Namco's top-selling Ace Combat series soars onto
xbox 360 with support
for up to 16 players. A new graphics engine attempts to create
photorealistic environments and aircraft, while more expanded missions
feature up to 300 targets to seek out and destroy. The futuristic
single-player campaign follows multiple characters from the fictional
country of Emmeria, which has been attacked by the neighboring nation of
Estovakia. As part of the Emmerian Air Force, players must fight back
in a series of 15 missions across land and sea. A total of 14 planes are
available to pilot, including an F-15E Strike Eagle, F-22 Raptor, Su-33
Flanker-D, and an A-10A Thunderbolt
II. Fires
of Liberation is the first Ace Combat game to include online action in
four distinct play modes. Battle Royale is a 16-player free-for-all
where each defeated rival is worth a point. Team Battle follows the same
format, only with two custom-sized teams against each other instead of
every man for himself. Siege Battle, which supports up to eight players,
has one team trying to take out a specific target as quickly as
possible while a second team defends. Finally, Cooperative Mode lets up
to four friends join forces to challenge the computer in a choice of
missions. Leaderboards are available for each online game mode, with
special titles awarded to those who achieve specific milestones.