Air Combat

Air Combat is a semi-realistic flight-sim/action game, developed by Namco and released in 1995 for the Sony PlayStation. It was called Ace Combat in Japan, but the name was changed for overseas versions. It is part of the Ace Combat series.

Air Combat is also the arcade game from Namco in 1992 that simulates an F-16. The game mainly involves dog fighting and has three levels of play: Cadet, Captain and Ace. This game was the predecessor of the PlayStation series. It had an arcade sequel, Air Combat 22.

The story begins when a terrorist force starts an uprising and inflicts massive damage across an unnamed country. Efforts to defeat these terrorists through conventional means failed and the situation turns desperate; in response, a mercenary air force has been assembled to take the fight to the enemy and free the nation from the terrorist forces.

Gameplay
Air Combat is mostly considered an "arcade style" flight game due to its semi-realistic physics and the fact that many planes can carry 65 missiles. The goal of the game is to destroy enemy targets dispersed throughout the various levels and earn money (something that continues with the current Air Combat games) there are non-target enemies that the player can also destroy to earn some extra cash. The player can choose from several different planes in the game ranging from F-4 Phantoms to Su-27 Flankers and Stealth aircraft; optionally the player can select a wingman to accompany them during a mission, the player can "instruct" the wingman to perform one of three actions;


 * 1) Cover Me
 * 2) Commence (Mission Objective)
 * 3) On your own (fire at will)

Aircraft
Air Combat has several planes to choose from. Each plane has different strengths and weaknesses and it is up to the player to determine which aircraft best suits each mission. Unlike its sequels, Air Combat applies a themed mercenary paint job to each plane (see cover art) once it is purchased.