Game review: Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion - iPhone / iPod Touch

I was excited by the release of Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion from Namco.

Not because I’m a fan of the series – in fact, I’ve never played any of the previous titles. It was because I was anticipating a very high quality flight fight game.

I’ve not been disappointed, although it is not the perfect package.

Being a newcomer to the Ace Combat world isn’t a problem because the plot has little bearing on the game once you start.

For those familiar with the series who want to know where Xi fits in with the story, the action takes place during Ace Combat X. You play as a fighter pilot in the Falco Squadron, defending Aurelia from the attacking enemies of Leasath in a new adventure original to Apple’s mobile devices.

The action takes place over five objective-based levels. Each mission requires you to track and then blast away air, ground and sea-based targets.

Herein lies the game’s first and biggest problem. It’s very short.

Each mission only lasts a few minutes, meaning it’s possible to rush through the game in about half an hour if you’re really good right from the off. If you struggle to get to grips with the game early on, as I did, then it’s still not going to take very long to complete even if you need to repeat some of the levels a few times.

After the first play through you can replay the levels on different difficulty settings. This isn’t a great incentive for going through the game again but if you do then at best it’s still only going to provide a few hours of entertainment.

At least the missions are exciting, leading to some very fast and furious aerial combat action. There isn’t much room for variety though, with all the levels being quite similar.

To its credit Namco has announced the game will be slightly enlarged in a forthcoming update. This doesn’t excuse the fact that this opening offering of five short missions is little more than an extended demo.

The number of planes available in Ace Combat Xi is also quite small. There are only 10 in the game, and of these only three are unlocked at the start. Two more become available later on while the other five must be bought for 59p each. Planes can't be modified with new weapons or equipment, which is a shame.

Although the free update is on its way it seems paid-for downloadable content is what Namco is relying on for expanding the game in terms of new planes and scenarios to fly.

This is part of a worrying trend in iPhone/iPod gaming where relatively low-price titles are released with only limited content and once drawn in players are expected to pay again if they want to extend a game’s life.

I’m sure most people would pay extra for a full meal instead of just an appetiser which tastes great but only lasts a few bites.

It’s a shame Ace Combat Xi falls short on quantity because in terms of quality everything is top-notch.

The reason I struggled with the game early on and didn’t race through it nearly as fast as other people clearly have is I found the controls too fiddly to begin with.

I felt the sensitivity was set too high, resulting in me nose-diving too easily or getting disorientated far too often for my liking.

However, after a few failed missions which served as useful practice I started getting the hang of flying and once the controls clicked they started to feel intuitive.

The controls use a smart mix of tilt and touch.

The accelerometer is used for steering your plane as well as ascending and descending.

Tapping virtual buttons on the screen controls firing missiles and guns as well as throttle, brake and targeting.

It’s a well conceived system which works fine, once you get used to it.

The in-game interface manages to stay uncluttered and unobtrusive while providing a lot of information such as enemy positions, your altitude and a handy level indicator which helps you get straight if you lose control of your plane.

Graphics in Ace Combat Xi are among the best I’ve yet seen on the iPhone and iPod.

The plane models are superbly crafted while the environments look amazing. This is thanks in no small part to the use of actual satellite imaging for the terrains which adds extra realism to the game.

Although the short missions don’t allow very much scope for exploring the 3D, 360-degree landscapes, it is still clear the graphics here really push the boundaries of what’s possible on the iPhone/iPod.

High-quality sound adds greatly to the atmosphere, including radio chatter and an epic soundtrack.

Overall, short and sweet is the best way to describe Ace Combat Xi.

With its fantastic presentation, good controls (eventually) and exhilarating gameplay it’s got all the ingredients to be one of the stand-out games on the platform.

It’s a shame a shortage of content stops this aerial fighter from scoring a direct hit with its first sortie.

I wouldn’t expect a £20 or PSP-equivalent game to be given away for pennies but there is too little included with this first submission for it to get anywhere near achieving full potential.

Ace Combat is the high quality game I was hoping for. It just feels like it wasn’t fully loaded before take-off.

With Tom Clancy’s HAWX just released for iPhone/iPod the App Store skies are starting to get busy.

There is going to be some fierce dogfighting going on for supremacy in the arcade flight combat genre. Namco will have to up its game to avoid being out-manoeuvred by the competition.

Verdict: 7 out of 10 - Throws thrills around like bullets from machine guns but is too thrifty with its content. Expansions and DLC will bulk this game out but for now players must be content with short-lived excitement in a visually dazzling opening salvo.