Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation

Ace combat 6 is a "jack of all trades" type of game, meaning it does everything well but excels at nothing in particular.

Ace Combat 6 frustrates me. The ironic thing though is that the game doesn't frustrate me because its bad, it frustrates me because it could have been so much better.
Ace combat six graphics are amazing, and a the same time there not. When flying, the visuals and special effects look increadibly realistic. It also probably has some of the best fire/explosion effects of any game. Sadly the good visuals stop there because when you fly low to glance at the landscape you are instantly disappointed. The city visuals could be so much better. You can't see anyone walking on the ground or cars passing by when you fly over. The whole landscape looks stretched out, blurred, and very poorly done. That alone ruined the beauty of the games graphics.
Many people don't care about the graphics though, after all the game play is what really matters isn't it? Ace Combat 6 has good game play, but it's nothing great. I do like the feature where you can follow your missile and see it hit the enemy. The only problem is the missiles themselves. I mean these missiles are supposed to be heat seeking and half the time my missiles missed simply when my opponent veered slightly to the left or right. It's also vice a versa, dodging a missile is unbelievably easy, i want at least some challenge in it! Don't count on your machine guns as your main source of firepower, there more accurate but they take a lot of shots unless your up close to your enemy. You also have wingmen helping you but i was disappointed in the lack of commands to direct them, still, they where useful. What bothered me about the combat the most was how when I crashed into planes my size, I blew up and they didn't. It's fine that i blow up but they also need to blow up themselves or sustain some type of damage. Even though my comments are negative for the most part, the combat is actually pretty addicting. It never gets old blowing up planes and then flying through the explosion and debris they left behind. It makes you feel like a B.A.M.F
The worst aspect of the game....has to be the story line. I rather that they had not even put a story line than come up with one. It's boring, poorly written, and nearly non-existent. Ace combat 6 is one of the few games where you can skip the cut scenes and it won't make a difference.
Overall Ace Combat 6 is a good but not great game. I wouldn't buy it immediately, instead wait a few months and buy it when it becomes cheaper.

Breakdown:
Visuals: 10
Controls: 9
Gameplay: 7
Sound: 6
Replay Value: 6
Overall: 7/10

Good bargain bin buy in a few months.