Ace Combat 6 is fun. I'm keeping the controls on novice. Mock me all you want, but I can't reconcile the arcadey gameplay with controls that claim to be more similar to flying a plane. If I had the flight stick, sure, but I sincerely doubt that the advanced controls on a dozen button control in any way resemble plane controls. You put arcadey gameplay on the screen, gimme arcadey controls.
Also, holy shit, arcade flight sims really haven't evolved at all since they went 3d, have they? I didn't play any of the PS2 Ace Combats, but I was able to jump into this one like I didn't miss a beat.
And the game is really pretty. Until you get near the ground and then you see the ground only looks hot and sexy from the distance. Unfortunately, being an arcadey game, you find yourself near the ground sometimes. I like how they've half-assedly put up a few trees on the ugh up close ground, as if that makes up for pulling back the curtain and seeing what the Wizard really is.
That's a nitpick, though. Game looks hot. Game plays fun. It's what I expected. And I feel guilty for kind of liking the cut scenes even if some of the voice acting is pretty lousy. It's an Animu War is Bad plot, but I haven't been expsed to one in a while.
Good job, Namco!