Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+ Reviews
Plane crazy.
If you had low expectations for this one, let them be lifted -- this is a surprising hit of a game. Namco's still got room to improve here, and hopefully a future sequel will add a greater wealth of single-player missions and some multiplayer modes to this foundation. But Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy is truly impressive just as it is, and it deserves the attention of any Nintendo fans who've either always been curious about this series or just love flying through the sky to blow stuff up.
A tidy tester for your New 3DS' excellent head-tracking 3D, but there's too little for old hands to grasp onto. Even if you're a first timer flyer it's hardly a direct hit.
Fans of the Ace Combat series are destined to be disappointed with Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+. Aside from some small control additions and swanky new amiibo support, the aerial combat game is largely unchanged from Bandai Namco Games' initial 3DS release in 2011. The flying itself is decent, and greatly enhanced by the game's outstanding soundtrack, but ultimately Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ feels like nothing more than a poorly-disguised cash-grab.
Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ is a minor and slightly cheeky update - despite Nintendo planes and amiibo support it's certainly not worth a double dip for those with the original. It does serve as a handy reminder to those that ignored it first-time around, however, and it's an entertaining arcade experience that does its job as throwaway action fun. It's the sort of title that one can revisit every once in a while, just to fly through the skies and pretend it's the '80s and that Top Gun is cool. Often silly but always enjoyable, it's certainly worth some air miles for new recruits.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus will definitely appeal to aviation aficionados who happen to game as well, but not to many other gamers. Either way, the "Plus" feels like a misnomer—the title doesn't offer enough new or entertaining features to justify a full-price purchase point for a four-year-old marginally average game.
Legacy is a fun game, but it is limited and dated. The mechanics are decent, although you will come to rely on the maneuver button more than a flying game should, and it ends up taking away from the gameplay a bit. Despite the decent use of the 3D, the game does not make good use of the 3DS' hardware, and as a result Legacy feels primitive by modern standards.
Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy Plus is an enjoyable and engaging entry in the series, and in the combat flight-sim genre. For returning players however there is very little new content here to warrant a purchase, unless you're absolutely desperate to pilot a Samus Aran airplane in a fictional war. For those new to the title who are looking for something slightly different to go with their New 3DS, there's a lot to recommend here, though it sadly all feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+ is a great way for Ace veterans to relive a classic on the go, provided that they didn't already buy the original release in 2011. There's just not enough here for entice anyone to double-dip or shell out the full price if you aren't a sim-junkie. While the publisher should be chided for releasing an iteration as rushed as this, they are lucky that the core package was already decent to begin with.
A plus sign doesn't always mean better
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + is never an offensive game. I actually enjoyed much of my time with it. Especially finding out it wasn't as complex as I had imagined the series to be, but in that same vein, maybe it should have been a bit more complex. After hitting the two hour mark, I seemed to have seen everything the game had to offer as far a variety, and the new additions to the game don't seem to be enough to get people to double dip and purchase it again.
Ace Combat Horizon Legacy Plus is exactly what you want from the series: Ace Combat on the go. This new version isn't essential if you have the original 2011 release, but if you've never bought the game, the new Amiibo support and other features make the Plus edition the one to own.
Even with its issues, Assault Horizon Legacy provides a solid Ace Combat experience on the 3DS. Yes, the game may have landed on the small screen. When it comes to the overall gameplay experience, however, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+ delivers a solid spike on Nintendo's portable console, just like make-believe, volleyball savant Tom Cruise.
Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy+ won't set your world on fire like another remakes well, but when it comes to staying in the air and doing a great deal of damage, it's a few good afternoons well spent – especially if you're a fan of the original games.
With only a few minor additions, it's hard to recommend Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+ to anyone but the most diehard of fans.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+ is a tricky release to score, because it's certainly not a bad game - it's just a rather lazy upgrade on a title which came out four years ago. Newcomers who are fans of this type of game are should give it a look, however.
"Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+" is a more than solid addition to the series, granted you to didn't take to the air when the game was originally released in 2011. Amiibo features and improved controls and visuals aside, there's not enough to warrant another purchase. However, if you're feeling for some solid aviation-fueled drama on your new 3DS, this is your only choice.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus is fundamentally the same enjoyable game as it was when originally released in 2011. This latest version adds Amiibo and thumbstick control for the New 3DS XL, but shortfalls such as repetitive gameplay and lackluster graphics remain unchanged. There's not enough new material here to warrant an entirely new release and the minor additions would be better suited as DLC.
Ace Combat flies onto the 3DS in impressive fashion. Worth checking out for series fans and anyone that likes aerial combat.
This title won't win any awards for ingenuity, but it will provide any gamers who like to casually call each other "Ice Man" and "Maverick" with plenty of bonehead blowin' up fun.