Air Combat | |
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Developer(s) | Namco |
Publisher(s) | Namco |
Platform(s) | Arcade |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Combat flight simulator |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Arcade system | Namco System 21 |
Air Combat [a] is a 1993 combat flight simulator arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The arcade game was released in 1993 for the polygon-powered Namco System 21 arcade hardware, and received praise for its 3D graphics and technological capabilities. [1] [2] The game was a commercial success at Japanese and American arcades in the 1990s, and inspired several later Namco games, including the arcade sequel Air Combat 22 , the PlayStation game Air Combat , and the Ace Combat series.
The player is given the task of eliminating all 6 enemy aircraft within a minute. The only enemies in the game are bombers and fighter jets. Bombers are slower, and fighter jets are faster. The player is also given three options for difficulty: Cadet, Captain, and Ace. The differences between the modes are as follows:
The game debuted at Japan's Amusement Machine Operators (AOU) show in February 1993, [3] and released in North America on August 12, 1993. [4]
The game was a commercial success in arcades. In Japan, Game Machine listed Air Combat as the most successful upright arcade cabinet of August 1993, [5] and remained in the top spot in September. [6] [7] In the United States, the RePlay arcade charts ranked Air Combat as the top-grossing new video game of October 1993, [8] and then the top-grossing deluxe arcade cabinet of December 1993. [9] In 1997, Air Combat was still among the top 20 attractions at several locations, according to Funworld Magazine . [10]
The game was also critically acclaimed upon release. It received praise for its advanced 3D graphics and technological capabilities for its time, [1] [2] [11] [12] with the Gamest Awards in Japan nominating it in the "Best Graphics" category. [13] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a positive review, praising the "level of complexity, high degree of challenge, truly intense audio, and some of the coolest use of polygon graphics around". [11] In a brief review, Computer and Video Games magazine called it "one of the most whizzo flight sims around" and "virtually the real thing". [14] In another brief review, GameFan magazine called it "the best flight sim ever" in its December 1993 issue. [2]
Namco's Ace Combat series has origins in the arcade game Air Combat. [15] Air Combat was also notable for having advanced 3D polygon graphics for a combat flight simulator at the time. [16] The game had a sequel, Air Combat 22 , released for the Namco Super System 22 arcade hardware in 1995.
Namco designer Masanori Kato and producer Kazumi Mizuno were commissioned by company executives to create a home port of the arcade game Air Combat for the then-new PlayStation console. [17] Problems arose early in development for the home port, as staff did not believe the PlayStation's hardware was powerful enough to properly render the arcade version's gameplay. [17] At the time, Namco primarily focused on developing ports of arcade games like Ridge Racer and Cyber Sled , which often contained content exclusive to their PlayStation releases. [18] Believing console-exclusive features would give consumers more incentive to buy it, the team chose to scrap a straightforward port and instead create a new game based on the arcade game's core mechanics. [17] [18] The project planner, Asahi Higashiyama, believed the PlayStation's superior hardware could allow for more potential in the game and allow room for expansion. [17]
a long life for the game, much similar to the company's successful Air Combat game, introduced in 1993 and still among the top 20 attractions at several locations.