ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN

It's not a sim, but i used to play Air Combat/Ace Combat 2 with my father lifetime ago, so i knew what to expect, and game was exactly that. Hard to describe feeling when i let my sons to play it a bit... Well, biased review, but it's great fun to couchplay.

8/10
The campaign is absolute peak... The multiplayer not so much. I'm still waiting for AC8

I bought this game after playing some of the older PS2 Ace Combat games of which I really enjoyed. This game was mostly the same as those game play-wise in my experience.
Over-all I just played through the main campaign and I had a lot of fun, and I will have more fun with the game, as I try to complete the air craft tree, I found the game really immersive. The game worked amazingly through Proton out of the box, and I did not encounter any stability issues.

This game was a magical experience. And it's my first step into the Ace Combat series.
I never had any interest in any "flight simulation", much less an arcade-y one. However, I'm somewhat of a musicophile. When I saw that AC8 trailer during the TGA 2025, and heard the music, I decided that I need to get into this series.
Honestly, I was expecting an average plane game where you shoot down things with missile, or drop bombs, or whatever, with a typical military story, but with decent music. Because I had heard that the composer of this game also worked some stuff in Uma Musume (another title that I got into thanks to the music). But I did not expect to get attached to the characters and get invested in the story. With Count, Tabloid, Wiseman, Long Caster, and even Bandog being some of my favorites. Though I will say, I wish they'd actually help you with the mission instead of basically just being flies on the battlefield.
Not to mention the over-the-top set pieces actually made me hyped, not cringe. That, and combined with the OST? Heavenly.
Gameplay I would say is pretty fun once you got the hang of it, the stages are fairly challenging. Most of them seemed impossible at first, but once you know what you need to do, you'll clear em eventually.
Overall, I'd give the game a 9/10. I did not and have no plan on touching the multiplayer, so this score is solely based on my single-player experience.
Rise Above, to the Skies Unknown. Trigger signing out.

People act like: oOh ThIs GaMe Is So UnReAlIsTiC!!!1111!1!!!!!!11 like OHH THANKS FOR YOUR AMAZING OBSERVATION!!! I TOATLLY DIDNT KNOW THAT IN A GAME WHERE AN A-10 CAN DODGE MISSILES WAS UNREALISTIC!

No but really tho, this game is amazing and we don't play it for realism, we play it to escape it.
10/10, Highly recommend.

Very cheesy storyline, but solid arcade gameplay.
Nothing weird with planes carrying 150 missiles, trust.

If you like me, saw the Ace Combat 8 trailer and had never heard of this game before, I wouldn't blame you. I had no idea what I was walking into but for £3.99, it was worth a try.

GOOD. LORD.

This game is incredible. I was expecting to just mess around shooting a few planes and that would be that. Somehow, each mission becomes more complex and gives you something new to think about. The story is compelling enough to continue on and care about the characters and your voiceless character has an entire arc of their own.

The best part of this game, by far, is the sound design. The music is powerful and matches the pace of the action. If you have ever played any Metal Gear Solid game and enjoyed the cinematic style of music, this is the game for you. Even if you haven't ever played a game like this before (I hadn't), you will likely love this game.

Brilliant value when on sale but honestly, I would pay more for such a strong game.