Air Combat (arcade game)

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Air Combat
AirCombat arcade flyer.jpg
Developer(s) Namco
Publisher(s) Namco
Platform(s) Arcade
Release
  • JP: February 1993
  • NA: August 12, 1993
  • EU: 1993
Genre(s) Combat flight simulator
Mode(s) Single-player
Arcade system Namco System 21

Air Combat [lower-alpha 1] is a 1993 combat flight simulator arcade video game developed 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.

Contents

Gameplay

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:

Release

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]

Reception

The game was a commercial success in arcades. In Japan, Game Machine listed Air Combat on their August 15, 1993 issue as being the most-successful upright arcade cabinet of the month, [5] and remained in the top spot the following month 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 in 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]

Legacy

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]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: エアーコンバット, Hepburn: Eā Konbatto

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References

  1. 1 2 Edge Staff (May 1994). "Namco: Leader of the Pac". Edge UK . No. 8. United Kingdom: Future plc. pp. 54–61.
  2. 1 2 3 "Quarter Crunchers". Vol. 1, no. 1. DieHard Gamers Club. GameFan. December 1993. p. 194. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ "エアコンバット" [Air Combat]. Gamest (in Japanese). Vol. 90 (May 1993). March 30, 1993. p. 138.
  4. ↑ "Air Combat operators manual (Registration Number VA0000619090)". United States Copyright Office . Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 455. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 August 1993. p. 25.
  6. ↑ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 456. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 September 1983. p. 30.
  7. ↑ "Top Hits of Japan". RePlay. Vol. 18, no. 12. September 1993. p. 142.
  8. ↑ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 19, no. 1. October 1993. p. 12.
  9. ↑ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 19, no. 3. December 1993. p. 12.
  10. ↑ "Funworld". Funworld Magazine . IAAPA. 13: 59. 1997. 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.
  11. 1 2 "Air Combat". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 50. September 1993. p. 62.
  12. ↑ Whritenour, Jacob (June 16, 2017). "E3 2017: Ace Combat 7 is a Great New Starting Point for the Series". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "第７回 ゲーメスト大賞" [7th Gamest Awards]. Gamest (in Japanese). Vol. 107 (February 1994). December 27, 1993. pp. 20–43.
  14. ↑ "Air Combat" (PDF). Computer and Video Games . No. 144 (November 1993). 15 October 1993. p. 16.
  15. ↑ Jenkins, David (18 January 2019). "Game review: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is a fantastic flight sim". Metro . Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  16. ↑ Whritenour, Jacob (June 16, 2017). "E3 2017: Ace Combat 7 is a Great New Starting Point for the Series". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Elston, Brett (April 4, 2007). "Feature: Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation". GamesRadar+ . Future US. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  18. 1 2 "『エースコンバット』25周年企画【前編】2人のキーマンが語る、『エース』が歩んだ25年". Asobimotto (in Japanese). Bandai Namco Entertainment. June 30, 2020. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
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