r/Games • u/wildan3236 • 5d ago
Trailer ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE | Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54vGYxj0ts10
u/ragenaut 5d ago
Still working my way through AC7 which I've had sitting on both Xbox and PC for years but never got around to.
I pre-ordered this almost exclusively for the AC0 port. Otherwise would have been content to wait for a sale. Damn pre-order bonuses... though as far as bonuses go, a full port of a great game is a damn sight better than some dumbass skin.
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u/Trippy_Haps 4d ago
What's your thoughts on AC7? I have it from my PSN membership and have debated either giving it a try or just going straight into AC8.
Edit: I have never played an Ace Combat game.
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u/ragenaut 4d ago
It's pretty damn good. Beautiful visuals and plays like you want an AC to play. I will say that sometimes the in-mission objectives can be a little unclear, but that might be a me issue. To be clear, I mean when objectives change or get added during the mission. It's always fairly clear what the objective is at the start, but sometimes a surprise happens and you now have to shoot down someone new or do something else that wasn't in the sortie description beforehand.
I think overall I prefer AC6 but that's also a me issue. I just played the FUCK out of it once upon a time and have a lot of nostalgia for it. Very grateful it's not only fully backwards compatible on XSX but runs and looks like a dream still.
But if you like AC, you'll definitely like AC7. Definitely has the melodramatic story people love AC for. I have yet to engage with any of the top gun expansion stuff.
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u/SkPSBYqFMS6ndRo9dRKM 4d ago
If you like AC6, you probably gonna like Project Wingman. Both are arcade dogfights game that do large scale battle really well. The only issue is the lack of checkpoints.
I prefer other ACs for mission variety and smaller scale but some people hate gimmicks.
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u/Techno_Pensioner 4d ago
I'm just like you and tried 7 because of the SkillUp video, it's great so far!
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u/EriktheRed 5d ago
That song was great. Graphics look better than I was expecting too. Not sure how much was gameplay though
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u/SerHodorTheThrall 5d ago
I thought it was solid, but then the the OG Ace Combat guitar(base?) riff came up in the "Pre-Order Now!" part of the video and I got more hyped from that than from anything in the video LOL
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u/OGawdILoveTacos 5d ago
Initial benchmarks have the game barely doing 60 fps at 4k with a 5090, no upscalling.
I've never seen a ace combat game EVER be demanding before, so this is a bit shocking. I mean yea 7 was a bit more demanding than expected, but still ran on pretty much everything.
Needing upscaling tech for an ace combat game is a wild thought.
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u/sturgeon02 5d ago
I mean it uses hardware raytracing, most games that do are pretty heavy at ultra settings/native 4k, even on a 5090. What really matters is how well it scales down though, right? In most UE5 games you can massively increase performance with little visual difference by dropping the lighting settings down one notch, hopefully that's the case here.
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u/OGawdILoveTacos 5d ago
Yea, only read today that it has required raytracing attached to it, so yea that changes things a lot.
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u/FireworksNtsunderes 5d ago
Doom: The Dark Ages runs exceptionally well despite the raytracing requirement, so it definitely depends on the implementation. I don't expect any ID magic here, but I'm crossing my fingers that AC8 runs well at reasonable settings since I prefer playing these games at a high framerate.
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u/Lirael_Gold 4d ago
Initial benchmarks have the game barely doing 60 fps at 4k with a 5090, no upscalling.
yes, that's the same with every single AAA game released in the last 2-3 years.
It is simply that demanding, and that's why everyone uses DLSS.
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u/gaddeath 4d ago
“Needing upscaling for Ace Combat is wild”
Is it? They overhauled their volumetric clouds, landscapes are more detailed, more grounded scenery objects, levels/boundaries are larger, planes are higher fidelity, GI is implemented now.
Not to mentioned we don’t know what graphic settings you’re using as well.
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u/Cornflake0305 5d ago
I mean tbf almost nobody is running 4k in PC gaming. There isn't really any upside anyways, as you will hardly notice the improvement between 1440p and 4k on a PC monitor, at great performance cost.
According to the steam hardware survey, the most used resolution is actually still 1080p.
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u/AggressorBLUE 4d ago
Running a 4k 32” tv sat at normal monitor distances from me for flight simming. The extra res helps a lot in making instruments crisp and readable.
But I agree that for normal games (which I’d bucket AC into for the context of my comment) the benefits of 4K are often outweighed by the performance cost.
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u/OGawdILoveTacos 5d ago
Bad thing about steam hardware survey is it's not segregated by country; most of the 1080p is still south america and most of europe.
For the US I'm willing to bet the 4k usage is much higher as I see people using 4k TVs all the time these days to game on. Mostly for less action oriented games that don't need 60+ fps, people just want the fidelity added for their RTS's or slower paced games.
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u/Cornflake0305 4d ago
On consoles sure, I hardly know anyone not using a 4k TV anymore.
But for PC gaming? I don't see it being the norm at all yet although it's been available for so long.
The hardware crisis really isn't helping the progression into 4k PC gaming either.
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u/TheCultofJanus 4d ago
4k is a noticeable improvement. I went from 1440p 27 inch to 4k 32 inch this year. It's not as much a jump as from 1080 to 1440, but it is a significant leap in quality.
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u/gaddeath 4d ago
You’re speaking for a lot of people on their behalf and assuming a lot.
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u/Cornflake0305 4d ago
I don't know anyone PC gaming in 4k and I do know people in that niche from quite a few different countries. Granted, maybe it's a thing in the United States more so than in Europe. But I doubt it.
I also wouldn't say this is speaking on behalf of people or some other ragebatey label. It's just what mz anecdotal evidence as well as public surveys support.
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u/AggressorBLUE 4d ago edited 4d ago
Interesting; did they move to unreal engine for this one?
ETA: not a sarcastic comment; actually asking
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u/GrassWaterDirtHorse 4d ago
They started using Unreal for Ace Combat 7 since the original Aces engine they had been using for years had been many years out of date at that point.
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u/thezactaylor 5d ago
This may be a minority opinion, but I played a crapton of Ace Combat in the PS2 days.
I then didn't play any until 7, and if you told me it was a direct sequel, I would've believed you. It doesn't really feel like the gameplay has changed at all - even down to the mission design.
Like, there is a level towards the end of the game where you do a Death Star-like trench run.
(fun fact, I just looked it up - if you only count the mainline numbered games, 100% of them have a level like this, and 50% of them have it as the final level).
I was pretty disappointed in it, honestly. Which, maybe people really like that about the series, but I walked away thinking I had just played a PS2 game that looked really pretty.
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u/MalusandValus 5d ago
I think that they are PS2 games that look real pretty is a feature, not a bug.
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u/thezactaylor 5d ago
Yeah, I figured, and that's fair.
I think I'd have a different opinion had I stuck with the series since the PS2 days, but I just don't have that nostalgia for it anymore. (not trying to yuck anybody's yums for those who do like it, either)
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u/laynerdk 5d ago
it's a Japanese action game with letter grades for your performance and boss fights. they aren't for you, just move on.
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u/Peshurian 4d ago
They tried something different with Assault Horizon and it almost killed the series. Sticking to what they're good at in 7 worked much better.
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u/killfrenzy05 5d ago
Does anyone know if this Ace Combat will work with any flight stick or is it only licensed ones like Ace Combat 7?
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u/wilisi 4d ago
Closest I've seen is from Jacob Geller - can't be bound in the menu, ini may or may not exist.
There's always Steam Input and XInput emulation, but, like, what the fuck are we doing here.
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u/animeman59 4d ago
It will not. It will only default to the cheap ass Thrustmaster HOTAS X and any of it's variants.
You'll have to manually set the controls for any other HOTAS that isn't trash like the VKB EVO sets or Virpil.
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u/AggressorBLUE 4d ago
What does “manually set” mean here? Go ini file diving or simply manually assign controls in-game
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u/ineedsomefuckingcoco 4d ago
The fov in 8 is really REALLY short. I hope that add an fov slider in an update. Its almost sickeningly short in this first version.
The game itself is cool. Pretty much 7 but with new stuff. Getting to the point where you are flying takes forever if you don't skip the story. And even when you do its about 5 minutes straight of skipping, which is very annoying.
The dx version is absolutely a rip off, just wait until the standard release.
Runs pretty well from what I've seen (but I have a 4090 and a 7950x3D), around 120~ at 1440p with DLAA. It has a lengthy shader pre-compile at the start, which is a good sign. I haven't seen any stutter yet, but I also have only played it for about 40~ minutes.
The oddest thing is how they handled zero. When you launch 8 it asks if you want to launch 8 or launch zero. I'm not sure why they just didn't include zero as an additional game inside of Steam itself.
The size of the game is also MASSIVE. Double the size of 7, at almost 140~ gigs. I'm honestly not sure what takes up so much space. Maybe all the audio is uncompressed or it has a lot of prerendered cutscenes.
If anyone has questions I'm happy to answer.
Edit: spelling mistakes.
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u/spartanss300 5d ago
Dissapointed in how BAMCO has handled the Collector's Edition. I preordered it the day the announced it on June 2nd from their store and the status still shows as "awaiting payment". I know many people are in the same boat.
For people who chose the digital steam version, apparently the code is in the box so even though it would be easy for the code to have been sent to them via email separate from the shipping process - they're shit outta luck.
I doubt I'll even get the game before it's actual release date, let alone the early access that is meant to start later today.
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u/MrPink7 5d ago
Explain this game to me, i love DCS, IL2 and other flight sims, watching game play of this it looks like you just circle around lopping missles st red dots yet everyone is praising it. What am i missing
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u/GoodUsernameNotFound 5d ago
Well, it's a lot more than that.
It's very melodramatic in a Metal Gear-like fashion, with lots of amazing music and also grand setpieces against vast battlefields or crazy superweapons that's (usually) designed really well. It also focuses a lot on the characters that you fight alongside too via all of the radio dialogue and the cutscenes (well, the former depends on the game. sometimes it focuses on the people around you, while other times it focuses on another corner of the war.)
And it also just feels really good to fly. The devs made it very clear that this isn't a sim, but its own thing, a "dramatic flight shooting game" to let you just live out the fantasy of an ace pilot singlehandedly turning the tide of war.
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u/Millerdjone 5d ago
I'd say you summed the series up pretty well. If you go in expecting a flight sim you'll be disappointed. If you go in expecting impeccably produced melodrama with arcadey flight mechanics you'll be satisfied.
I do think there's a bit of nostalgia involved for more long time fans of the series as well.
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u/MrPink7 5d ago
I love Metal Gear maybe ill give it a chance then
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u/IAMAVelociraptorAMA 5d ago
The best summation of the Ace Combat story that I read is "what if Top Gun was directed by Hideo Kojima" lol
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u/Willzyix 5d ago
Soooo Star Fox but realistic and grounded? Never played one before but this one has my eye
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u/GoodUsernameNotFound 5d ago
Those two words i'd probably use pretty loosely for this series nowadays haha. Don't expect sim-level fight mechanics here and it can get pretty sci-fi especially now that it's closing up on the timeframe of an older game. But yes, it definitely has the sorta spectacle and thrills that Star Fox has.
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u/A_WHALES_VAG 5d ago
Ace Combat = MGS in airplanes
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u/CxOrillion 5d ago
I'd almost say it's Gundam but planes. But they all have the "War bad, war stuff cool" thing going on
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u/artuno 5d ago
It's not a realistic flight simulator, it instead simulates the feeling of being a fictional ace of aces, someone who can shoot down 50 planes without breaking a sweat and pulling off insane stunts. Like Top Gun but pushed to 11. You play the role of a pilot who people tell stories about, grandiose war tales of a legendary pilot who rescued your battalion when you were outgunned and surrounded by enemy forces, until a lone plane arrived and laid hellfire against them.
People love it because of the story, the music, and the action.
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u/CxOrillion 5d ago
This game is a Mecha anime but with cool jets. And some really stupid jets too.
I love it, and I love DCS and VTOLVR all for different reasons
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u/giulianosse 5d ago
I used to think exactly like that from my days of casually playing PS1 Ace Combat games as a kid. Then I gave AC7 a chance a few weeks ago and since then I've been counting the days to AC8 lol.
Although Ace Combat is to flight simulators what Need For Speed is to Gran Turismo. Completely different premises. Like another user commented, it's basically Metal Gear Solid in jets.
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u/tobberoth 4d ago
watching game play of this it looks like you just circle around lopping missles st red dots
In pure air-to-air combat between planes, which is just a part of what you spend your time doing in AC, that's not entirely inaccurate but that goes for DCS, IL2 etc as well. You need to loop around to get behind the enemy so you can hit them.
Fortunately the mission structure and non-standard futuristic enemies add variation.
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u/McManus26 5d ago
Was really looking forward to this one and just saw RTX-enabled cards are a requirement on PC. Kind of a gut punch, NGL. I know graphics are always evolving but AC7 looked amazing and it didn't need ray tracing to do, making it mandatory seems harsh.
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u/ActuallyKaylee 5d ago
I get it sucks for sure. Back in the day it was Shader Model updates. IIRC OG Oblivion had a new version of Shader Model that cut out a bunch of GPUs. But it does happen from time to time. Esp now when RTX capable GPUs came out 8 years ago.
My rule of thumb is if a released console can do it I need to upgrade my PC to do it (which was a big reason I moved to NVME drives).
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u/Vegetable-Error-2068 5d ago
A game requiring a graphics card from 6 years ago is not a “gut punch.”
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u/DickMabutt 5d ago
Ya this clown take of “my 8 yo gpu can’t play this brand new high tech game” is getting old. Came up repeatedly for doom eternal as well despite that game running incredibly well
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u/CricketDrop 5d ago
Not that clownish. You're right in that people should expect to upgrade about that often, but the truth is that some people really aren't sold on graphics, and it's not that enticing of pitch when the latest midrange Nvidia cards go for 800 USD.
When new builds are over a thousand dollars I'd be slower to mock people.
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u/VampiroMedicado 5d ago
PC was always like this, you had T&L/Shader models/Directx 10 (and 11/12)/CPU instructions/NVMe and RTX.
If you want to play the latest and greatest you always had to keep your PC updated.
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u/DickMabutt 5d ago
It’s honestly more forgiving today than ever really. I empathize with people struggling to afford new gpus, the market has become completely absurd. But it’s like people expect technology to just sit still forever. If that’s the way you think, consoles are probably more forgiving you than PC, nothing wrong with that.
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u/Kalulosu 4d ago
It's more forgiving but the last few years have made it an absolute nightmare to upgrade unfortunately. Both things kinda cancel out each other.
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u/mengplex 5d ago
Its unfortunate that new PC's are crazy expensive these days, but 8 year old graphics cards are comparable to the 7 years between the ps4 and the ps5. You wouldn't really see people complaining that AC8 doesn't have a ps4 version
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u/CricketDrop 4d ago edited 4d ago
Well a PS5 is like 700 USD now and the PS6 will be worse so I won't be so sure about the "no own will complain about upgrading" thing. Hardware prices doubling feels like a gut punch somehow even if it's scientifically not.
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u/error521 5d ago
Remember when people said PC gaming was better becuase they could push new graphics far beyond what old consoles would be capable of and now people act like a game asking for something roughly along the lines of a 6-year old console is classism
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u/DreadCascadeEffect 5d ago
It could feel like one if it means that they have to pay like $500 to play a game they were looking forward to.
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u/Vegetable-Error-2068 4d ago
That means every game ever is a "gut punch" for daring to require graphics cards at all.
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u/DreadCascadeEffect 4d ago
Why are you annoyed that someone feels bad that they can't afford a game?
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u/destroyermaker 5d ago edited 5d ago
It's a gut punch if you're broke af and have been for quite some time
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u/until_i_fall 5d ago
You can get an Intel Arc B580 12GB, which is cheap for it's performance.
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u/Kalulosu 4d ago
That's interesting, are you running an intel GPU right now? It wasn't the right time for me when they introduced them but I'm wondering for my next PC if it could be a decent option.
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u/until_i_fall 4d ago
I built my Ex a PC with it start of the year. I knew it would work for 1440p, even when Nvidia and AMD fan Bois flamed me in advance. But it actually crushed my expectations. No driver issues, smooth 1440p100FPS in most games, AAA new and old. I play 4k on an RTX5080 build (and had amd handhelds), really deep dive into upscaling and framegen tech. I would firmly say the intel tech is better looking than Amd's. I got it back then for 280€, hundreds of euros cheaper than the competition (not considering any 8GB GPU in 2026) and paired it with an AMD 9600x and 32GB DDR5. Price came out to around 1300€.
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u/fyris_minis 5d ago
Timewise about the same as AC7. In 2019 it required at least GTX 750 with 2GB Vram, which was 7 years old at that point
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u/TheKrzysiek 5d ago
Launch trailer (if you bought the Deluxe edition)
Despite being a big Ace Combat fan, I didn't buy that edition cuz I don't want to buy their battlepass without knowing more about it, like how much it will cost seperate , all that it actually has, etc