PS1 The best Ace Combat you probably never played: Ace Combat 3

[KenaiPhoenix]

Pardon me for the Youtube wanna be attention, but it fits so well: Ace Combat 3 is just the best Ace Combat ever made.

I know many of you might be aware, but I think many AC fans (or overall aerial combat games fans) dont know that the wester version of AC3 is just a pale version of the Japanese version: Full anime cutscenes, a big lore with data base information, an a open branch story that lets you pick/switch sides on an ongoing war and multiple endings. The only thing that I think other Ace Combat have done better is the music, but it is still a gem, just look at the intro:

Thanks to the big efforts of the community the game have been fully translated to english and can be played on an emulator or a PlayStation console (this last one, is my personal pick). I beated AC3 like 3 times as a kid, and love AC as a whole series but this game just surprised me with its gameplay mechanics and its story.

This may 27th the game has its 26th jp anniversary. If anyone likes aerial combat games or any Ace combat game, and it havent give it a try, you should.

 

[Dannzy]

I've heard of this recently too, the cutscenes and story premise put this game on my radar even though I was never interested in this series too much. It's definitely one I wanna see for myself.

 

[NOTthatHARD]

Nuh uh , the best Ace Combat game is Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.

 

[MajesticSiN]

I played both the U.S. release and the translated Japanese release. It's pretty damn good.

 

[NotReallyHere]

Please don't assume that people in a retro gaming community have "probably never played" a particular retro game

 

[Blackbird]

I love the game and certainly it´s one of my personal favorites. Even i still have the PSX 2 CD Set (i bought it in a mall near the place of a ex-girlfriend in 2002)

...however people might couldn´t like "cyberpunk vendetta" (figure yourself, no pun or spoilers intended)

 

[SpcDaicon]

Played all endings some time ago. It's a 10/10 masterpiece.

Great graphics, awesome music, slick UI design, intriguing story, big replay value. I dare say its one of the best PS1 games I've played. It's Ghost in the Shell meets aerial dogfights.

It's absolutely CRIMINAL what they did with the international release. To gut a game like this gotta be a breach of the Geneva Convention.

Although, if I had to point something I didn't quite liked, I would say the last ending is kinda weird even though it does explain a lot of things and is thematically cohesive. It's a strange plotwist.

Fee best girl

 

[JackNoir413]

Nuh uh , the best Ace Combat game is Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.

both of you are wrong, the best one is ace combat 2.

STILL, i really liked ace combat 3 as well. the story branches were all really well done imo with my favorite one being a canopy of stars. it also has one of my favorite missions in ace combat which is the one where you an keith shoot down a bunch of enemies over the city and there's a counter for how many enemies each of you took down and you can see his AI tries to keep up with you during this mission.
"For us in SARF, there's one more person we need to get payback on..."

 

[ChopstickSamurai]

both of you are wrong, the best one is ace combat 2.

Especially if you had one of these:

 

[7eve70rd]

My ACE Combat 4 PS2 disc is scratched.

Is 4 better than AC3 (AC3 Electrosphere Japanese version translated to English)?

 

[Neb Lleb]

Pardon me for the Youtube wanna be attention, but it fits so well: Ace Combat 3 is just the best Ace Combat ever made.

I know many of you might be aware, but I think many AC fans (or overall aerial combat games fans) dont know that the wester version of AC3 is just a pale version of the Japanese version: Full anime cutscenes, a big lore with data base information, an a open branch story that lets you pick/switch sides on an ongoing war and multiple endings. The only thing that I think other Ace Combat have done better is the music, but it is still a gem, just look at the intro:

Thanks to the big efforts of the community the game have been fully translated to english and can be played on an emulator or a PlayStation console (this last one, is my personal pick). I beated AC3 like 3 times as a kid, and love AC as a whole series but this game just surprised me with its gameplay mechanics and its story.

This may 27th the game has its 26th jp anniversary. If anyone likes aerial combat games or any Ace combat game, and it havent give it a try, you should.

Beat you to the punch.

 

[Deleted member 77791]

I was never interested in Ace Combat but I may play this game then.

 

[TinRattler]

Meh ace combat 2 was better than 3

 

[JackNoir413]

My ACE Combat 4 PS2 disc is scratched.

Is 4 better than AC3 (AC3 Electrosphere Japanese version translated to English)?

short answer: not really.
long answer: theyre pretty different. ace combat 3 has the better story with its branching paths and character development but ace combat 4 definitely has the better gameplay as well as a way larger selection of playable aircraft and longer campaign with longer missions(i dont want to say better missions because ace combat 3 has some pretty good ones including one where you fly a spacecraft to shoot down some satellites). OST wise its synth vs orchestra/rock so we cant really compare them.

if i had to pick one to replay i'd probably replay ace combat 3.

 

[7eve70rd]

What Ace Combat has best gameplay?

 

[JackNoir413]

What Ace Combat has best gameplay?

obviously ace combat 7 with the addition of post stall manouvers.

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

obviously ace combat 7 with the addition of post stall manouvers.

AC6: wingman and allies that actually do stuff, big maps with operations, etc. That game is amazing.

obviously ace combat 7 with the addition of post stall manouvers.

Ufff... I have to disagree here, I hated the "score" missions, I understand them in Infinity but for a main line AC game, just no.

 

[JackNoir413]

AC6: wingman and allies that actually do stuff, big maps with operations, etc. That game is amazing.


Ufff... I have to disagree here, I hated the "score" missions, I understand them in Infinity but for a main line AC game, just no.

i thought score missions were fine. i liked blowing stuff up plus the hard targets gave you more points which was a fun way to promote risking crashing to get to them. still i think the best part of the game were the boss fights. to me its the only one where the bosses are actually hard(but i dont know if i agree with the use of non critical areas)

 

[Cantarella]

burned through this one recently. spent more time than i should have been doing runs through the geofront with the remora

GOOD VIDEO GAME

uhh s'not exactly a high bar, but yeah best story out of the Ace Combats I've played at least. only one to deal with concepts that were actually interesting to me. I pretty much expected that considering the setting.

What I didn't expect, was that despite the later games going full power fantasy ego-stroking, this one had the most 'hype' anime macho plane shit. Except it wasn't coming from the main character.

it's funny watching them attach 'epic' music to stuff like mihaly doing a somersault decades later while keith is just casually pulling off macross maneuvers in this game.

 

[7eve70rd]

burned through this one recently. spent more time than i should have been doing runs through the geofront with the remora

GOOD VIDEO GAME

uhh s'not exactly a high bar, but yeah best story out of the Ace Combats I've played at least. only one to deal with concepts that were actually interesting to me. I pretty much expected that considering the setting.

What I didn't expect, was that despite the later games going full power fantasy ego-stroking, this one had the most 'hype' anime macho plane shit. Except it wasn't coming from the main character.View attachment 83205


it's funny watching them attach 'epic' music to stuff like mihaly doing a somersault decades later while keith is just casually pulling off macross maneuvers in this game.

AC 3 with a splitting storyline is great fun.