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Air Combat for PlayStation 1
In Air Combat for PlayStation 1, you lead a mercenary squadron against a terrorist force. You choose a mission on the map, read which targets need destroying and then climb into a combat aircraft. Enemy fighters, transports and installations each call for a different approach. Missiles attack a locked target; you use the aircraft's gun when you get closer. You switch between a cockpit view and a camera behind your aircraft to keep track of the situation.
Successful missions earn money to buy other aircraft. You can own up to eight planes and must allow for losses if you are shot down. On certain missions, you can pay to take a computer-controlled wingman along. The wingman helps attack or protects you, depending on your chosen order. In flight, you watch your fuel, damage and remaining weapons. A sharp turn brings an opponent into view, but it can also cost you valuable speed.
You play the campaign alone. You can also fly against another person in split screen; this requires two ordinary PlayStation controllers, not a Multitap. The controls offer Novice and Expert settings, with Expert allowing rolls and separate yaw control. A dedicated flight stick is not required. Through Save & Load, you save and load progress from completed missions on a PlayStation memory card. This is not a save point in the middle of a dogfight.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 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
Air Combat for PlayStation 1 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 Air Combat
Namco released Air Combat for the first PlayStation in 1995. In Japan, this same beginning of the series appeared as Ace Combat, while the Western release was called Air Combat. Bandai Namco itself identifies this PlayStation release as the starting point of the Ace Combat series. The game therefore belongs to the console's early period, when three-dimensional aircraft, terrain and changing camera views were arriving in living rooms. The series' later success began here with a relatively simple mercenary campaign.
The structure combines fast dogfights with choices between missions. You decide where to strike, which aircraft to buy and whether a paid wingman is worth the expense. Money is therefore more than a final score: it determines which aircraft you can deploy and how you recover from losses. The recognisable jets keep the action close to military aviation, but the large missile supply and short missions put the emphasis on combat rather than extensive cockpit procedures.
Ace Combat 2 followed on the same console in 1997 and developed that foundation further. On PlayStation, you can therefore see directly how Namco advanced the presentation and mission structure. Air Combat remains the original version of that idea, not a later instalment under another name. The Platinum and Value Series editions offered here are reissues of this PlayStation game. Their budget packaging does not turn them into Ace Combat 2 or add features from newer Ace Combat games.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Ace Combat 2 for PlayStation builds directly on choosing missions, buying aircraft and fast dogfights. The later instalment has more developed presentation and a different campaign. Air Combat shows the first version of that combination and also offers direct duels in split screen. Ace Combat 2 focuses on one player. That sets the original Air Combat apart when you want to fly against another person using two controllers.
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere for PlayStation moves aerial combat into a futuristic world with different aircraft designs. The European version follows a simpler campaign than the Japanese release; those extensive Japanese storylines are not automatically included. Air Combat keeps its setting closer to recognisable military jets and a mercenary squadron. Both let you attack targets with guns and missiles, but their atmosphere and available aircraft are distinctly different.
Colony Wars for PlayStation also has you search for targets, track enemies and switch weapons from a flying vehicle. Its battles take place in space, where shields and hulls require different attacks. Air Combat uses earthly landscapes and combat aircraft, so altitude, the ground and the horizon guide your orientation. Buying your own jets also gives Air Combat different preparation from the spacecraft you receive within the Colony Wars campaign.
G-Police for PlayStation puts you in an armed police aircraft above a densely built futuristic city. You follow missions between buildings and also watch what happens in the streets. Air Combat gives you more of the feeling of a jet passing ground installations and chasing enemy aircraft. In both games, you combine aiming with controlling your vehicle. The main difference is the urban environment and police duties versus a mercenary's military missions.
Descent for PlayStation, like Air Combat, requires you to watch your position and heading while firing. Descent's spacecraft can, however, move in every direction through corridors and rooms, without a jet's fixed feeling of flight. You search mines for targets and exits. Air Combat concentrates on missions above open terrain. Its emphasis is therefore on pursuit and approaches, while Descent more often involves finding your way and manoeuvring through confined spaces.
