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"Deeper than the first, and still worth playing years later..."

Like most games for the Play Station system, there are cases in which games are given a slight face-lift in order to show that improvements have been made to a particular series. With Ace Combat 2, you have slightly more detailed jets and more missions to complete, but really, you have a game that adds more and does tweaking on what is already there! Taking the role of a fighter pilot, you must fly through several missions of danger and action in order to save the world from some sort of take over plot, which really boils down to the same story you’ve seen in a ton of other games. Giving you control of a more streamlined fighter jet is only the tip of the iceberg, and with some of the missions, you’ll have your skills and patience put to the test, as long as you can stand through the game as it rolls on!

Intense is the best way to put it, as you go blazing through several different scenarios that leave you on the edge of your seat. 30 different missions await you, and there are several jets at your disposal to get hot and heavy into the dog fighting. Learning to use your basic weapons is key, as the machine guns will be your most used weapon, where the homing missiles will be your secondary line of offense...learn to use them both, they will keep you alive! Replay value is low again, which brings the score down on the game, but there is enough action to keep most simulation fans rooted to the seat for a long time. The average that you'll more than likely play it, will be right around a month, and then it will migrate down to the bottom shelf of your collection. There is no two-player option here, so it's strictly solo-flying here, and the computer AI will challenge your skills at every turn. If you roll this altogether, you have a rather solid game that gives you the simulation feel but without all of the extra added crap that you find in games like Sim-copter. Simplicity in some parts, but complex in others adds up to a mix of good and bad when playing through, and fans of the first game will see this in spades all throughout!

The control is easier to learn and use than the original, allowing you to not only pilot, but also run through all of your weapons without missing a bit. This will be a big step above the original for gamers who are just starting into combat simulations, as the buttons are set for an user-friendlier set-up. Advanced gamers will find the control very simple to use, and shouldn't have a problem blazing through the stages and maneuvering their jet. Some of the more advanced maneuvers take time and a little bit of effort as well as memory in order to execute properly. This adds something to the game play, in which part of the challenge is just to see if you can make your fighter plane do exactly what can be done in real life. What does come into effect with games like this is that there is no G-Force effect that takes place in real life, so performing some actual real to life maneuvers {which can be done} will be more than difficult to do without plenty of practice!

Improving on the first Ace Combat, the sequel to the trend setting game takes the visuals to a higher platform with clean and crisp looking jets, and exceptional areas. Each perspective looks well drawn and programmed, even though there is a bit of frame skipping and blockiness when the fire fighting gets intense. Rocking explosions and well-designed weapons fire create an almost realistic view of air combat. The different stages that you come through all reflect a certain amount of adventure and range from canyons to wide open territories, all of which will place you in the middle of some serious dog fights! You’ll find that some of the detail is lacking in areas such as explosions and if you get up close enough, you may find that the game has some cases of image break up and other normal visual problems found in a game that features extensive action.

Still not a big step above the original, the music does drop you into the middle of an air battle without much effort. The sound effects are a little on the bland side, and you may notice after a few minutes of playing, that the music and effects quietly fade into the background leaving you with nothing notable to remember. Not bad, but still not all that great. Now in some cases, the lack of actual sound will throw some people off into believing that the game has nothing to offer audio wise, but in this case, it isn’t true. Small examples of the sound effects going into the music and blending together while flying through battle says plenty about a game this old, even though it is slightly dated by today’s standards!

A step up from the original, Ace Combat 2 offers you better looking visuals without sacrificing game play or other various aspects. The main part of the game that could have been improved on, would have been the sound, but that's nothing that a good CD won't cure. Fans of the first will love the second, and those looking for a good combat simulation won't go wrong with this one. If you add in all of the different things that you can perform throughout the game that matches what you can actually do in real life, along with plenty of action, you’ll find that Ace Combat 2 is about as close as you can get to a real dog fight without actually being there! Game play and challenge abound, most Play Station owners will find that this title is well worth their money to buy and keep in the collection. Weekend warriors will do well to rent first, everyone else? Buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/09/01, Updated 12/04/01