Ace Combat 3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009) |
| Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere | |
|---|---|
 PAL cover art |
|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Series | Ace Combat |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date(s) | JP May 27, 1999 EU January 21, 2000 NA March 20, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | Flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone |
| Media | CD(x2 in Japan edition) |
Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (エースコンバット３ エレクトロスフィア Ēsu Conbatto Surī Erekutorosufia) is the third installment in the Ace Combat series of games. A major departure from every other game in the series, it featured a futuristic storyline involving a war between a group of multinational corporations.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The plot, taking place in the future (between January 1[1] and July 21, 2040[2]), revolves around a war between a group of corporations fighting over territorial disputes in the Usean continent, and eventually a prototype fighter known as the X-49 Night Raven. During a period of financial chaos, the many governments of the world have eroded to nothing but corporatocracies. These corporations, like the governments they control, have disputes often, and eventually a war is sparked.
[edit] Gameplay
AC3 was the first game in the series to feature a third-person 360-degree camera that could be rotated on all three axis with the right thumbstick; allowing the player to keep enemies in constant sight. This was a welcome feature and was carried over to later games. It was also the first game to allow the player to choose their aircraft's armament.
It is the only game in the series so far to feature a mission in outer space. Although there is only one, it featured a reasonably accurate physics model of a zero-gravity situation. The game was also a departure in other ways; the style is reminiscent of the Wipeout series of games, especially the Head-Up Display (though some found it was too bulky and interfered with the player's view). The company logos of Neucom, Ouroboros, General Resource and the UPEO bear resemblance to the works of The Designers Republic. The soundtrack consists of a variety of electronic music, largely ambient mood setting tunes (as opposed to the rock music found in Ace Combat 2), composed by much of the same team responsible for the critically-acclaimed Ridge Racer soundtracks.
[edit] Development history
Released in 1999, the Japanese version is extremely story-driven, featuring anime cutscenes, detailed characters, and 52 missions, with multiple paths through the game and 5 possible endings. The Japanese version introduced some elements carried over to Ace Combat 04, including radio chatter between comrades and enemies, and intelligent wingmen. The American and European versions, released a year later, have been extremely criticized for removing almost all of the story elements, including all of the cutscenes, and cutting the game down to 36 missions. The anime cutscenes and the fictional aircraft also alienated Japanese fans of the series, who were expecting something closer to the arcade style of Ace Combat 2. However, sales in Japan were still strong (though still 100,000 copies less than Ace Combat 2), but the cutting down of the storyline led to a lack of success in other markets.
The majority of the songs were done by Tetsukazu Nakanishi, who also did the majority of the songs and sound effects on Ace Combat 04 as well as being the sound director on that game and its two PS2 sequels, Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat Zero, as well as Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360.[citation needed]
While the developers do not intend to remake Ace Combat 3, one of them commented that if there is enough demand and various issues can be resolved, he thinks it may be worth it.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ The interface in the main menu screen is dated 2040.
- ^ Late in the game (in any ending), a news story says that Aldair Carlos Nascimento (the executive director of General Resource) died at 3:56 PM, in an unknown date in 2040. His age was mentioned as 75 years old. According to the in-game archives (only in the Japanese version of the game), Aldair was born on July 21, 1964.
[edit] External links
- Official Japanese Ace Combat 3 site
- Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere at GameFAQs
- Project Nemo - Translating Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
- Electrosphere.info - The Largest Ace Combat Database on the Web
- Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere at MobyGames
- Ace Combat Wiki
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ace Combat |
|
|||||
