Ace Combat

Prior to the Ace Combat franchise's creation, Namco developed an arcade flight game titled Air Combat. Released in 1992, it was followed in 1995 by a revision called Air Combat 22. While not truly part of the Ace Combat franchise, these games are considered to be its direct predecessors. The 2013 arcade game Mach Storm, while still using many assets from the Ace Combat franchise, is not considered part of the series proper either.

The Ace Combat franchise formally started with the PlayStation game Air Combat, released in 1995, which was titled Ace Combat in Japan. This game was followed by Ace Combat 2, and Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, also released on the PlayStation. Three subsequent titles were released on the PlayStation 2: Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. In 2006, Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception was released on the PlayStation Portable.

In 2007, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation released on the Xbox 360. Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion released on the Apple iOS in 2009.[2] In 2010, Ace Combat: Joint Assault released on the PlayStation Portable and featured a story set in the real world for the first time in the franchise.[3] Ace Combat: Assault Horizon released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2011, and Microsoft Windows in 2013, making it the first multiplatform title in the franchise. Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy released later in 2011 for the Nintendo 3DS, and received a re-release titled Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + in 2015. Ace Combat: Northern Wings also released in late 2011 for mobile phones on the Java ME platform.[4]

Ace Combat Infinity, the first free-to-play title in the franchise, released in 2014 exclusive to the PlayStation 3. Infinity was shut down in March 2018 after nearly four years of service.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown was announced in 2015 as the first Ace Combat game for the eighth console generation. It was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in early 2019.

Ace Combat 2, 3, 04, 5, Advance, Zero, X, 6, Xi, Assault Horizon Legacy, Northern Wings, and 7 all take place on an alternate version of Earth in a reality dubbed "Strangereal", featuring different geography and countries.[1] The planet is located in the same solar system as the real-life Earth but replacing it entirely. This reality was later included within Bandai Namco's United Galaxy Space Force shared universe.[8] In this alternate version of Earth, the planet had been affected by the fragments of a large asteroid impact in 1999, which had devastated cities and left impact craters, creating a 'strangereal' gaming landscape.

Ace Combat: Joint Assault, Assault Horizon, and Infinity take place on the real-life Earth. While Joint Assault and Assault Horizon were more realistic, Infinity utilized many elements from the Strangereal series.

The Japanese Ace Combat was renamed Air Combat in the North American and European releases of the original game. The second game was initially set to be released as Air Combat 2 in the U.S., but by the time of release the game (and series) switched to using Ace Combat internationally.[9]

In NTSC territories, the fourth installment of the series is known as Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, while in PAL territories the game is known as Ace Combat: Distant Thunder. The Spanish version of the game is known as Ace Combat: Trueno de Acero, which can be translated as Ace Combat: Steel Thunder.

The NTSC version of the fifth installment of the game is known as Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, while the PAL release was renamed Ace Combat: Squadron Leader.

In PAL territories, the word "Zero" in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War was removed, making it the first game since the series introduction to not have a significant name change in PAL territories.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy in English-speaking territories was originally titled Ace Combat 3D: Cross Rumble in Japan.

Although typical aircraft model kits can be customized and detailed according to specific plane designs in each game, the Ace Combat franchise also has its fair share of specially-produced model kits. The earliest-known models were the R-101, R-102, and R-103 Delphinus aircraft from Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, sold as resin kits in the late 1990s at Wonder Festival; Hasegawa produced the R-101 and R-103, and Tokiwa Aircraft Create produced the R-102 in collaboration with Chawanmushi Ceramics School.[10] Tokiwa Aircraft Create and Chawanmushi later produced more resin garage aircraft kits from Ace Combat 3 and other Ace Combat titles until at least 2008.[11]

Hasegawa continued the trend with a 1:72 F-14 Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War limited-edition kit modeled in a cherry blossom paint scheme in April 2011 and a similarly-scaled kit of Assault Horizon's fictional aircraft, the ASF-X Shinden II, in July 2012.[12] The line has since been followed by the F-22 Mobius 1 and Su-37 Yellow 13 from Ace Combat 04, the Grabacr Su-47 and F-14 Razgriz from Ace Combat 5, the Strigon Team Su-33 and F-15E Garuda 1 from Ace Combat 6, and the Ridgebacks ASF-X from Infinity. Various items in the company's line of model aircraft kits are also available in special color schemes depicting characters from The Idolmaster franchise. These schemes were available as downloadable content for Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.[13]

In March 2006, Bandai produced a 1:100 kit of the fictional ADF-01 FALKEN from Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.[14] In June 2019, ADF-01 FALKEN Plastic model kit are planned to get a re-release. The pre-order for this re-release version start since 27 March 2019.[15]

With the release of Assault Horizon in 2011, Project Aces created Aces At War: A History, a special artbook detailing the content from Ace Combat 04, 5, and Zero from an in-universe perspective, as well as production commentary. This was packaged with the special editions of Assault Horizon released in Japan.[16][17] Aces At War: A History would later be updated and rereleased as part of a special edition of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.[18]

In March 2012, ASCII Media Works released Ace Combat: Ikaros in the Sky. A tie-in novel for Assault Horizon, Ikaros tells a story of series character Kei Nagase as she participates in the JASDF's ASF-X Shinden II fighter program.[19]

• The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces

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• Ace Combat official website