Bandai Namco highlights Ace Combat 7's VR mode in new TGS trailer

[Cal Jeffrey]

Highly anticipated: Bandai Namco just dropped a trailer for its upcoming Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown at PlayStation’s LineUp Tour in the run-up to the Tokyo Game Show next week. The video teases the game’s VR mode.

It looks pretty cool. Instead of a fixed cockpit view, players can look around them. They can also use the helmet’s HUD to lock-on to targets. The ability to view the skies around your fighter in nearly 360 degrees is nice, but apparently, it is available only as a separate mode and not in the campaign.

Ace Combat 7 was initially announced in 2015 as a PSVR exclusive. After several delays that have pushed it into January 2019, Road to VR reported last year that AC7 would not be an exclusively VR title as the main campaign does not support VR at all. Instead, the game will offer players a VR mode that Bandai Namco Brand Manager David Bonacci says will provide “several hours of VR gameplay.” How many hours Bonacci means by “several” remains unclear.

Ace Combat 7 will be the first we’ve seen of the franchise since Ace Combat Infinity was released on the PS3 in 2014. It has been even longer since Bandai Namco has launched a numbered version. Ace Combat 6 came out for the Xbox 360 way back in 2007. Of course, there have been seven iterations since then including two iPhone originals.

One thing I found confusing about the trailer was the 20th Anniversary announcement at the beginning. The first Ace Combat (called Air Combat back then) was released on the original PlayStation in 1995. That's about 24 years ago. Okay, so maybe the devs are counting from the name change? Ace Combat 2 was launched in 1997 — still, 22 years. So no matter how you look at, it has been around for more than 20 years. The third game came out in 1999, which would be 20 years, but why start counting anniversaries from the third game? If you see something that I’m missing, let me know in the comments because I’m puzzled.

Ace Combat 7: Unknown Skies launches on the PS4 and XB1 January 18, 2019, in the US and a day earlier in Japan. It will also be coming for PC on February 1. You can pre-order a physical copy from Amazon for $60. Digital pre-orders are not yet available.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/76380-namco-bandai-highlights-ace-combat-7-vr-mode.html

 

[TomSEA]

Looks pretty engaging. I'm interested, but would like to see a few reviews first.

For those looking for a little more "old school" flight simulator, the IL-2 Great Battles group is releasing what looks to be a great WWI flight simulator called "Flying Circus - Vol. I."

https://il2sturmovik.com/store/flying-circus/

 

[Ravey]

The 20th Anniversary is going from the original announcement back in 2015 I think. Does that account for the missing four years?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I want to like this, because I loved the PS2 trilogy of games back on the PS2.

But project aces have had an...interesting time this last decade. Ace Combat 6 was OK, but felt like a retread. Assault horizon was godawful garbage, and infinity was just a pay-2-win grinding simulator.

I hope with Ace combat 7 they go back to their roots, and the setting in strangereal with the giant robot planes is a good sign, but I'm not holding my breath for it. Hope its good.

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

The 20th Anniversary is going from the original announcement back in 2015 I think. Does that account for the missing four years?

I thought of that, but was still puzzled why they'd still be using it three years later. It doesn't really make sense, but it's really the only logical explanation.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Flight sims in VR are absolutely immersive and fun I must say, but only if all of the aircraft controls are virtual as well. More and more PC flight sims are adopting VR and it just makes sense once you try it. I don't think this game is going in the right direction at all. Might as well just use TrackIR sensor and save the money and discomfort of wearing a VR headset. Either make full use of the capabilities of VR or don't use it at all.

 

[Ravey]

I thought of that, but was still puzzled why they'd still be using it three years later. It doesn't really make sense, but it's really the only logical explanation.

It's probably the original trailer too from three years ago... instead of creating a whole new trailer which would cost money, they have just uploaded what they already had from the intended release date. It's a bit sloppy of them really. At this rate though they may be better off waiting a year and promote the game for their "25th Anniversary"

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Flight sims in VR are absolutely immersive and fun I must say, but only if all of the aircraft controls are virtual as well. More and more PC flight sims are adopting VR and it just makes sense once you try it. I don't think this game is going in the right direction at all. Might as well just use TrackIR sensor and save the money and discomfort of wearing a VR headset. Either make full use of the capabilities of VR or don't use it at all.

Ace combat isnt a detailed flight simulator, it is an arcade flight simulator. Doing full VR controls would be silly.

 

[Cal Jeffrey]

It's probably the original trailer too from three years ago... instead of creating a whole new trailer which would cost money, they have just uploaded what they already had from the intended release date. It's a bit sloppy of them really. At this rate though they may be better off waiting a year and promote the game for their "25th Anniversary"

Ahhhhh! Dingdingding! think you hit the nail on the head there. It's old crap they had planned to release, but then realized they weren't going to get it out in time so archived the video, until now. Totally makes sense except for one thing -- why not trim out the 20th anniversary thing? Or heck, change it to 25th. After all by the time it comes out it will be closer to the 25th anniversary than the 20th. Their content guy was probably just to lazy. LOL

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

Ace combat isnt a detailed flight simulator, it is an arcade flight simulator. Doing full VR controls would be silly.

Fair point... but even virtual joystick and throttle controls would be better than holding a game pad in my opinion. Or at least, have it as an option so the player can choose.

I guess ultimately though what I was getting at is, not using your "VR controllers" in VR feels very unnatural. If you are going to use VR for visuals it should be used for controls as well.