Story Notes: Spike's Little Unsung War · 12:58am Jun 30th, 2022
I could write about a bunch of fun facts regarding the F-14, Ace Combat lore, and other stuff but I don’t want to do that.
I discovered the games last summer. My mother bought me a copy of Ace Combat 6 when I was a kid even though I actually wanted Microsoft Flight Simulator X. I played it at the time, couldn’t get past the fifth mission, and mostly forgot about it. Then last summer, I saw this meme.
I laughed, did a little extra research, and realized I still had that old game sitting on my shelf. So I threw it in and gave it a try.
I beat it in two days.
After mastering 6 and beating it on ace, Ace Combat 7 went on sale on Steam. I picked that up and did the same. Shortly afterward I got 4, 5, and Zero working on emulator and played those too. I was captivated.
Ace Combat is a peculiar series in that it’s about war but not about glorifying it. These games are not about bursting through the door and killing a bunch of terrorists. They’re not afraid to talk about the consequences of war and how affects those who fight it and those in the crossfire. No game shows this better than Ace Combat 5.
Ace Combat 5 is not my favorite game in the series but its commitment to peace is second none. Sure, some of its missions are slogs and its peace loving nature can be a bit overbearing, but it’s a perfect example of how a game can be more than just blowing up bad guys. You fight a war you don’t believe in as the violence escalates until you’re disposed of. And it’s that final act that contextualizes what strong peace is (it also contains what is probably the highest high I have ever experienced in a game).
Probably the most beautiful F-14 ever.
All of this is fine but on paper this sounds like wishful thinking. But when Russia invaded Ukraine several months ago, much of this became a reality. While there’s more similarity between that war and the other Ace Combat games, the reality of the war reminds us of the importance of peace and what it actually looks like. Peace is not found in capitulation or appeasement but in strength and cooperation. Peace is not enabling conquest out of self interests, it’s about having the strength to prevent it.
Nothing has fascinated me more about the war than the protracted air war. Just the fact that an outdated and underarmed air force is matching modern equipment just with its skill is amazing. I can’t overestimate how surprising it is that the Ukrainian Air Force still exists, let alone being combat effective. It makes me wonder if there will be any new aces at the end of this (even if the original Ghost of Kyiv story wasn’t true, though its symbolism remains relevant).
Ukrainian liveries also look sick.
I also thank these games for coming to me at a hard time in my life. They’re one of the few series out there that give me chills and even make me cry. They mean more than their flashy cover art suggests. They’re probably my favorite gem of a series I’ve stumbled upon recently.
Magnus heros est
I love the Ace Combat series. A ton of fun and the stories are really cool. Hard to say if 4 or 6 is my favorite.
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Personally, 4 is probably my go-to for its combination of great story and pure gameplay.
If cuckjak shit gets people into Ace Combat, then let AC7 be this franchise's swan song.
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The funnier part is that memes as advertising (especially for actually great things) is not unheard of. Memes got me into Jojo, which is probably one of the best series I’ve ever watched. Memes often indicate a thriving fanbase.
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Thriving from lemmings and cattle being told to consume this product in particular, or actual human beings?