Ace Combat Advance

Ace Combat Advance is a 2005 combat flight simulation video game in the Ace Combat series. Developed by Hungarian studio Humansoft, it is the first entry in the series released on a handheld game console and the first 2D entry in the series. Unlike other Ace Combat games, Advance was not released in Japan. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Ace Combat Advance
North American version cover art
Developer(s)	HumanSoft
Publisher(s)	NA: Namco PAL: Atari Europe[1]
Producer(s)	Philip Cohen
Designer(s)	Róbert Tóth
Programmer(s)	Marton Szucs
Artist(s)	Róbert Tóth Ferenc Szücs Janos Der
Composer(s)	András Kövér
Series	Ace Combat
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Release	NA: 22 February 2005 EU: 25 August 2006
Genre(s)	Air combat, shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

Unlike the usual flight simulation games in the Ace Combat series, Advance is a top-down shooter similar to Strike, but using fighter aircraft instead of attack helicopters.

The game's campaign is divided into 12 missions. These missions are very similar to those in the rest of the Ace Combat series, with a few unique missions that require new tactics, such as "Spy Game", and "Finale".

Plot

In the year 2032, eight years before the events of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, globalization has blurred the borders between countries, and megacorporations have become worldwide economic superpowers. One of these megacorporations, General Resources Ltd., uses state of the art military equipment and their Air Strike Force (ASF) to destroy anybody who could potentially pose a threat to their superiority. A new international military is created to fight back, spearheaded by an elite fighter squadron called the United Air Defense (UAD), which the player is part of.

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	56/100[2]

Review scores

Publication	Score
GameSpot	5.6/10[3]
IGN	4.5/10[4]
Jeuxvideo.com	8/20[5]
Nintendo World Report	5/10[6]

Reception

Ace Combat Advance received mostly mixed reviews from critics. The game was criticized for its lack of story and cinematics, repetitive gameplay, and lack of content compared to older titles.^{[7] [8][2]}

References

1. "Atari Announces European Publishing Partnership with Namco Bandai". Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
2. "Ace Combat Advance for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
3. Provo, Frank (February 17, 2005). "Ace Combat Advance Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
4. Harris, Craig (March 19, 2005). "Ace Combat Advance". IGN. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
5. "Test : Ace Combat Advance". Jeuxvideo.com. June 26, 2006. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
6. Anderson, Vincent (April 5, 2005). "Ace Combat Advance". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
7. Provo, Frank (February 17, 2005). "Ace Combat Advance Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
8. Harris, Craig (March 19, 2005). "Ace Combat Advance". IGN. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.