Ace Combat 4: still INCREDIBLE... 20 Years Later
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2023
- Today, we're taking a look at a classic. Ace Combat 4 is a testament to the fact that gripping and emotional story telling can be told with still images and exceptional narration.
Action packed combat that strikes a good balance between realism and fun makes this game hold up surprisingly well to this day. - เกม
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Hey there all - Neil Howard here, voice of AWACS Sky Eye in AC4...just wanted to reach out and say thank you all for your continued love for this amazing game! It's amazing to see how much appreciation is still out there for it. Thank you all and here's to 20 more years!
your voice is one of the main reasons the games are so memorable to me ... i still hear it in my head 20 years on ...
Was Ac4 the only voice acting you did in the series? I feel like you were the voice of AWACS in AC5 too
"All aircraft follow Mobius 1!" 😎👍
Thank you for being the incredible voice of the best wary, watchful eye in the entire series. AWACS SkyEye will forever be my AWACS of choice if I'm jetting off into battle
Is today your birthday?
22 years later and that soundtrack is still in my head, which is impressive as i was five when i played it.
It gave me chills when I heard the opening again, so iconic.
@@JarboeGamingThe Megalith ost and AWACS SkyEye calling out newly formed Mobius Squadron always gives me chills. In the whole game you're always a lone squadron, yet in the last mission, you have friends you lead to victory. Sure you have Omega, Viper, and Rapier squadron but having Mobius Squadron is another level of emotional rollercoaster
Fun fact: in Ace Combat 7 The Erusean ace you fight, Mr.X/Mihay is the man who trained Yellow 13.
Also, the Stonehenge defence mission is also a perfect allegory for the Razgriz, once it was a monster that only destroyed, however rose again as a hero and saviour, one final time.
I was in Navy ROTC for 3 years. Our instructors were active officers in the Navy and USMC. I had to see the Marine Officer instructor in his office once. He was a Harrier pilot, and on the shelf in his office behind his desk, was a copy of AC4. The only game he had on display.
Absolutely loved AC 4 and 5, that fact that I can still recall their stories and missions after all this time reminds me how much I played them all those years ago.
Even after 30 years, I still love this franchise so very much!! It's just engrained into my memory, like how Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, & Spyro the Dragon are to me. Sometimes I would keep replaying the campaigns over & over, but using 1 specific jet from begining to end.
4, 5, Zero, the legendary three
I played 4 and 5 when I was a kid on my PS2 in the mid-late 2000s. Such a amazing set of games from Ace Combat.
Did you know there are three kinds of games I will still drag out my PS2 to play?
Those that have the best story (AC04)...
Those that have the best visuals (AC5)...
And that have the best boss fights and music (ACZ).
Those are the three.
@@Towboatincertainly not in that order 😂
But unfortunately it’s a Very opinionated franchise
A minor correction: Yellow 13 actually is in the skies above San Salvacion in the Emancipation mission. In that mission, you can find 5 aircraft marked as "Yellow" -- the entire Yellow Squadron, including Y13. They're scattered across the map, spread thin trying to defend on multiple fronts. You can shoot down 4 of them, at which point the 5th one flees west off the map (and becomes invincible so you can't break the storyline by shooting down Y13 early).
The interesting thing that AC04 does differently from the later games is that sometimes, Yellow Squadron is just there in the mission, with no fanfare. You only find out when you switch targets and suddenly see the word YELLOW on your HUD. Emancipation is one example, and Comona is the other. In AC5 onward, every notable enemy squadron or ace gets some kind of intro sequence, and a musical cue to go along with them. I don't know if this was a deliberate design choice in AC04, but it gives these encounters an oddly casual feeling, as if you and the Yellows are both just running into each other on the job, as opposed to the "fated encounter" feel of the later games. Even the encounter in Farbanti feels like that, because there's no musical cue when Yellow Squadron shows up. It's just "business as usual" for Mobius 1.
I once did a playthrough where I challenged myself to both S-rank every mission on Ace difficulty and hit or kill as many Yellows as possible in every mission where they appear. In Lifeline, it's actually possible to score a hit on a Yellow during the chase sequence, though the game doesn't acknowledge it because you're not supposed to be able to yet. In Comona, you can find Yellow Squadron mixing it up with everyone else in the furball, but after you score a single hit on any of them, they all flee (in character for Y13, keeping his wingmen alive!). Then of course you shoot Y4 down at Stonehenge, then up to 4 Yellows in San Salvacion as mentioned above, and finally all the Yellows in Farbanti and Megalith.
In the vein of "casually appearing dangerous enemies," the opposite drove me insane in the later games. You spent half the game in AC4 dealing with the knowledge that Stonehenge and Yellow Squadron were out there wanting to eat you. Scinfaxi/Hrimfaxi? Splat on the spot. Arkbird? Splooshed when discovered. SOLG? Bonked directly after introduction. Excalibur sliced your transports? Tower of Piza'd the next day. Hresvelgr? Dumpstered following the reveal cutscene. Then they apparently noticed this trend and whiplashed hard in 6, revealing the ace squadron and superweapon in the very first mission, however besides a couple minor mentions/cruise missile encounters the Aigaion was pretty much forgotten until it faceplanted. Then Pasternak proceeded to be the most annoying dillweed in the history of rivals, maybe even including Blue.
@@OOZ662 I would say that in the case of AC5, the scinfaxi, hrimfaxi, and arkbird show just how powerful the main cast are. They didn't feel like threats because YOU are the threat. Yuktobania never managed a successful landing on Osea because Osea had a squad of demons on their side, that happened to be on the first base Yuktobania attacks.
Regarding the "Casual Encounters"
with YELLOW Squadron, I liked the lack of announcement to their presence in some of the missions.
Switching/flipping through targets to select a specific one, only to have my thoughts and plans rudely interrupted by the shocking realization of their presence was/is an appealing aspect of the game for me. Made if feel more alive.
Yellow 13 actually IS present in Mission 15: Emancipation, the 5 Yellow Squadron aircraft just split up to cover 3 different areas. I actually challenged myself to shoot down as many of the 5 planes as I could in the mission. As soon as I shot down aircraft number four, the last Yellow Squadron aircraft bugged out of the combat zone at Mach 2. Never could catch him.
Interesting, I didnt know this, thank you for sharing!
This game… this game literally changed my life. I don’t say that lightly. Of all the Ace Combats I’ve played, of all the games I’ve conquered, this one by far reigns supreme.
Thank you for covering it!
We can all agree on one thing: Mobius 1 was the most memorable protagonist in video games ever spanning across more than one game and contributed to the success of ac4
Though Phoenix 01 Scarface is like the Mentor of Mobiüs 01
I mean, there's a reason why his Raptor (and sometimes, his Phantom) has appeared in every single game released since, either as a bonus, unlock, DLC or whatever.
Absolutely true. There's something about the OST, the menu sounds, the HUD, that just feels so late 90s/early 00s. It's this aesthetic and feeling that no other AC has ever captured for me.
Ace Combat will always have a special place in my heart, especially 04. I love the others but Shattered Skies/Distant Thunder had that feeling I can't describe. Imagine how exited I felt when we returned to Usea in AC7. All those references, throwbacks... A love letter to fans
I actually just picked up 7 on PC with it's current Steam sale, will be some content on it in the future!
@@JarboeGamingoverall it’s really good though it has a few issues most notably translation errors an example of this is (spoilers btw) when avril is talking about the continental and circumpacific war she talks about them as though they’re the same war though that isn’t what’s said not in the Japanese translation atleast another thing is while most of the important plot points and events are explained in game some things are only explained in the aces at war art book which also adds extra lore to some of the older games this was most likely due to the rushed development so they weren’t able fit everything in the game. Also did you get the dlc missions? They’re really good.
@@analt2379 I picked up the Top Gun Maverick edition, I'm not 100% sure if that includes the DLC missions, but I'll pick them up of it doesn't.
@@JarboeGaming those missions aren't even a DLC btw, they're part of a free update similar to Hollow Knight's "DLCs"
Don't forget Ace Combat 5. I loved that game. I still think about it often.
Fun fact, Yellow 013 is a reference to multiple different real life and fictional ace pilots.
1. Erich Hartmann was quoted in saying that he never lost a Wingman, while Yellow 013 had a similar quote of being most proud of never losing a Squadron member.
2. Yellow 013 is obviously a reference to Yellow 14 ie Hans-Joachim Marseille perhaps the greatest fighter pilot to have ever lived skill wise.
I’ll be honest, I don’t think AC has ever reached the heights of 4 since this, even though future games were still solid.
The story doesn’t feel like an anime and portrays war perfectly, 13 is a fantastic character, and the game truly hits hard when it needs too
13s arc is wonderful, a man who had all but one thing. He had a squad who cherished him including a caring women he had as a close friend (I like how they never state if it’s romantic and later we can assume they’re just close friends), he had pride in his country and was a renowned Ace. But he wanted an opponent who could truly match him, give him the fight of his life, he even says it’s okay if he dies in the air.
Then you see him lose EVERYTHING. 4 dies, his squadmates get transferred, the barkeeps daughter he cared about hated him and was a resistance fighter, and the boy he treated as a son calls him a fascist to his face (some could argue that bit was forced but I don’t) and he loses faith in both the war and his country as they stoop to horrific tactics.
But in the midst of all that, losing everything he held dear…The one thing he wanted since the beginning was a great fight against a strong opponent, and he got that, and from what the boy says, he enjoyed his final moments.
He’s a genuinely tragic character with a poetic ending who serves as a fantastic rival.
There are some characters people say compete with him like Pixy, but I find his motivations incredibly dumb (nuking the planet because you hate borders wtf-) and Mihaly just doesn’t compare.
Great gameplay, great portrayal of war, fantastic rival, immensely perfect soundtrack. I used to flip flop on 4 or zero being better, somewhat preferring zero for while, but the more I grow up and learn about war, history and especially writing, the more I appreciate 4 and see flaws in later games.
My only complaints are the QAAMs, they’re broken as hell and make the 13 fight rather easy. The game can also be unfairly hard at points, but not that hard compared to most other series.
Wonderful video, great narration, your voice is excellent.
Great breakdown, 13 is by far my favorite AC character. Yellow Squadron also gave me a love for the the SU series of aircraft. By far my favorite plane to fly in AC and DCS! Appreciate the kind words
Other characters are fun, but 13 to me felt like the most grounded and compelling. No grand motive, just a bro who likes a good fight.
QAAM got nerfed so hard in 5/Zero that you're better off using your standard missiles or XM/XLAAs
I agree that the best game in the series is probably either 4 or Zero. I'd say Zero may be objectively better with the ace styles and mission variants spicing up repeat playthroughs, as well as the overall more refined mission structure, but 4 is definitely still my favorite for all the reasons you listed.
@@TacticalBaguetteZero brought back 2Player split screen .. only if it had electrosphere flight physics and not reuse Ace5 visuals XD
One thing that didn't age well for me that a couple missions felt a bit too long, namely Tango Line and Whiskey Corridor. The missions don't end until the 20 minute time limits are up for either of them. Even if you could somehow destroy every single enemy in those missions (though I think it's practically impossible) you'd still have to wait for time to expire.
But other than that, it's a fantastic game. Arcade-style combat flight simulator, which not only introduced me to the franchise but made me discover my love for aircraft & aviation, and music!
LoL Safe Return would have been Awesome IF it Actually let you destroy ALL the Jammers 😆
You need the extra time to S rank those missions and you need to S rank every mission to unlock the X-02 Wyvern
One of the most haunting moments I had while playing the three Ace Combat series, 4, 5, zero, and 7, was me shooting down yellow 4. I felt tremendous guilt knowing I shot down no 4, I really like Yellow Squadron. I've never felt more emotional playing a videogame ever before in my life and nothing has topped it (probably the Death of Chopper) but still, it literally made me question my actions after that mission and the final battle. I've never ever truly finished watching a cutscene, but Ace Combat 4 is the only one I'll ever sit down and finish the whole scene. It was THAT GOOD
"There is one thing I know for certain, heroes really do exist.." Shit hit me hard when I finally beat the game as a 9 year old, and it still hits me hard almost 20 years later.
Ace combat 4 was the first AC game I ever played, and it took me a few years to fully appreciate the story. To this day I still get chills hearing the opening cutscene
Ever since I was a kid, Ace Combat was the franchise that introduced me to airplanes/jets & Military equipment. But AC4 is the game that holds a special place in my heart, as THE BEST game in the series. It's story is top notch (with a few hiccups), memorable campaign, fantastic variety of jets to fly, awesome soundtrack, & easy to pickup control schemes!! But if I were to categorize the Ace Combat games for what they're best at: Ace Combat 5 for it's long campaign, Ace Combat Zero for it's OST & use of real-life actors in the cutscenes, & Ace Combat 4 for it's story telling. Ace Combat 6 had a great game play, but it's story & cast of characters had nothing to do with Garuda 1. It's "Go Dance with the Angles" saying, got really annoying. Same goes for Ace Combat 7. It may have amazing graphics & surpassing AC4 in sales, but this game tried too hard & too much. The story & characters are on par with AC6, only by a small margin of good missions. DLC missions with the Alicorn, could've easily been in the final games format instead of Bandai Namco being greedy. Count being THE WORST wingman, & "Daredevil"......does not hold a candle to "Zero" from Ace Combat Zero The Belkan War. But overall the Ace Combat series, will forever be one of my favorite game series on par with Metal Gear Solid, Spyro the Dragon Trilogy, Jak & Daxter, Uncharted, & Shadow of the Colssus to name a few.
Thank you for the reply, I can tell this comes from the heart and you really love this series!
Ok like what want buddy but holy shit some of your points suck really bad first of all ac 4 does not have a fantastic variety of jets (atleast not in comparison to the games after it) it has 21 ace combat 5 has 52 ace combat zero has 37 ace combat x has like 30 ace combat 7 has 28 not including dlc and while ace combat 6 has 15 it makes up for the low aircraft count with the fact that every jet is viable and feel very different from one another. Second ace combat 5’s long campaign doesn’t work in its favour the level design is often very flawed and this makes the game a slog to get through especially on repeat playthroughs. Third yes zero has phenomenal soundtrack but you can say that about any mainline entry since 2 also well this isn’t a critique of your comment but i still wanna say this why aren’t you praising it on its story the belkan war is the most nuanced one we’ve had since the corporate war of ac 3 not to mention it’s the only piece of media I know of that does some social commentary on posades (I think that’s how you spell it). Fourth uh what the fuck even is this criticism “the cast of characters has nothing to do with Garuda 1” I assume you’re talking about the cutscene characters, not only is your point bad (not because it’s wrong but because it isn’t actually criticism) but it’s also hypocritical ac4’s cast also rarely ever interacts with let alone has an important connection with mobius 1. Fifth this is a good point ac6 does often have bad dialogue and the occasional good line doesn’t make up for it all that well. Sixth how is the story and characters on par with ac6? 6 has pretty basic not necessarily bad story 7 has a pretty interesting one that shows the dangers of technology with autonomous drones whilst also showing its good side with ISEV. Seventh buddy did we play 2 different games? Ac7 has the best level design in the series as well as a good mix of large scale destruction missions and small scale objective ones it’s made even more replayable with the fact that it has the smoothest best feeling flight model. Eighth if the alicorn missions were a part of the base game it would’ve delayed the game even further so no they couldn’t just release the game with it unless they intended to piss people off also no Bamco isn’t being greedy just for making you pay slightly more for arguably the best missions in the franchise not to mention ac 7 goes on sale pretty often and for good discounts so no Bandai Namco isn’t being greedy. Ninth how is count the worst wingman he has pretty notable character arc and is widely liked as far as I’m aware, maybe your talking about gameplay in which case this is a nitpick at best. Tenth daredevil is literally the only ac soundtrack that syncs with your gameplay and on that merit alone it’s already one of the best soundtracks in gaming and if we’re just talking about the music alone well most musicians who’ve reacted to both song seem to praise both equally or praise daredevil slightly more overall it is a matter of taste but saying daredevil doesn’t hold a candle to zero is just flat out wrong both are great in there own right but there’s an argument to be made that daredevil has the high ground. Overall it seems like you have a lot of nostalgia bias i too have a lot of nostalgia bias but I don’t need to shit on newer releases just to make the old ones seem good. Oh also you might think while reading that I hate ac4 which isn’t true as a matter of fact it’s my 3rd favourite game ever right behind minecraft and halo 3.
From all this, I conclude that the criterias the next Ace Combat must fulfill or excel at are:
1. The graphics of AC7.
2. The scale of AC6.
3. The story of ACZ.
4. The hangar of AC5.
5. The vehicle variety of AC:AH.
6. The multiplayer of AC:AH.
7. The flight model of ACX.
8. The ally function of AC6.
9. The customisation of AC:AH.
Feel free to correct me or suggest more.
@@verticalflyingb737 Don't forget about the ability to color/personalize your fighter jet, like how it was in AC:AH. Only issue I had with AC5s hanger, you couldn't choose your own aircrafts SP (Special Weapons). But yes I do miss the "Allied Support" from AC6, which was absolutely great in helping getting rid of large ammounts of targets on the battlefield. Also let's head to other countries within Strangereal like "Sotoa, Wielvakia, Recta, Ratio, Nordlands, & Gebet". It'd be nice to explore the cultures of those countries.
@@JarboeGamingYou're welcome! This series really made me fall in love with aviation, & it's the closest for me to ever to be in the cockpit of a fighter jet flying in the wide open blue skies!
I got introduced to Ace Combat because my dad played 4. Once he was gone, i picked it up in his stead. 4 holds a very special place in my heart and I'm so glad i got the chance to play it when i did
The parallel story for this game was absolutely beautiful. I remember being captivated by each cutscene. I also remember sitting in silence for a while after the last cutscene. It mad me feel so many different things. I'm sitting in silence now just thinking about it.
Great channel by the way. These are some of the best games ever made on probably the best console ever. I like that you're letting the games speak for themselves. It's a nice change of pace from other content out there.
Hearing the megalith music playing sent a shiver down my spine and nearly brought tears to my eyes. All the mixed emotions and desperation i felt as a kid on that mission came back to me like it was yesterday.
Ace Combat 04 was the most memorable Ace Combat game in my opinion. Everything from the presentation, the music, every mission feeling unique and memorable to the graphics (for its time) stands out. It was truly a work of art. The fact I can still remember voice lines and every music track in my mind after all these years, while other games I played at the time have been almost completely forgotten, speaks for itself.
The dialouge for the end of the Megalith is just so damn uplifting. At that moment you're more than just a fighter pilot and just an Ace, you're a goddamn hero who has stopped an unnecessary tragedy from occur. At that moment the once Shattered Skies can finally mend themselves. Really never fails to make me feel.
This game was my introduction to the series. I remember being around nine years old at the time and seeing the image of a fighter jet on the PS2 cover. I begged my dad to buy it, and that's where my journey with Ace Combat began. Now Ace Combat is my favorite video game series of all time!
Damn, that crash on Whiskey Corridor while already having the mission finished hurt my soul lol. At least it's a fun mission to redo.
One of my favorite video game stories of all time. It's not a complicated story but it's just so well told.
Still incredible in 20 years?! AC04 is incredible forever!
And as they say on the opening screen, "Nothing else comes close"
The narrative, visuals, and gameplay were sublime, but it was the music that got me. The first time I heard Comona, it gave me chills, absolutely stunning composition in the series with Spanish classical guitar, etc.. The titles inspired me to get into 3D modeling professionally, later working in flight simulation, and I work for Microsoft now on MSFS as an aircraft developer.
Seeing AC7 return to it's roots, and centered around such an amazing musical score gave me an opportunity to relive that childhood first impression nearly 20 years later.
That's an incredible story! It definitely inspired my love for aviation.
We'll be touching on AC7 eventually once we make it through the older titles and there will even be some DCS sprinkled in for a little bit of realism now and then.
I am glad this has shown up on my youtube recommended because I love Ace Combat 4 so much it is one of the most impactful games of my life all the way through and it's nice to see others appreciating it.
AC04 is the game that set the bar, not just for the series, but for the entire arcade flight sim genre. It did things that later games, in and out of Ace Combat alike, struggle to do - Storytelling, player freedom, gameplay loop.
Just in terms of storytelling alone, AC04 shows that it isn't the complexity of the story, rather how that story is told, that matters. AC04's story is incredibly basic at brass tax - A man, in his mid-twenties to early-thirties, writing a letter to an ISAF fighter pilot, detailing his experiences as a child during the Continental War. It's a story that any game can and has told, but the way it's told in AC04, with the narrator's stoic, unflinching and unwavering tone and infliction, makes it _feel_ more emotional, more personal than it really is, and the still-image presentation, a stark contrast to the Production IG helmed anime cutscenes of Electrosphere's Japanese release done as a budgetary constraint, helps to sell the notion that every cutscene involving the narrator is a snapshot from his life, rather than the running post-commentary seen in AC5 onward, helped by the artwork itself being simply _gorgeous,_ richly detailed and moody without being edgy or dark. It's also an example of Western censorship improving the tone, rather than detracting - In one of the later cutscenes, the narrator confronts Yellow 13. In the original release, he stole a knife and pistol, to hold Thirteen at gunpoint. In the International release, he is unarmed, the passage of him stealing the gun and knife removed entirely, making the scene more personal and impactful.
AC04 is held in such high regard because it is more than just a war game with planes - It has a soul to it that a lot of other games, including its own sequels, lacks. Its scale is rather small, especially for the setting, but its scope is made more massive for that reason. The narrator's story has very little to do with Mobius 1's, and that is what makes it feel so powerful, so effective. It's for these reasons that AC04 isn't just my favorite game in the series, but my favorite game _period._
Nothing Else Comes Close.
Glad to see Ace combat having more attention, for me its my favorite franchise, there is something about it that i just love a mix of the world, characters, music , aircraft , it just clicks, and i love it, thanks to this video ive seen a few videos of yours , ill join your channel man , good content
AC7 was my first Ace Combat game. I didn't really get its charm at first, but after replaying it a year later with expert controls (whose bright idea was it to turn them off by default anyway?) it suddenly clicked. I immediately downloaded PCSX2 and delved into the Holy Trinity, and oh boy did I have a blast. Even with a huge background games on a variety of platforms, this is now easily my favorite videogame series. A real shame they're so hard remake or port to modern hardware due to plane licensing expenses.
Fun fact, mobius does apear in AC5 but not durring the events of the SOLO but rather in a arcade style mode called Operation Katrina. Aka, taking out remnants of Erusean forces that refuse surender after the war is over.
AC4 is the best game in the series. It's straight forward, no shadowy elements in the background, and a rival you learn to respect and hate to see die. It's why I was VERY disappointed that Erusea was the bad guys again in 7. Would have preferred Erusea be the good guys and Ocea be the villains.
Ace combat 4 was a critical factor in why I’m a pilot today, it was that much of a masterpiece! I should also thank Tetsukazu Nakanishi for making such an amazing soundtrack that made the game so moving.
I love how your allies are always rooting for you in AC4, Skyeye, Omega squadron, and that the enemies start to identify you by your ribbon the more missions you do.
'Lone bandit, he's got a ribbon insignia!'
'Is that a ribbon fighter?'
Your allies even do callouts for you,
'Mobius 1! Missile! Missile!'
'Mobius 1! He's on your tail!'
'Evade! Mobius 1!'
'Mobius 1, Fox-2'
'Mobius 1 shot down a target'
'Thanks for the save Mobius 1!'
Replaying AC4 on emulator and meeting Yellow Squadron again on the oil rig mission gave me chills that no other game can deliver, they give off an aura of superiority and mystique to them despite being blips on your radar which was all carried by their dialogue, as corny as the writing is.
100% agree. In the final mission when its called out "They all have ribbons", it gives you such a badass feeling
For context I'm 37; the first game I played was Pong after my dad borrowed it off a friend. There are two 'franchises' that make me feel like a true literary hero in the way that no game, never mind movie or computer game could, and they're Metal Gear and Ace Combat.
The player, after playing MGS1 or AC4 comes out of it with an understanding of what I think is a more eastern (I'm from the UK so obv that will change, based on geography) perspective of protagonism (not a word), and that is an understanding of 'enemy' and 'sacrifice'.
Solid Snake learns his history, he realises the Big Bad is in essence himself, he and his bro are genetically both hero and villain, and that's the point. Ace Combat 4, 5, and definitely 6, the Big Bad again is the player. In AC4, what is the difference between Mobius 1 and Yellow 13? They're artists at what they do, they have a belief in what they are doing is correct, and they RESPECT their opponents and the skills they possess. The equality in their abilities make them (and the human player) look inwards at their motives and what they're fighting for. Patriotism, loyalty, etc is X, but connecting with someone in their shoes, for lack of a better term is Y, and we don't get that enough these days. Blind loyalty is not loyalty. It creates a morally grey area where the player character, me (and you perhaps) in this example, came out of downing Yellow 13, Pixy, or watching Liquid Snake succumb to FOXDIE not feeling any better. That is the meter of a true heroic story.
I love Mass Effect (for Western example), but so few of Shepard's actions could be considered morally grey; it's paragon or renegade for the most part and that is sound, but in MG and in AC especially in this case, whilst Skyeye and Bandog and Chopper (RIP) parade your callsign, so do do Yellow, Rot, the 8492, and Strigon.
I have enamel pins of Mobius, GALM, Wardog, and Razgriz emblems sitting on my work desk because AC means so much to me. You've perfectly explained that AC4 is not just some 'shoot down the baddies Top Gun style' basic bullshit, and hopefully people (and future devs)will look back, and forward at this franchise and see so much more than just some 'SIMCADE' aircraft shoot-em-up, but as genuine, timeless (replace jet with ship or tank or nurse or politician, it still works) story of anti-war sentiment and more importantly morality and heroism. That idea now is as relevant now as it has ever been.
Ok but how did you get from Atari Pong to GAMES SHOULD FEEL LIKE A NOVEL 😅
Shattered Skies was the first game in the series that I played, and it will forever top my list of favorite video games. The story is truly poetic, and maybe this is just because I have lots of nostalgia for the game, but even just hearing the clips of the story that you used in this video stirred up some emotions. The soundtrack is arguably the best in the series, with almost every track being an absolute banger. And that ending… Nothing could have made my 9-year-old self feel more like William Wallace. Truly a masterpiece.
Excellent video! That is really some high quality.
As for favourites from AC? Well, for me its the classic trinity of 04, 5 and X Skies of Deception, although 7 is good too.
11:38 Look at that post-stall maneuver right there! I always found it cool but was confused why we, the players weren't able to do the such a move ourselves
I agree with you there, it sure made for a cinematic end to Yellow Squadron though!
But You COULD To An Extent !
In 04 due to its flight model You could almost pull the same cobra by just slowing down to Stall and Pulling up Hard yet controlling your Heading indicator
This is probably the first game I played that made me feel like a badass and great hero at the end of it. Especially with the final level music. It was one of the first games I ever beat as a kid and it's still my favorite Ace Combat game since then. I'm actually going to be making a Let's Play series of it soon because of love for it and also the other two PS2 era games. Also thanks for the great video about this gem of a game. I still wish they made a remaster Collection of the PS2 era games.
Ace Combat has been a part of my life since AC2, I always enjoy when I find a new video talking about my favourite game series
A part of me really wants remakes of 4, 5, and Zero... the other part can't help but think they'd mess it up.
The creators say they are aware of the demand but the licensing would kill them. Remember each plane model is as much a trademark as the coca cola formula.
@@cpob2013 well that sucks lol
@@cpob2013all they have to do is make Fake Names like Project Wingman did
Just make them Unlicensed 🗿
"Todays my Birthday, A victory sure would be nice" i would like to add as a nerd who adores the franchise to its every dark crevice AC4 is still my most played i constantly emulate it with my disc drive i went out and spent 20 bucks for just to have the nostalgia and my god its been worth it all these years. i still prefer the holy trinity but also heres a neat fact iirc one of the OSTs from AC4 was also used in hellsings first anime adaptation, im pretty sure ive watched it so many times, and that well it should be obvious,to those who watched the anime, in AC5 the captain that the phographer has in his room is Voice acted by Alucards voice actor from the animes dub. idk what relevance these have but the absolute duality of my interests somehow linked up in these occassions and i find it neat. oh also great video
this was the first game i ever got on my ps2 when i was a kid, i still playthrough the entire series on the ps2 just because it reminds me so much of when i was a kid, truly a masterpiece of a series with its music and lore that most people would overlook when looking at the game from the outside
also ace combat 5 is my fav, due to the squadmates in razgriz, always such a good story when playing through
your channel is so underrated, you got a new subs, keep it going !! also, thanks for covering AC4, it's pretty underrated, compared to 5 and zero
Appreciate it, I plan on it!
I refuse to believe that this game is 20+ years old....
4 was the first AC game I played so I always wondered if I liked it the best because of the primacy of that experience. Looking into it and watching your video, it seems like 4 was just a universally good action game with a compelling story. Thanks for the flight down memory lane!
Ace Combat 4 was my first game on PS2, I played that game SOOOOOO many times.
I got infatuated by the lore of Strangereal
The story, the campaign, the music, Yellow 4 & 13, Stonehenge, everything was just perfect
I thoroughly enjoyed AC5 but something about 4 hits different
I really REALLY hope that this game gets a remastered version, easy money in my opinion, especially since they can add all the bells and whistles from AC7 to compliment it to make it feel even more special than just a flat out copy and paste
I was 9 when this game came out. Wound up getting it as a Christmas present. The story captured young me, especially since I was getting into harmonica playing at that time (irrespective of the story's coincidence). I never finished it, but watching playthroughs on TH-cam, I felt flashbacks to my younger years.
4 was the only AC game I played, but even just with that, I saw the appeal that was there. If I played it again now, I would be just like you Jarboe - transported back to the memories of the young days, in my living room, as if I was 9 again.
I also think it's interesting that they went with the storytelling choices that they did (still pictures and narration). It allowed for imagination, and I think that was a core part of it too. I saw myself in the kid from the story, imagining myself playing harmonica at a bar just like him. I told myself I'd learn "Zigzag" one day (the song from 2:38), but I still have yet to do so.
I think telling stories in a way like this is becoming a lost art, similar to imaginations of young kids seeming to become a thing of the past. A good balance of show and tell is ideal. AC4 did a good job with that balance.
Project ACES:
lol lets package an emotional audiobook with our arcade flight game
I just finished AC04 today, and I have to say, one of the best story telling in video games I ever had the pleasure to experience. I kept playing the enjoyable gameplay to unlock the cutscenes just to learn more about the story, wonderful game. I m looking forward to try the other ace combats. And wonderful video
All the ace combat franchise have amazing story. AC5 have the most in depth character since the story revolved around them. In AC0 however, You have a wingman and all the playthrough you're gonna have feelings of "That's my buddy and I have him got my back" it's amazing feeling flying with a wingman rather than 3 of them
4 5 and zero are my favs, and i think it comes down to the characters in the games. AC4 was the first one i played in my late teens when it was new, and i did not expect the storytelling at all. blew me away. I also recall being amazed by the post game missiontracking, showing how you flew and what you did.
I can't believe you skipped "Get out of our town, you faschist pig", that was the most gut-wrenching point of the story for me.
Yeah, I agree, it should've been included 100%.
“ I have so far to go” god damn it evey time it takes me back to when I was a kid playing this game
I had literal chills when I heard it again after 20+ years!
RIP Seagulls
✊
Totally agree
The music is GOD TIER
The game play is good
The story is EPIC, the yellow 13 vs Mobius 1 is LEGENDARY
Ace combat content? Im here for it. Good summary friend!
4 is my favorite. It having the images and the background sound was one of my favorite things. It still is one of my favorite things I've ever seen in a video game campaign
Play it for the first time 10 years ago and still remember the narrator house explode scene but didn't finish the last mission bcus I'm not that good at the moment so I will try it on upcoming days into this game. Thank you Jarboe for this nostalgic video : )
One of the first ps2 games I ever played. I still play it often. I can just turn my ps2 on immediately jump in and pick a mission and random fighter to play and have fun with it.
Very cool video! I started with 5 and always liked it more, but this game has a unique charm about it.
AC 04 will always remain my favourite game in the series, with Ace combat 5 after it.
The early 2000s vibes are awesome.
Personal fun fact, as a kid, playing M18 freaked me out so much I put the game down for months/would replay before I got to that mission, before I finally completed it in the F-5 as I was afraid my wings would otherwise hit the walls of Megalith.
I still play that game, so many years later, very impactful, but ofc, so were 5 and Zero to me. The Golden Trio, as it were, are a phenomenal set of games, but 04 certainly takes first place of the three for me, just for simple nostalgia's sake
This game was my intro into Ace Combat, I still play through it every year. Music, story, characters, *chefs kiss*
Ace Combat X was my first AC game and to this day it has been my favorite out of them all. You really should play it and maybe even make a video on it,there aren't enough of them on TH-cam. It's story is somewhat similiar to AC4, but way less character heavy and the missions can have minor and major changes depending on what missions you chose beforehand. Even though it's a PSP title they did a really good job of making it feel like the PS2 games.
Like yourself, Ace Combat is a title with a special place in my heart. Shattered Skies is really great...gameplay, story, music - it's all top drawer. I've often said Ace Combat is Playstation's "Halo" but with more familiar situations...it's really hard to not come away from the game and not feel like a hero. It doesn't stop there...most of the other Ace Combat games that follow are just as great. Try them and see...whether you are Mobius One, a Demon of Razgris, Zero Wing Pixy...you come away a hero. Save Strangereal, if you can...Ghosteye out.
Yeah, this game always will have a special place in my heart. I still remember how exited I was when I saw it finally arrived in the stores, almost couldn't get home fast enough. But nostalgia aside, I do think of all the games in the franchise it still is the strongest in the series due to the story told being the most mature of them.
This game is in my top 5 favorite of all time. It’s a perfect combination of gameplay and storytelling that left a lasting impact on me. And how can you not love the soundtrack. Yellow 13 is one of the best “villains” in any piece of media and is the perfect counterpart to Mobius 1. Everything about it is top tier gaming.
Even the first line just hooks you and pulls you in so viscerally.
“I was just a child when the stars fell from the skies…”
I’ve always wanted a movie or tv series set in the world of Strangereal, hopefully it happens someday.
Ace Combat 04 is iconic due to previous games on Ps1 Revamp locations in Hd Ac2 to Ac4 I love the soundtrack I know on official u.s PlayStation magazine issue 49 to Issue 50 Ac4 ad image that introduced popularity of Ac4
A little correction, that youre the only one or Mobius squadron for most of the game. Its only when you assault Megalith that everyone you've flied with is funneled into the same squadron. With how the Yellow Squadron name is being used as a rally point by the mostly rookie rebel pilots, you have the exact same rally power with your Squadron as well.
Ace combat 2 still has the best music
"It no longer mattered to me whether that was Thirteen or Four's grave. Their memories blurred together as one and left the realm of reality like a dream..." That part always got me, such a good game and story.
I was 7 when Ace Combat 4 came out, and I played it RELIGIOUSLY. When I was able to buy the F-14 Tomcat, I was giddy because it was (and still is) my favorite jet fighter.
When it comes to the entire series, the Holy Trinity are Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, and Ace Combat Zero: The Balkan War
I just actually covered Zero, loved it! 5 will be the next AC I cover.
I never got into AC until a few years ago. Had my Playstations stolen and pawned off by a family member for drugs. Some years later, I managed to snag both one of the large and slim PS2s from a Goodwill, and went to a used game store to pick up some titles for it. Found AC4, 5, and Zero, and popped in 4. It was the first time in a decade I had sat down on my bedside to play a game, and I came back each day after work to play a few missions. Mind you, I was and still am addicted to my computer, so having something that actually grabbed my attention away from it was something. The graphics didn't bother me, I was too engrossed by the story and soundtrack to notice the mostly flat google-earth map. My imagination filled in the blanks, and I remember my jaw dropped when Agnus Dei played. The game almost drove me to join the USAF, though I doubted I could ever be a pilot due to my vision. Still thought about being a mechanic, but decided against joining due to personal reasons and opinions on the state of the military. Its an experience that's stuck with me since and I'm sure will continue to do so.
Funny enough, this is the game that got Ace Combat to really stick in my head. I'd played the original, and nothing else up to then. I keep a hand typed copy of the entire letter sent to Mobius one on my computer (and a google document now) and have since I typed it out by ear on my PC... three complete system changes ago? I've had to reformat it twice because of how outdated the old word document was.
To me, the story told through the game and the parallel one through the letter is a crowning achievement of videogame storytelling. The final speech before Megalith, so easily missed, has stayed in my memory as well. The crowning example of a title drop. (The skies belong to everyone! Now, let us take back our Shattered Skies.) The music stays around as well, I could think of nothing more intimidating for the appearance of the boss of the D&D campaign I ran for more than a year, than Rex Tremendae. (I beggared off using Agnus Dei for practical reasons, as combat in D&D 3.5 at epic levels takes a long time to resolve.)
The big emotional message of that letter to Mobius One stuck with me from the time I first heard it when I was a teenager. One of forgiveness for the guilt of someone he had never met, for killing (not murdering, killing) someone he knew. The way the framing events for Strangereal are all tied into AC 4 (hi Zero, Five and Seven!), the Ulysses asteroid and the only defense that was ever completed in time and worked against it. (Stonehenge) That was a master class in worldbuilding, consequences and the dangers of taking desperate measures without thought to how those measures may be used after the crisis is passed. (See so much of how law and government in my home nation, the United States of America has gone since it's founding, or even since 9/11. I got a collage civics paper on the precedents set by 'police actions' and how they compare to Stonehenge.)
AC 4 is a formative experience to me, one of those games that needs to be preserved with a PC release with remastered gfx and changing nothing else about it. Along with a proper global release/translation of AC 3, and remasters of Zero and 5.
Of course, it aged like wine.
Back then when games had soul.
Ace Combat 04 was my first ever Ace Combat game, and likely incentivized me to play more arcade flight sims throughout the rest of my childhood. I was already a huge fan of the F-22 Raptor when I was 10 years old, and I couldn't help but notice the F-22 on the cover of this game when I saw it at a local video rental store. When I first played the game, I went in completely blind. I hadn't even played the tutorials, and I was playing on normal controls. Even though it would take me several attempts at turning without crashing while low to the ground, I quickly got the hang of it. Playing as Mobius 1 was a great experience. You start off as a novice but turn into a god among aces by the end of the game, a formula Ace Combat would repeat throughout its main titles going forward. After several rentals, I finally purchased the game to keep forever. This cycle would repeat for Ace Combat 5 and ZERO (Except ZERO I bought immediately), and I stuck with the franchise through thick and thin. I would even expand my library to include Ace Combat-like games such as HAWX and Blazing Angels, but they were nothing like the Strangereal world that Namco had created. Thanks Shattered Skies for giving me a wonderful childhood and a genre of video games that I can truly enjoy.
I got started playing AC3 on PS1 and then got this one as one of my first PS2 games. It was memorable since it was one of the first games with VA that I played, along with FFX, The Bouncer and Dynasty Warriors 2. AC3 just had a different atmosphere, it was a bit sci-fi/futuristic compared to its sequel or prequel really. AC4 also introduced me to Agustin Barrios' "La Catedral", the guitar piece that you hear in the intro. Overall, an excellent video of a very good game. 😎👍
Blue Skies will always remain onr of mx favourite songs of all time, it rings so close to home for me, as well as remind me of my love for this franchise.
I remember crying my eyes out during megalith the music the hanger speech what was at stake and the credits playing blue skies
this game made my entire childhood almost, along with mx unleashed, and a few other ps2 games, but AC4 is the reason im in love with jets
i finished AC4 for the first time (never had a ps2 when i was a kid so i ended up watching play throughs of my fav games) on a ps2 i got off marketplace. enjoyed every single mission and loved the story so much. graphics were never important to me, in fact i really dig the older graphics of these older games. brings me back to my nintendo ds days when games were focused more towards actual fun gameplay.
As a kid i loved the series, having started it with the very first game when it was named "air combat". But the ac4 it's the one that has story got me emotional, feeling extreme empathy against the enemies which were just people like you, forced to die in a pointless war.
I suggest to you to play electrosphere, i wont spoil it but it has the secret ending which if i remeber right you unlock after doing all the normal ending, that it's actually extremely amazing and would take you offguard
4 was the first Ace Combat game I ever played and while 5 Eclipses it in terms of favorite, 4's story telling is very memorable and captivating.
04 was my first Ace Combat and I played it for the first time in probably around 2013 or 2014 I’d say, inspired by being on a bit of an Afterburner kick. I knew almost nothing about the series but the prospect of more high octane jet combat got my attention, so I grabbed a pre-owned copy on eBay and gave it a try.
Without exaggeration, Ace Combat 04 changed my perspective on video games as a whole. From giving me a better appreciation of how sound and music can elevate a game, to really coming to respect how a strong narrative can work alongside solid gameplay, and not in opposition to it. I think it’s one of the most poignant anti-war stories in gaming, and the sort of dissonance you get while playing it only adds to that.
The moment things clicked in my head was on the Stonehenge mission. You go from fleeing Yellow Squadron, to barely being able to face them over Comona, to staring them down over the ruins of Stonehenge. All this time you’d been learning about them, empathizing with them, Yellow squadron and the story teller boy are the only human element in the story you see the faces of. And then, riding high off of the excitement of finally destroying Stonehenge, you clash with your rivals, deal a killing blow to one of them, and…
I don’t know of another time where I went from ecstatic excitement at seeing that I’d hit my target, to being so horribly dismayed that I’d hit my target. The few words from Yellow 13 before he withdraws, followed by your AWACS celebrating your hollow feeling victory was so perfectly executed. What a legendary game.
Ace Combat 4 was the first plane I completely got into, (played Combat Flight Simulator 1/2 on and off). The setting, music, presentation, and everything caught my attention, including AWACS Sky Eye, your professional yet somewhat easygoing watchful eye in the sky (The best AWACS by the way). 5, 6, and Zero all have their charms about them and are enjoyable. 7 is more like a nostalgia trap than anything else. (All Ace Combat has fantastic music, even the one set on real Earth.)
I do hope one day while I am still into gaming that Ace Combat 4, 5, and Zero get re-released on modern consoles. Though I understand that there are things in the way of that I have a feeling that Project Aces wants to.
Great video
I began my interest with arcade flight games with Project Wingman, and was hooked instantly. I tried to move on to play AC7, but the lack of HOTAS support bothered me too much - until it didn't. It was fantastic, and once I had finished with it, I needed more. I started playing the mainline AC games that had led up to 7, and started with 4, since it felt the most accessible. The only one I didn't get to play was 6. But, honestly? After finishing them all? 4's story remains the most compelling by far. It's absolutely enthralling. The soundtrack is very much able to stand on its own merit and the gameplay is foundational to how modern Ace Combat and games derivative of it would go on to play.
The Ace Combat series largely is timeless, and an example of a truly perfected formula, but I would certainly say that Ace Combat 4 stands above the rest in a lot of ways.
AC04 is by far my favourite game ever. Just beautifully done in every aspect, from sound design, visials, story, gameplay, ost, pacing, style, ui, everything is phenomenal & it truly is a master piece.
Omega 11, engage.
Like the say, you never forget your first, this is the game that lead me to love AC series and actually become a Pilot.
Oh man that opening, “we Have so far to goooo!” Gives me goosebumps to this day
it took me so many years to find the original guitar song "la cathedral". goes really deep
Wow, thank you for sharing, listening now
I was so little when I played this game, I didn't know any english at all so I never got past the first few missions because I never knew what I was supposed to do.
The music and the gameplay and the cutscenes though have always stuck with me, would definitely love to go back and finish it now, too bad I sold my PS2 along with it
What I expected from a Top Gun Clone when my local Hollywood Video ran out of FF7 to rent became a flight video game that stuck with me decades later, and had me dream about flying in a wide blue sky.
That final mission on Ace difficulty enraged me as a child but it was so satisfying 100% the game on every difficulty
The series kept me alive in high school, helped me find an aesthetic to call my own, and to become a student pilot today.
This game, alongside 5 and Zero, has aged unbelievably well. Heck, I even still have my PS2 copy of Ace Combat 04, same with 5 and Zero. Ace Combat 5 may be my favorite Ace Combat game, but Ace Combat 04 is brilliant as fuck also. Not to mention it was the first Ace Combat game I have ever played. And it's not only got me into planes, aviation, and whatnot, but also military, infantry, and patriotism!
Ace Combat 4, 5 and 0 emulation in PCSX2 has been massively improved in recent builds, if you still own a disc and a good PC, make sure to try them out in glorious 4K.
If in AC8 Yellow 13 and Pixy come back imma go insane
You and me both lol
I have a save game on a single memory card. I played every mission on the dates they occurred and never touched that memory card ever again.