Air Combat is a 1995 combat flight simulation video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation, and the first title of the Ace Combat franchise. Players control an aircraft and are tasked with completing a series of missions, with objectives ranging from destroying formations of enemies to protecting a specific target from enemy fire. Missions award money that is used to purchase new fighter aircraft, each with its own unique weapons and strengths.
Air Combat is based on a 1993 arcade game of the same name that ran on the Namco System 21 hardware. Company employees Masanori Kato and Kazumi Mizuno were tasked with bringing the game to the then-new PlayStation, but decided to create a new game from scratch after realizing the PlayStation's hardware was not powerful enough to properly render the arcade version's gameplay. Air Combat was both a critical and commercial success; its arcade-like gameplay, realism, and cinematic approach were praised, though several criticized its graphics and presentation for being below-average. It spawned the Ace Combat franchise with several sequels, spin-offs, and other forms of media, and was followed by Ace Combat 2 in 1997.
Gameplay
thumb|left|The player firing a missile at an enemy.
Air Combat is a combat flight simulation game presented in an arcade-like format. including the F-4 Phantom, Su-27 Flanker, and Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, and must complete each of the game's seventeen levels, each having mission objectives that must be fulfilled. Extra money can also be earned by destroying optional, "non-target" enemies. The arcade game was published in 1993 for Namco's polygon-powered System 21 hardware, and is noteworthy for its 3D graphics and technological capabilities. 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. 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. It was released in North America on September 9 as a launch title for the console, and in Europe by Sony Computer Entertainment on October 13. On August 9, 1996, it was re-released in Japan under Sony's The Best budget title range.
Reception
Air Combat proved to be a commercial success. In Japan, the game sold over 246,000 copies in its first week, and nearly 600,000 overall. By 2008 the game shipped 2.23million copies, making it the second best-selling game in the franchise behind Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. Electronic Gaming Monthly awarded it "Best Flight Sim of 1995".
Critics focused primarily on the gameplay, who felt it had an addictive, arcade-like nature. GameFan reviewer Nick Rox described it as being "easily the ultimate flight simulator".