Two Ace Combat games, in two different universes, are set in 2019. We'll be following the events of both as they happen, to the day and hour. Please, enjoy.
Description below.
Asimov's Third Law - A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First (do not harm humans) or Second Laws (obey orders).
The first wasn't programmed into them. But the second is in effect: they're following their final orders before the satellite collapse by fighting on. Hugin and Mun- no, lets call the AI by its actual name: ZOE, its latest iteration. This isn't a Skynet-like primal, self-preserving rage against mankind. It's not mounting an uprising; it is simply following its directives. Nothing's gone wrong here - rather, it went horribly right. And as Schroeder said, they'd all pay the price for his brilliant research...
...if only it wasn't for us.
Though the drone maneuverability can be questionable, this is a proper final AC mission. An immensely powerful final enemy, a powerful soundtrack, a fantastic tunnel run harking back to the most ambitious of them all, and a very unexpected final action. And proper cutscenes to back it all up. I couldn't ask for more.
I think this is a fantastic ending. The most optimistic yet - more than just ending a war and avoiding global catastrophe as usual, it displays humanity's future hopes. It's marred by tragedy, but even those are appropriate. Mihaly's ending may be worse than death for him, but I think it's great narratively - trading the trope of the dead, noble enemy for a sad survival, but one that as Avril says, one that refreshingly reflects on a brighter future.
I won't bother with a full review of the game here, but I loved it. It was exactly what I expected of it. Does it match the classics? In most aspects, yet. It applies what we love most about the series and adds in sufficient innovation. It's flawed in many ways, but none of them detracted from my enjoyment. I'll play it for years to come. Thank you, Project Aces. I look forward to the season pass, and whatever the future may hold for Ace Combat beyond that.
To the heavens and beyond.
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