Air Combat (1995)

For the Western player, a whole series grew out of this: what was called Air Combat in Japan became the starting point for Ace Combat outside the country. Namco took the idea of aerial combat and deliberately removed everything that hinders enjoyment: crashes, control nuances, and realistic turning radius were left behind, and in their place are dense ten-minute missions where you have to destroy a convoy, shoot down a squadron, or fly through a canyon. The early 3D graphics of the PlayStation look crude by today's standards, but they sold the console back then: the horizon tilts, the ground rushes beneath the wing, and the feeling of flight works. Between sorties, you buy new planes with prizes and choose a partner, which was a nice depth for 1995. The game is short and simple, but its pace and structure set the formula by which the series still lives today.

Watch the trailer and gameplay on YouTube

Game card in the MegaInet.art catalog — reference information. Files are not distributed. Actual data: Wikidata (CC0).