- Ace Combat 2
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Ace Combat 2 
Developer(s) Namco Publisher(s) Namco Series Ace Combat Platform(s) PlayStation/PlayStation 2 (Japan only) Release date(s) May 30, 1997 Genre(s) Arcade, Combat Flight Simulator Mode(s) Single player Rating(s) ESRB: T (Teen) Media/distribution CD-ROM Ace Combat 2 is the sequel to the 1995 Arcade/Flight-sim Air Combat, released in 1997 by Namco. Ace Combat 2 is part of Namco's Ace Combat series and continues the arcade style gameplay of its predecessor, with major improvements. Various subsequent Ace Combat games use similar maps or missions. In 2005 Namco re-released Ace Combat 2 as part of the NamCollection for the PlayStation 2 to celebrate the publisher's 50th anniversary.
Contents
Gameplay
Ace Combat 2's gameplay is very similar to that of its predecessor Air Combat; its main differences are considerably improved graphics and features on both the aircraft and the environment (aircraft display moving flaps, air-brakes, and afterburner effects).
Players fly and destroy various targets to earn money for their air force, which can be used to unlock new aircraft. As more aircraft are unlocked, the player also rises in rank. A graph also indicates how many times the aircraft have been used. The game's official superfighter is the ADF-01 Falken, which is not unlockable.
Later in the game, the player will have a choice of two branching mission paths (called Alphaville and Belissima). Certain targets in missions can also unlock secret missions.
Aces
Ace Combat 2 introduces the concept of aces, elite pilots that have better flight performance than standard enemy pilots. They are identifiable by their planes' unique color schemes and their callsigns. Some of the aces fly together as a squadron. Shooting down a legendary pilot or squadron will earn a medal in the player's record.
Plot
Military Rebels have seized Unified Forces sector NA-P2700. Striking while the heads of state were at a peace summit, political insurrectionists have seized and occupied the administration's center. Many institutions have already fallen to the rebels' orchestrated attacks around the world. Intelligence reports that the rebels now possess both strategic and long-range weapons. Their sphere of power has rapidly expanded in the coup d'état, as has their military capabilities. Since the United Forces are already spread thin around the globe, UF Headquarters has formed a mercenary tactical strike force, code named: Scarface. The player is to lead strike force Scarface against the rebel insurgents. The story is very light, but it foreshadows future events in later Ace Combat games: Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat Zero, both for PS2. AC5 (2004) shows some weapons that were used by AC2's coup d'etat 15 years ago the PS2 game's plot (2010), but AC5 is only explained in AC Zero (2006), that happens on the same year of AC2 and explains that the PSX game's coup d'etat was a eastern brace of "The World with No Boundaries" AC Zero's own organization. After the fall of this coup on both games, some remnants prepare a new attack 15 years later on Ace Combat 5. None of these games can be completely understood without each other, which makes the old Ace Combat series one of the most interesting plots in a non-RPG game.
Characters
Main article: List of Ace Combat charactersExternal links
Ace Combat series Console games Air Combat · Air Combat 22 · 2 · 3: Electrosphere · 04: Shattered Skies · 5: The Unsung War · Zero: The Belkan War · 6: Fires of Liberation · Assault HorizonPortable games Categories:- 1997 video games
- PlayStation games
- Ace Combat
- Combat flight simulators
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