Ending on a high? Or crash-landing in a heap?
The biggest downside to the campaign is that missions can really drag on. Just when you've spent 20 minutes clearing the air of half-a-dozen targets and think you've completed the current mission, back-up will arrive. Kill them off and more fighters will descend on your position. This is fairly short campaign as it is - clocking in at about 6-7 hours - so it's disappointing that some missions are strung out. As a result, there are moments during the campaign that become somewhat draining and repetitive.The developer does attempt to mix things up with some on-rails sections that don't require you to fly, along with aircraft- and helicopter-based missions that feel much slower than piloting a fighter jet. Jumping on the gunner of an MH-60 Blackhawk and clearing the roof-tops of rebels and targeting tanks and vehicles - getting down really close to the ground - is entertaining, even though we've seen this sort of thing a dozen times before.
The helicopter missions are fairly well done and it's exciting whizzing across the city helping ground troops clear a path toward a building in the centre of the map. More convoys arrive from different directions and you're tasked with stopping them before they get to your troops. Helicopters are a lot of fun to use and controls are responsive, but this particularly sequence relies a little too much on the over-the-top evading tactic of doing a loop-the-loop every few seconds to avoid RPG fire from the rebels. Nonetheless, helicopters prove to be a great addition to the series.
Assault Horizon's multiplayer is a mixed bag. While attacking or defending world capitals, such as Paris and Washington D.C, can be tactically engrossing with the right team backing you up, helicopter-only dogfights and deathmatches in general can be frustrating due to multiple spawn areas which can land you right in the thick of the action before you can get your bearings.
Nonetheless, there are options available to choose your settings for each match and you can search for your favourite game-types via a decent match-making system. The addition of Call Of Duty-style perks allow you to improve, say, firepower or turning ratios, and it's a rewarding mechanic as you slowly soup-up your aircraft and reap the benefits during skirmishes.
Switching weapons and choosing the right craft comes more into play during multiplayer, and coordinated attacks with team-mates via the "Friendly Assist System" are satisfying to execute, causing maximum devastation to enemy units. With only four multiplayer game modes, there could have been more variety, but the multiplayer community is currently buzzing and looks set to be a fun place for fans of flight combat to hang out over the coming months.
Visually, you can't knock Assault Horizon. Mountains, lakes and buildings were mapped with satellite imagery so from the skies above look quite incredible, and there's plenty of variation as you cross the Middle East, Moscow, Tokyo and Hawaii. And there are some iconic sights, too, particularly when you're lighting up the skies around, for example, the Eiffel Tower.
While some will believe this Ace Combat makeover represents an evolution and new direction for the series, old-school fans may dismiss it as a cop out. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, there's no denying that Assault Horizon's single-player campaign has its fair share of thrills and spills and is a good benchmark for future games in the series, while its comprehensive multiplayer offering is going to keep flight fans entertained for a long time.
The Good
Nice change of pace with variation of mission-types.Dogfight mode adds balance
Strong multiplayer community and rewarding online perks
The Bad
Campaign missions can drag on unnecessarily
Helicopter missions lack the impact they could have had. Room for improvement, though.
Limited multiplayer modes
HEXUS Rating
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
HEXUS Where2Buy
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is available to buy from Play.com.
HEXUS Right2Reply
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