For 3 years, I knew it was going to happen eventually. Well, I guess today is the day when I finally start the Ace Combat series.

Going into the first entry, I really had little excitement for it, and after playing through it and seeing all it has to offer, I think the game can be summed up in one word. Simple. Being a title early in the PlayStation 1's lifespan, I don't think it has much to offer, but it does everything it sets out to do pretty well.

Visually, it's far from the PlayStation 1's best, not to mention the poor draw distance, which can really hurt this game at times due to the fact that it's a plane simulation game where you can't see more than 3 feet ahead of you. Regardless, I do think there's something to appreciate about the game's art direction. As stated prior, it's very simple but it's not really a downside for me. I like the colorful markings on each aircraft. I like the world map. I like the debriefing scenes where the most simple infographics appear while a guy who obviously recorded all of his lines in one afternoon tries his best to dictate what needs to be done.

On the gameplay front, I expected it to be much worse than it actually was. Sure, it's nothing amazing, but once you get the hang of it, it works. It's fun. Sure it's not all great; the stats for each aircraft feel like lies and the guns near useless. Not to mention the fact that the auto-aim often aimed at the wrong target, and how sometimes dogfights could be very weak. But all in all, it's good. The two levels where you fly in the ravines are my favorites.

While you're mowing down oil fields, ships, and other aircraft the game's soundtrack is there to keep you company, and yeah it's good. Each track is a jam and I can almost feel the wind blowing in my hair as I listen to this this. Yeah it's nothing groundbreaking but you'll find yourself going along to some of the tunes, they fit the vibe of this game very well.

If I'm honest I have no clue why I played this game, even my friend who is an Ace Combat fan just told me to start with 7. Still, the first game's not really bad, moreso "useless". You can really see the arcade origins of this game seep through, and looking at the mechanics it's easy to see why this game is a perfect fit for the "pick up and play" nature of arcades. Really the most striking thing about this game is the realisation I had that these types of games don't really exist anymore, which is really a byproduct of the progression of games as a medium. If this game released today, I think there'd be an outrage if Bandai was expecting us to cough up $60 bucks for this, but time is a funny thing. Whether you think the extinction of these types of games on home consoles is something to mourn or not is up to you, personally I don't really care. As it stands, Ace Combat is a fun game that you can beat in an afternoon, so if you're interested, I'd recommend giving it a shot, if not no worries. I'm sure even Ace Combat fans don't really care for this.

P.S: I'm not calling it "Air Combat", what a lame ass name.