Air Combat

Air Combat, released in Japan as Ace Combat, is a semi-realistic flight-sim/action game, it was developed by Namco and was released in 1995 for the PlayStation. It is part of the Ace Combat series. All subsequent games retained the original Ace Combat name.

Air Combat is also the arcade game from Namco in 1992 that simulates an F-16. The game mainly involves dog fighting and has three levels of play; Cadet, Captain and Ace. This game was the predecessor of the PlayStation series. It had an arcade sequel, "Air Combat 22".

Story
The story begins when a terrorist force starts an uprising and inflicts massive damage across the country of Kaluga, south of Yuktobania. Efforts to defeat these terrorists through conventional means failed and the situation turns desperate; in response, a mercenary air force has been assembled to take the fight to the enemy and free the nation from the terrorist forces. The boss in the game, which is the last level (level 17) is described as "An airborne fortress". The aircraft is very similar to the Gleipnir from Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception.

Gameplay
Air Combat is mostly considered an "arcade style" flight game due to its semi-realistic physics and the fact that many planes can carry up to 65 missiles, an impossibility in real-life aircraft. The goal of the game is to destroy enemy targets dispersed throughout the various levels and earn money (extra money can be earned by destroying non-target, optional enemies) to purchase additional aircraft and special weaponry, a feature that continues with the current Ace Combat games. The player can choose from several different planes in the game ranging from F-4 Phantoms to Su-27 Flankers and Stealth aircraft, albeit painted in a special "Phoenix" color scheme. optionally the player can select a wingman to accompany them during a mission, the player can "instruct" the wingman to perform one of three different actions.

Reception
Air Combat was awarded Best Flight Sim of 1995 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.