I played a little of Ace Combat 7 in a trial or Game Pass or something, but I'd call this my first proper, serious step into the series. After an initial hump of getting used to the controls and how the game works, I found it to be a thrilling, satisfying action game. I'm already itching to go through the rest of the series.

Over 18 well-paced levels, the game showcases a variety of fun challenges that test different skills and plane configurations. Some missions demand careful flight as you deal with loads of small but threatening ground forces. Some are aerial deathmatches against ace pilots that reward patience and put your evasion skills to the test. And some "boss"-style levels have unique surprises in store that require a bit of trial and error to work out the best strategy.

That variety and a consistent challenge level keeps things fun throughout. The challenge and tension comes in no small part from how little room for error you have. Get hit a few times and you may be toast, and it's very easy to just crash and die instantly. Some of these levels can get relatively long with no checkpoints whatsoever, so dying can really mean something. In a lot of games, I would hate that, but the basic act of playing this game is so fun that I really did not mind. I enjoyed seeing myself get better and better at tough sequences as I rounded out my skills on second and third attempts.

Enemy AI definitely gave me a tough time at points, which made it all the more satisfying to take them down. I also enjoyed having my wingman with me, who you can easily command to do various things with the D-Pad. The controls in general do take some time to get comfortable with, but after a few missions I was surprised at how naturally they came to me. The UI is also exactly what it needs to be, presenting all the info you need to succeed in a simple and clear way.

Also worth mentioning with this game is its storytelling, which follows the legendary player character through the history surrounding the battles he took part in. FMV "interview" scenes with other pilots he fought against are fun to see after completing tough sections. For a game where the most you usually see of a character is their airplane and callsign, there's a surprising amount of personality. The history that unfolds around the "Belkan War" is definitely interesting and entertaining. Despite officially licensing real military vehicles and making using them fun, it ends up with a noticeable anti-war and anti-nuke message that works well.

The icing on the cake with this one really is that it still looks good and that the music is great at points. It's a super fun, memorable, quick experience that I found to be a great intro to what makes this series special. Definitely one of those games that had me on the edge of my seat, and one of the better-aged games from the PS2's excellent library.