defianatley the coolest airplane game ever now just put it in space
I played the ace dual in the demo and broke out of the on rails part and hit the ace with three missles and it did not go down you have to do the on rails part to kill it.
To me this game is to… arcady? It seams like the Call of Duty of Flight Combat games (i’m not even calling it a simulator). Still you can have lots of fun playing it but some old school gamer’s might get turn off by it’s simplicity.
The Helicopter missions ruin this otherwise outstanding game.
Joe, why don’t you have any facebook fans?
This review has actually interested me in this game, but I would also like to suggest Ace Combat 4:shattered skies for its story. While it has some of the problems that people have issues with and Joe named here with other aerial combat games, the story is special in its own way, and it had made an impression on me when it first came out. I still remember that game fondly simply for the story (though the gameplay was good, just rather traditional for the game type).
Nice review and while its a cool game Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere ([B]the Japanese version [/B] not those scrapped down version that ended up in the USA and Europe), even if the graphics have aged to a certain amount, is still the best in the series.
Glad to see you like the taste of Ace Combat that you were given. If you like Assault Horizon, I highly recommend you play the earlier games like AC4 and AC5. I’ve not played AC:AH yet, but regarding story, AC4 and AC5 (especially the former) display strong storytelling.
great review Joe!by the way could you review NHL 12?i only watch your show for game reviews and i want to see if you like hockey.
Thanks!
AngryKyle
Great Review Joe!! Keep at it!!
“an unbiased fresh look into the game”
that was the target audience for this game. I’m a fan of the older Ace Combat games and I have to say that even though I enjoyed Ace Combat: Assault Horizon and Namco did a great job at making it look, sound and feel amazing, it’s not the Ace Combat I appreciate… the game could do without the DFM and Apache Gunship “dodging” in my opinion, but I have to agree that it was a decent game.
Oh and be warned, Joe, Battlefield 3 is going to have mixed reviews as PC Gamers got the $%^& end of the stick with DRM forcing players to play the game through a web browser. Keep that in mind if/when you get around to reviewing it.
joe ju mast play infamous and infamous 2 and dlc ou sonic generatios vil kam in november 1 and halo4
Im sure most of you angry joe army members will ignore what I have to say, because It’s been done to death.
But I just feel like giving my personal opinion!
It is true that I was hoping for a Space Marine and Dead Island review! Like alot of us I think. But I for one am actually oh so thankful that Joe decides to review games that otherwise may have been overlooked!
For instance, I got really got damn hooked on Two Worlds 2 thanks to Joe! A game which I mave have otherwise completely ignored! And no, that’s not a fanboyish statement, I really liked it! Same goes for Alpha Protocol! I really loved that game!
My point is, and this is important, that I’m grateful, that Joe gives his personal opinion on games he finds worth the time to review, and please, if you are so god damn desperate for confirmation that you choose to fill the comment section with whiny, selfish comments that “We want this and that and this and lord knows what” then by all means, review the games yourself.
It’s that simple!
With that of my chest, i thank you if you took the time to read this and hope that you can relate to my opinion!
And Joe, keep rocking it man!
Peace.
This review was Ace. Maybe on PC if it gets there…
Hey, ya see thats why i love this show. Joe gives his honest opinion and his fans and viewers do like wise. Its nice to see that many share the same opinion or vary for different reasons. Either way they are great to read. And you are 100% correct. if joe just stuck to mainstream garbage, a.k.a COD (no offense meant, its fun but not anything special), instead of games like ace combat and deus ex (i personally had never heard of it until the review) than we would only learn what we already know. and even if they are somewhat mainstream (like skyrim) some still haven’t picked it up (like myself) and want an honest opinion. thanks to all the fans for their input and joe for his. the other thing is trolls….. GO AWAY! all you guys ever say is that he sucks and dosen’t know what he is talking about. BUT NEVER GIVE ANY EXAMPLES OR EXPLAIN WHY HE SUCKS! its cool if you don’t agree with him or don’t like him, but then either don’t watch him or be respectful in presenting your opinion.