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Ace Combat: Distant Thunder for PlayStation 2
In Ace Combat: Distant Thunder for PlayStation 2, you fly as Mobius 1 above the fictional continent of Usea. The war against Erusea takes you from coastal areas and airbases to mountains and major cities. You intercept bombers, protect allies and strike ground targets while the radio supplies new information. Aerial combat revolves around speed, the right approach angle and the moment you fire a missile. Meanwhile, a warning of an incoming missile forces you to take evasive action yourself.
Before each mission, you choose an aircraft and special weapons. An agile fighter helps in pursuits, while other aircraft put more emphasis on ground attacks. You spend the money you earn on new aircraft and weapons. The eighteen missions combine compulsory objectives with opportunities to earn extra points. You therefore have to weigh up which enemies are worth the detour before time runs out. A radar and clear target markers help you read the battlefield.
Between flights, a boy describes how he experienced the war from the ground. His story about an enemy pilot gives the battles another perspective. You play the campaign alone; separately, two players can fly against each other on a split screen, each with a controller. No Multitap is required. After a mission, you can use Save to store your progress on a PlayStation 2 memory card. Training flights first help you get used to climbing, rolling and aiming.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 2 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Ace Combat: Distant Thunder for PlayStation 2 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Ace Combat: Distant Thunder
Namco brought the fourth Ace Combat game to PlayStation 2 in 2001. The European release followed in 2002 as Ace Combat: Distant Thunder; elsewhere, the same game is called Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. It was the series' first step onto this console, following three instalments on the original PlayStation. Larger landscapes and more detailed aircraft gave the developers room to depict dogfights, coastal attacks and large-scale operations more convincingly.
For the story, the team worked with director Sunao Katabuchi and Studio 4°C. A boy's memories appear as still illustrations, with changing light and an appearance reminiscent of projected film images. Alongside the military assignments, the game thus shows everyday life under occupation. Limited resources partly informed this choice, Kazutoki Kono later explained: the creators were looking for a distinctive storytelling approach and specifically asked an animation studio for images without continuous animation.
Radio conversations also gained a larger role. While flying, you hear allies and opponents react to the fighting, allowing the story to continue without constantly interrupting the controls. This combination of aerial action, personal memories and voices on the radio became an important starting point for later instalments. Distant Thunder therefore marks the beginning of the series' PlayStation 2 period. Squadron Leader subsequently developed relationships within your own squadron further; The Belkan War shifted the focus to rival aces.
Similar games for PlayStation 2
Ace Combat: Squadron Leader on PlayStation 2 likewise uses modern combat aircraft, target markers and radio conversations during missions. There, you also give orders to computer-controlled wingmen and choose aircraft for your squadron. Distant Thunder places greater emphasis on your own aircraft and the advance across Usea. If you want to fly a duel with someone on the sofa, Distant Thunder does offer a split screen for two players; Squadron Leader focuses entirely on one player.
Ace Combat: The Belkan War on PlayStation 2 shares aircraft selection, missile combat and attacks on ground targets with Distant Thunder. There, your behaviour towards defenceless or disabled targets affects your Ace Style and which enemy squadrons you encounter. Distant Thunder follows a more fixed campaign, with a boy's story between missions. Both games let two players fly against each other locally, but Belkan War gives those duels a wider range of rules and environments.
Secret Weapons Over Normandy for PlayStation 2 also has you attack ground targets and protect friendly units from the air. Its backdrop is the Second World War, with propeller aircraft and battles in which aircraft guns play a major role. Distant Thunder uses modern jets, homing missiles and an invented conflict. Both combine short assignments with an ongoing war story; Normandy's historical aircraft and shorter firing ranges give pursuits a different rhythm.
Energy Airforce on PlayStation 2 shares the interest in recognisable modern jets and learning to master an aircraft. It pays more attention to realistic flight characteristics and exercises, including handling your aircraft on the runway. Distant Thunder centres on spectacular military assignments and progression through a story-led campaign. What you focus on therefore differs too: precise flying and practising procedures in Energy Airforce, versus choosing targets and evading missiles in Distant Thunder.
Deadly Skies III for PlayStation 2, known outside Europe as AirForce Delta Strike, likewise combines aerial combat with a fictional war and conversations between pilots. Konami gives you a large collection of characters and widely differing aircraft, from older machines to modern fighters. Distant Thunder keeps the perspective closer to Mobius 1 and his campaign across Usea. If collecting aircraft is your main interest, Deadly Skies III consequently offers a different structure; the coherent opposing force and civilian story distinguish Distant Thunder.
