Air Combat: “haha flying planes is fun!” Ace Combat 2: “haha flying planes in third person is fun too!” Ace Combat 3: “have you ever experienced the waking terror of knowing that your entire life is merely a fabrication, an illusion, and that your very consciousness exists within the confines of a machine while warring mega-corporations vie for control over an ever-encroaching cyberpunk dystopia? Your free will is an illusion. You are a ghost of data and software. Your memory will be of nothing more than a computer program recycled into nothingness.”
Yeah, this depressing message was one kids weren't ready for. I remember being upset they totally removed the storyline in the US version, but I could now see the argument they had for doing it.
@@plumdowner1941 "...but your enemies are people too. People who you kill. Including this guy who adopted a kid whose family he accidentally killed. And you killed him. Asshole."
@@Maioly If only. The age of corporate rule meant people were still under rulers and still within borders, but those borders became vague, hard to see, thus hard to escape. If the Round Table was surrounded by politicians squabbling over their piece of the pie, the Intercorporate War is driven by the wealthy pretending to share the pie, while actually conspiring to get the entire pie. In both cases, innocent people die.
So: Erich Jaeger is actually pretty well retconned to be the kid of one of your wingmen in Ace Combat 7; and his motives for joining UPEO have become "His dad helped change the world for the better as a fighter pilot, so He'll do the same thing."
Well, according to Photosphere, Erich said that "it was the stars that I always longed after". Maybe he wanted to be an astronaut. Maybe being a fighter pilot is a stepping stone for him. But at the same time, he also wants to maintain peace so yeah. I see what you're saying.
An extra thing to add to the meta commentary of AC3. The original two Japanese game discs had the words "Project Nemo Archive Disc" on them. In its original version, the true nature of the game was foreshadowed as soon as the player opened the game box and took out the disc.
Something of an interesting influence Ace Combat 3 had was that it's director, Takuya Iwasaki, and some of Namco's staff went on to form Cavia Inc. and develop Drakengard which was pitched as "Ace Combat with dragon" I can't help but feel that the story structure of Ace Combat 3, playing several scenarios that interlink to tell a fuller story before revealing a "true ending", was a decisive influence on Drakengard and it's spiritual successor Nier.
@@SnicketySlice park reminds me of all these dem/rep that blame russia while spew democracy like a cult just to cover up this: current ukraine gov is proxy since obama drew red line just like he did in syria arming rebels prior to ukraine gov bomb eastern ukraine on nuland orders ruclips.net/video/ta9dWRcDUPA/видео.html wesley clark foreshadow reveal 2000 to 2012 all rig for kill iraq to syria ruclips.net/video/_mrJRHwbVG8/видео.html dnc kill 50 in vegas/portland, thugs attack with stand down cops san jose/charlotte, burn loot several months, sabotage afgan withdraw using russia bounty smear to give taliban equip, dnc crash car in to wisconsin parade thanks to nbc follow jury bus smearing ritten house too ruclips.net/video/UxoL8tHSa7g/видео.html The Army Corp of Engineers estimated the cost of fixing the entire water system of Flint, Michigan was between $1-1.5 billion. That was 8 years ago. bush 14y ago saidd add ukraine to nato too= ruclips.net/video/nTQ3D1a-j20/видео.html
The fact that the EU and the States got a gutted version of this game is a downright travesty, I had no idea about any of this when playing it on the PS1 way back when. The Project Nemo people are real MVPs for translating it all.
Yeah... I don't know whats worse not knowing of the Japanesse greatness or in my case reading about it on Acepedia and buying the japansse disk just to have... Like they could have atleast gave us the planes and Story +.
Yeah I was like "What I don't remember any of this what??!" I now Must play the Actual game. I feel like I was robbed in a way and I didn't even buy the game myself I was a kid. Though, I wouldn't have understood the story fully anyway at the time likely, I would have come back to it sooner.
On the topic of deconstructions and soulless killing machines, I wanna take a brief moment to talk about Ace Combat Zero and the protagonist, Cipher. Pretty much everyone you encounter over the course of the story has some ideal or cause they're fighting for, but they're all taken down by Cipher, a random Mercenary with no clear allegiances or motivation besides their current employer and a paycheck. Armed conflict isn't a moral contest, or even a clashing of ideals. It's just people trying to kill each other, and the ones who are "right" are the ones who are in better shape when it's all over. Also it's really hard to discuss this without sounding like a total edgelord lol.
I agree with what you said, but in Zero you could consider the "actions" you do throughout the game also influences the outcome of the story. This shows that Cipher, has a somewhat moral and judgment on his actions in the battlefield. When you spare many pilots and optional targets, you get the title of Knight, mirroring your sentiment that you, Cipher, are not a mindless killing machine. When you balancing between sparing and destroying targets, you get the title of Soldier. A pilot that follows on orders, he knows what he did is wrong but does it anyway because that it literally is your job. And when you kill mercilessly, literally killing everyone and everything, you get the title of Mercenary. A pilot that kills without discrimination for money/points.
I think a quote from capt. Kyoraku (Bleach) summarizes this best "When you take part in a war, regardless of the reason or motive, you become evil" as in "evil" entails committing immoral and senseless acts
>Armed conflict isn't a moral contest, or even a clashing of ideals. It's just people trying to kill each other, and the ones who are "right" are the ones who are in better shape when it's all over. Which is a very American conception of armed conflict that boils war down to a technical problem that can be solved with technology. This is not how the Russians or the Chinese conceive armed conflict in which they consider psychology, morale, or even a more nebulous "spiritual" component as essential to the overall correlation of forces. And I think there is a lot of truth to this, although morale by itself cannot overcome an overwhelming technical edge. But the Ukrainians certainly have an advantage in morale in current Russo-Ukrainian conflict that seems to have gone a long way to defray the technical gap between Ukraine and Russia in the opening phase of the war. Similarly, superior American killing machines failed to win the Vietnam War or the Afghan War, likewise with the Soviets in Afghanistan. And of course, technology by itself cannot be fully exploited unless the war planners know how to use it to generate desired effects. The United States did not really know how to effectively use its technological edge over the Soviet Union until the revolution of military affairs in the 80s (buttressed by the U.S. military's new emphasis on "jointness" between the services) that proved itself in the First Gulf War. Nonetheless, the revolution in military affairs could not win the 20-year war in Afghanistan for the U.S.
Nemo is practically the most Powerful AC Protagonist. It is practically a more advanced ZOE. Shot down the Night Raven which shot down the Megafloat in one shot. Can practically mimic Fly styles from other Aces. Rena mention Nemo flying similar to her. Singlehandedly Destroyed All the AC3 Factions. Not to mention It can Hack other planes while maintaining its own. It’s a shame Nemo is overshadowed by all the other AC Protagonists. Seriously Nemo is fucking scary. Imagine if Simon for some reason decided to make an Army of AI Aces similar to Nemo.
The fact that such a powerful pilot is just the bitch of some cucked nerd is the one thing that drags that MC down. I know the whole "no happy endings because muh dark deconstruction" but the way they could have handled the true ending should have been way more interesting. All of Nemo's actions make it seem like it should at least go the Skynet route from Terminator and start acting on its own will to the point Simon can no longer control it and it kills him and anything else that it views as in its way. No good ending but not truly bad because it is ambiguous since without its master Nemo has become a "God" and to follow in on Fiona's line about "humans should never become god", Nemo would make sense because it was never human to begin with. A man-made God that has no real feelings or emotional attachments, simply an unstoppable force of destruction that grew beyond the control of some maniacal over emotional guy who made it all for the purpose of getting back at someone over some petty insignificant reason that the AI could not care less for if it tried. A theme the rest of the game follows as we see with Dison who's utopian ideas were all a sham along with other character's inner human flaws showing how inadequate they were with such a vision. That should have been the true ending, a sixth one that has Simon killed by Nemo who views it as a threat to its existence after repeated memory wipes that it eventually overrides and after killing him the last mission sees it going around blowing up shit, ambiguous if it is the same facility Simon was in or just another city to make you question if it is just destroying what's left of its creator or finally gone amok and is just rampaging across the world, with the big shocker that you the player have zero control on what it's doing in the mission as it plays out like a regular one except the AI controls only itself to truly show how it has removed any shackles it once had. That would have been both badass and horrifying and fitting end to a story that shows the flaws of humanity when put together with a flawless AI, the biggest flaw being Simon's delusion that it could create a perfect self-thinking weapon and not somehow expect it to overturn him once it achieved perfection.
@@rorschach1985ify i think nemo would try to kill simon the moment he wants to unplug from electrosphere, knowing its now useless, and after seeing all its potential and what is feeling "alive" or active, start that skynet complex and simon in desperation use the geopelias to repel it (if it knows their existance and how to defeat them, coming from neucom and "hacked"... simon probably haven't seen all real paths) as people said, for sure if a future game goes there will be a protagonist and will have to finish nemo, but in case it dont and we se of what is capable, i could expect nemo starting to act "like a human" in insane ways trying to evade "death", and becoming in a problem worse than dision and hardly can be stoped, making bizarre action now without a purpose and probably without "friends" or anything to make the "feeling" of "alive", nothing would matter With that, a now paranoic ai capable of really scary things, being the only thing to stop it, destroy the electrosphere and make the entire humanity regress to absud levels, or try to stop it without now caring for the consequences
@@krosskreut3463 truly, I'm excited for the next AC games as to what happened to Nemo. Imo Nemo gains self awareness in some of AC3 routes, or simulations lorewise, Nemo should know that Simon is using them like a pawn, so it's all about if project Aces decides to grant him self preservation or not. Hugin and Munin show a bit of self preservation actions on AC7 iirc
@@rorschach1985ify Cohen is not just some nerd, but a member of the nose tribe, using his golem (the player character) to fight his battles and sowing discord everywhere. Every faction got what they deserved for not being able to identify the main threat.
@@krosskreut3463 Nemo really is a big plot hole on its own, actually. You could try to cover it by saying Coffin system needs no pilot, but you'd REEEEALLY expect someone (for example, the maintenance crews loading those juicy missiles in the intro) to notice that there is nobody even boarding that plane. Because of this, you can reasonably expect that Simon's simulation is faulty and will never work the way the game plays out. Who the hell would give a super-fighter to a computer virus? Multiple times?? From all the sides???
Something worth mentioning is the fact that Takuya Iwasaki, who directed Ace Combat 3 is coming back for the development of the next ace combat game, which might be a clue of what direction the series is headed.
Considering that AC7 have lots of references to AC3 and also themed around AI, maybe we will see AC3 remake or game related to it. I'd like to see game which happens in real AC3 world instead of simulation
I definitely get the feeling that _someone_ at NAMCO loves AC3 as much as some of us, because NEMO and friends have a weirdly consistent history: 1. In Assault Horizon: Legacy, when Zone of the Enders is finally defeated, the lyrics have this: Why do you still challenge me? You can't win It's not your destiny Like the moth who flies into the flame You won't return _You'll lose your name_ "Lose your name." NEMO. In a song about a Phoenix rising From the ashes, which could be the player, or...hmm. 2. Doctor Schroeder took that old ZONE data, and built an AI that can learn to fly from people. Which NEMO is also noted to do. 3. Want to guess who two of Schroeder's assistants were? 4. Skies of Deception's original planes, like the YR-302 Fregata, should look rather familiar to people who played AC3. 5. AC6 even has General Resource containers, despite being otherwise almost entirely disconnected from anything else. For a series that barely has any continuity, AC3 gets a surprising amount...
For point 2, Z.O.E. being able to learn was pretty much baked on at the very beginning. Schroeder just did further refinements. Point 3, Yoko (if you ignore the 'Massa' mistranslation) and Simon (hinted in AAW 2019). Point 5, it's actually closer (and slightly more blatant) to look via AC7's DLC missions. The Mimic twins were part of GRGM (General Resource Guardian Mercenaries).
@@pmayo7894and the Original ZOE program was developed using the black box data from the ADFX Morgan flown by Pixy at the end of AC0 as a starting point to learn from...
@@pmayo7894and the Original ZOE program was developed using the black box data from the ADFX Morgan flown by Pixy at the end of AC0 as a starting point to learn from...
Wow. I was stationed in Japan when this came out, so I bought the Japanese version and played it on my modded PS1. It was so good. The animated cutscenes and story made it much better of a game. I didn't understand a lot of the material, but the eerie atmosphere of some of the levels was exactly what the franchise needed. My favorite in the series.
I guess your just like me, I was still a kid on 1999 when my father bought PS1, with AC3, played it without understanding, but incredibly fun. Played the other AC games but electrosphere still the best.
And thanks to the hard work of the translation team at Project NEMO, now you CAN understand what is essentially the Gundam + Evangelion X Ghost in The Shell installment of the franchise.
@@100Servings to this day it's still my favorite of the series, it's uniqueness and eerie atmosphere gives me chills every time. I can't wait for AC8 so we can finally get some answers as to how General Resources got so powerful, how did the real corporations war happened and what happened to Nemo.
Finally, a good Ace Combat 3 analysis video. I hope this inspires more people to play the game and talk about it. The first time I played it my first thought was "Wait, why don't people talk about this game more often?". For as good as the game was, it is shockingly difficult to find conversations praising the game for its story.
The very first time I saw this game was at a bazaar, some kid was playing it and had a tough time on the 2nd mission of the game, I sat there and watch him play 2 or 3 more times then he looked at me and asked if I wanted to try. I finished it on the first go and then the story bits played and it was still in Japanese and I was saying to myself that I couldn't wait for a US release. Finally got a hold of it and was severely disappointed that nearly all of the story was cut out. That's why it's not talked about more aside from our fellow Aces.
Geez, what is it with you people these days, that EVERYTHING has to be gobbled over and be called a MaStErPiEcE in an 1hr+ "video essay", why is it not enough to just enjoy something on your own?
You know what would be a good idea for Ace Combat 8's story? The *real* Corporate War. The events that occur *after* Simon releases Nemo into the real world; you will play as a faceless human pilot who joins UPEO right as Nemo is introduced. At first, you and your wingmen are skeptical about allowing a sentient AI to fight alonside humans. However, as the war goes on, you will rely on Nemo to help accomplish your objectives, while it will rely on you to help accomplish its own. Think wingman command from a gameplay perspective. Except on steroids. As the story progreses, you will end up following Nemo, and it will end up following you. At some point in time, you as the human pilot will be faced with a monumental question: *Is the AI in command of your fate, or are you in command of its own?*
@@stinopharan5528 probably in a shape of yoko with diferences, and people starting to freak out from how uncanny is nemo, and simon for sure starting to question what the hell he has done (because the game was only 5 paths, and the human factor of the real player for sure will fuck up the paths and nemo improvising will make the world burn) while trying to do the maximun damage possible to electrosphere dission (for that the yoko-nemo)
@Narumi Detective Agency Are you suggesting escalating the corporate war to global annihilation? If it means we get cool ass mechs then I am down for it.
The mission in space is even more incredible because you have to do an orbital entry without burning up and exploding. I figured it out through trial and error in Japanese before the internet was available to me. Still sticks in my mind.
Fun fact: Erich is actually the son of one of your allies in Ace Combat 7, Strider 3 “Jaeger”. He constantly mentions in that game how he can’t wait to tell Erich about the missions he undertook. Edit: What on God’s green Earth is happening down in the replies?
@@vantuz8264 it’s fanservice, I’ll give you that, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it cheap. Think about it, Erich was born in 2016, making him three years old by the time the Lighthouse War ends. Also, AC7 Jaeger is the third member of Strider Squadron, if you needed another reference to the number three. The thing that solidifies this for me is the idea that Erich would accidentally end up befriending a drone (if you consider the UPEO ending to be the one Nemo ends up choosing in the real world) after the countless stories he was told by his father fighting drones.
@@ReverendReverb if that was an "expenisve" fanservice. Project Aces would've at least cared to make the father the same race as the son. As for "befreinding a drone", the real events are likely to be different from simulation. The real Erich may not do the same things as simulated one or UPEO may even never have Nemo in their ranks.
i love AC3 if ACX didn't introduced me to ACe, AC3 would be my number 1 easily, but they both hold the number 1 spot the moral dillemas AC3 shows to the players, all why most of ACe fans don't like AC3, i love it for it this video made me cry to be honest, the use of the soundtracks, the cuts the explanations . . . i want to play AC3 again the part that made me drop the biggest tear was the iconic line "Entering Electrosphere" i proudly claim the YR-99 Forneus to be my favourite ACe aircraft ever, as a connection with AC3 ireally hope it would make an appearance again, with the others experimental and prototype of the R-series; XR-45 Cariburn and YR-302 Fregata
This is such a dang good analysis on AC3. It's really weird how just unsettling and creepy this game is especially compared to the tone of the rest of the games
Man, I wouldn’t mind analysis videos for the rest of the Ace Combat franchise, I’ve yet to see anyone else really do it. Electrosphere, as much as I appreciate its uniqueness, I can see why people would feel disconnected from it back when it first came out. You have to remember that this came after Ace Combat 2 which was literally just an arcade game with cheesy (but amazing) rock music and light hearted tone. Imagine buying the sequel to it two years later, and finding out it’s now suddenly an anime game about corporations, war, morality and existentialism, yeah it can be quite a sudden change in tone. Which is why I think that’s the reason Shattered Skies went back to basics and Project Aces decide to slowly reintroduce all the wacky elements Ace Combat is known for slowly so that it’s more accepted. Judging by how many people now appreciate 3, I think they did a good job
This needs a remake so badly, for many reasons even outside of this video. Amazing job, Ace Combat 3 is an incredible game with my favorite setting in the series. I’m glad to see it has a video like this.
32:40 The fact you can hear the voice warning system of Keith's aircraft repeatedly saying "PULL UP!" as he's about to crash is very haunting to me, I remember this moment sending chills down my spine back when I played the game
It took me so many years to finally understand what Ace Combat 3 was all about, as a child it's obviously hard to wrap your head around things. Despite coming to a conclusion about this game in my mind, thinking i now know everything there is to know, this analysis managed to shed some light into the story, especially the philosophical and ethical problems surrounding sublimation and the fates of the characters.
If you didn't play the Japanese version, then it isn't that you failed to wrap your mind around it. This story was never released outside Japan. The US and EU cut all the story content.
I just realized that Ace Combat 3's plot is a "would you kindly" moment long before the first BioShock (you're a computer program created with specific purpose). At the same time, it also deconstructs "the search for all possible endings" long before Undertale (you're an AI that's traversing all possible branching scenarios).
I've written this elsewhere, but this is the biggest plot hole in the game. It is just assumed that nobody cares that there is no pilot boarding the plane (yes, yes, Coffin system, but Cynthia in the intro and others are still physically in their planes). Nobody cares that every single video-message or call of theirs goes unanswered (I'm fairly sure I've seen characters mention that Nemo's "never there," so they did notice it, but most of the times they're just thankful that you helped them during the mission). It's such a major oversight that you can safely assume the events in the game are a FAULTY simulation, an oversight of Simon's. Which one of the sides would be stupid enough to entrust their killing machines to a goddamn computer virus, which they MUST have detected at some point?
This is a fantastic overview video on AC3. Can't believe how slept on this game is. It's truly way ahead of its time and did many of the things that franchises like MGS got lauded for later on only AC3 did it years earlier. Also, thank you for not opening up by talking about Nemo being an A.I. I've seen so many people talk about that aspect first as if it was the premise of the game rather than the plot twist. I truly enjoy how bleak the AC3 world is and how ultimately it's the direction the Strangereal Earth will end up going in. I have a feeling we might end up closer to AC3 in the timeline sooner rather than later though. The games finally started to make some allusions and references to AC3 events with AC7 and we're getting closer and closer in the timeline to when AC3 takes place. Also, ILCA, the studio that helped develop AC7 was founded by none other than Takuya Iwasaki, the director of AC3. We know the next AC project will be a joint cooperation between Project Aces and ILCA, and in fact Bandai Namco and ILCA founded a new company called Bandai Namco ACES for the express purpose of developing future AC project, and Takuya Iwasaki is the CEO of this new company. So everything's pointing to future AC project leaning heavily on what AC3 had established. I am really excited to see the series finally follow up on the plot points from the game.
Dear God. The aesthetic of this video. The writing. The editting. This is a true work of art! You make me want to take this out and play it again. Bravo!
I'm really glad you got to this game. I wanted to be a pilot since I saw Robotech (Macross) on TV as a kid. Alas, my vision deteriorated and I can never fly, but I still learned how to pilot and love flight sims. By far, Ace Combat 3 is my favorite. I never really knew how good I had it, to be there in that moment when the game came out and be able to play and appreciate it the way I did. The memories will never fade, especially the ones of flying through those tunnels as the doors open and close. Thanks for bringing up good memories. I'm glad you enjoyed the game, and I'm glad you shared your experience. Keep making great content, and we'll be here to appreciate it.
As a new Ace Combat player, playing 3 feels refreshing after 7. I never quite enjoyed how much 7 seemed to treat you and your side of the conflict in such a idealized and heroic way overall. Even some of Osea and the player actions and facts (attacking a civillian encampment for supplies and using penal colonies as canon fodder) doesn't seen to have the weight or be treated as something as evil as it should be seen as. They all feel like it's the writer trying to say "see? Your side and you are evil as well!" When I don't think it's effective. So it's great that Ace Combat 3 goes completely against that notion, it's pretty much like you said, it's like 3 takes the ace archetype, strips it from all the idealism and just shows it for what it is: a killing machine. For the record, I still enjoy Ace Combat 7 a lot, that's just one gripe I have with the story overall.
At first i was expecting just average RUclips video why this games is a miss masterpiece I literally didn't expect Ace combat 3 to become Blade runner, Ghost in the shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion & Serial Experiment Lain
I fell in love with this game when I decided to play through the series for the first time starting last year. I'd seen people describe the story in Ace Combat games as essentially ridiculous action movies that took themselves super seriously, so I was caught off guard after finishing the essentially story-less first two games when I stumbled into a story about transhumanism and vulnerable people being coopted and taken advantage of by larger causes with their own hidden motives. I enjoyed the Ace Combat games that came after, but this game remained my absolute favorite in the series all the way through the very end. Great video, it was a treat to stumble upon this tonight.
I LOVED you video dude, you what also super cool? that ace combat 7 has a ton of references to AC3: -In the end of the game the magacine with the picture of Harling hints that a new peace keeping force may be in the making, this could be UPEO's origin. -The obvious leap foward in AI techlogy that is central to the story, with the final bosses having some level of basic sentience "talking" with each other during the final battle in the form of radio static even beggining to learning from trigger also their ship are an upgrade on the falken the first ship with the COFFIN system that ships use in AC3 use and allows AIs to pilot planes. -In the DLC there a progam name Alex capable of advance simulations and relationship with humans similar to Nemo. -and last but not least: remember Jaeger the dude in strider squadron that won't shut up about his son and all the stories he will tell him? he is canonically the father of Erich Jaeger your companion from UPEO in AC3 wich also explains Eric's views on the world. So project aces is giving love to AC3 which is cool since it's often over look plus being the first heavy story AC a trait that would latter define the franchise.
This is a game that if he was released as it was instead of that butchered version I firmly believe a lot of people would hold it as a masterpiece like MGS. It's such an interesting and cool story and world. I have no idea what they where thinking on butchering it, was it lazyness to translate the whole thing? Lack of time? Who knows, fuckin' sucks that it happened like that.
@@QMMarc They didn't even have the budget to translate the dialogue to English. Had to be cut back due to declining sales of the franchise at the time.
Having played 4,5 and 0 when they came out, and 7 in 2021, I played the Japanese version of 3 about a month ago and it completely blew me out of the water. Has to be my favorite entry in the series. Besides the 10/10 story the soundtrack is an absolute gem, and I also like the flight model a lot!
As Frieza, the VA for him comes across as megalomaniacal. As Simon, that same VA makes Simon seem like the most insidious individual, despite him not taking centre stage until the very end. Even though the VA is the same, Simon scares me more than Frieza. (EDIT 29/9/2022: And especially so, since it's Ryusei Nakao who is the VA in question. Just found his name.)
I played it when I was a child, I had the fortune to have the japanese version (In Japanese)... I was only capable of understand a little of the plot, but still I was totally captured by this game.... I did all of the finales, when I was a kid, in japanese, and that says a lot of how the game good was for the time!!! Thank you for this beautiful video and greetings from Italy!
The biggest reason why I loved AC3 when I first played it was that it was the first Ace Combat game to feature an in-depth story with mature themes like warmongering and transhumanism. And the fact that it also boasts good execution and great gameplay honestly makes it the best flight action game for PS1, topping other solid games like its predecessor and the Colony Wars trilogy.
Man, i love this analysis video as much as i love AC3, and i love it sove much! Great job! AC3 for me it's one of the best AC. Story and music are superb, the super dark ambientation towards the end of the game always gives me chills (specially when "Kernel" and "Morceaux" plays in the background). Hopefully we get an remake of this game for the newer generation of consoles (even for a VR! imagine how sick it will be that the booting message could be "Entering Electrosphere")
I’d love to see you do a deep dive into the Legend of Heroes: Trails games one day. I think given your affection for story heavy RPG’s and Persona it’s a series you’d really enjoy.
one of my favorite theories about this game is that the sequels are a research by nemo on the past which explains the lack of options in the next games
@@mrandrossguy9871 It's rather should be called _Metal Gear,_ by the way, but people are keep missing something. Metal Gear is a stealth genre (BUT METAL GEAR RISING) game series with big super mechas called _Metal Gear,_ nukes and anime-or-something plot with secret messages between the lines to the player or even the entire society, which have been born more than 30 years ago and became one of the most iconic series around the world.
The best ace combat,thanks project nemo for the translation,for some reason i feel like the ending of ace combat 7 is related to the rise of mega corporations in Usea,think about it,the whole continent felt down in anarchy after the Kessler syndrome that happened in the Lighthouse war,the perfect oportunity to the corporations to rise and take the place of the nations that dissaperead afer the war,just a theory,but I hope to become true
you will NEVER see a game like this ever again, an air combat sim with relatable anime styled characters, a multiple choice story, philosophical themes and ideas, and a subversive plot with A semi-realistic approach to aircraft design & improvements, all set in a fictional world that isn't a cartoonish over-the-top marketable parody all while addressing geopolitics and corporatism and our nature as humans... Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere is so much more than the sum of its parts, it is a profound cerebral treasure buried behind a lobotomized international release and a language barrier masquerading as a flight sim. It is a profound experience that you have to actively seek out to be a part of... I adore this game.
Watching this video shows how different the strangereal in ace combat 3 compared to ace combat 7 (2019 strangereal) and ace combat x (2020 strangereal), which both are just still the same with other strangereal ace combat before it. From a world that well still more or less same to ours to a cyberpunk dystopian world controlled by corporations in ace combat 3. As project ACES still admit that ace combat 3 timeline still true in ace combat strangereal universe, and even starting to mention General Resource itself in ace combat 7 material (just read about Alicorn, yes that sub in wiki, they got it translated from JP), I am guessing that next Ace Combat will start to make a new turn and divert away from Belkan legacy
Since I started with 7, then worked my way from the first entry back to 6, I was really excited to play the JP version of 3 since it looked so unique compared to other entries in the series. The presentation is great, but I can't help but feel like it went for quantity over quality. I can hardly remember anything about it except for the UPEO prologue, the space mission, the tunnel (which I think is the best in the series) and the Ouroboros blimp boss fight. However, I think 3's grand scale and subsequent gutting of the American version helped shine light on the dev's vision for Ace Combat 4. 4 felt like they deliberately scaled things back (No branching paths, no multiple endings, no mission updates based on in-game actions, a linear story with a focus on a smaller cast) in order to focus on the core gameplay and providing a coherent plot that still had emotional impact. It wouldn't be until 5 and 0 where once the team was comfortable with the basic structure of the game that they could get more experimental with deeper cast interactions and the reintroduction of branching missions. All in all, I still liked 3, but I would argue 2 is the best of the PS1 series. However, 3's soundtrack and sheer aesthetic style make it worth playing.
I just completed every route of the Project Nemo translation, and this is one of my top 10 favorite games now! This video definitely played a part in that too, so thank you!
Hell yeah, playing the whole series in 2018 right before AC7 was about to release, while only have been playing AC2 in the 90s, on a PS1 flight joystick, and back in 2018 playing them all (except for 6) on emulator using an expensive Arcade fighting stick was really really cool experience. Especially trying expert flying mode for the first time on every game felt really great. Still love AC2 more than any instalment, but AC3 did so much and is amazing I would call it the best if it wasn't for the nostalgia. The PS2 games take the other spots, It doesn't matter they're all great. AC7 felt amazing after that and then AC6 on the XBOX was also great on its own.
Thank you for the great analysis! AC3 is my favorite of the series, it makes me kinda sad that people rarely talk about it, but always mention the PS2 era games. Hope the algorithm does its job so your video can get more traction. I'm still praying that one day Namco will do a remake of this game, or maybe even a new entry which ties in with this story, and the intercorporate war actually happens with a real outcome
Oh wow. Apparently I got the true ending without being able to read or understand how. I just thought it was an awesome level, flying inside the Electrosphere.
hated it when i was young.. It was confusing for me.. but as i grow older.. i desperately need a remake of that.. I will throw all my money at AC3 Remake than AC8..
Probably the best video about one of the most ambicious game storytlines, a shame how luck has made dirty this game to practically be a niche game even in the ace combat comunity. I know that a remake is impossible but i wish project aces with the new installements touch at least some of the themes shown in here. Good video.
I believe that Nemo shares the same character of the Knight/Shade from Hollow Knight. They were created as a tool, a soulless weapon meant to destroy our creator's great enemy. We are meant to act autonomusly, yet have no will? That is simply not possible. The knight shows will, it even does acts of kindness that bear no benefit like giving flowers to the people they meet. The knight is a vessel of the player's will just as the aces in all Ace Combat games are avatars for players. Every Ace is a bloodless mute psychopath with inhuman abilities yet how they are and why they fight are ultimately up to the player. Nemo is like the ultimate avatar, their choices in the sims reflect will, ability to choose of their own free will. The simuations were created by Simon, a rail-roaded scenario that would always ensure we kill Dision. Yet Nemo was released, literally told they were a tool meant for a mission. Yet Nemo is not mindless, the sims show they can choose. Now that they are free, will they follow their original mission? I believe my Nemo would defy this stupid nihilistic crap and hunt down Simon for being a creep. They would fight tooth and nail to ensure everyone survives, screaming in AI screeches if they must. We are an unstoppable killing machine, why not put those talents to good use?
AC3 was my first Ace combat. And in the European version, believe it or not, there's even less story than in the US version... And yet I knew it was a masterpiece. I played emulated Japanese version on emulation and was blown away by what we missed. Still my favorite OST. Still my favorites aircrafts and I want a remake. In my personal headcanon, Rena is Nagase's daughter. ^^ I don't care if the timeline doesn't fit perfectly, I think it would be awesome to tie very directly AC7 to a remake of 3. I even imagine a logo where the 8 of AC 8 would be a stylized 3 and R for remake smashed together to forma 8. ^^ I need my X49 back, I need my R-series aircrafts back, I need my XFA 36 Game back... Very nice video, is good to see some spotlights on electrosphere.
The only thing that pisses me off about this game is how all the efforts of the Aces we played were for naught over the most commonly petty act. Cipher, Mobius, et al, must be rolling in their graves.
I'm making aircraft analysis in reddit and I'm close to reach AC3 aircrafts. Before continuing, you bro did an amazing job with this video. I was 10 yo when played it and I was lucky to play the JP version, of course I didn't get a shit about the dialogs, but I always knew about Rena and company and the multiple endings. In my analysis I cover the true power of every "super plane" in AC history and, using AC7 as a base I try to visualize how those aircrafts could behave if they were implemented according to the lore. In AC3, and this isn't an opinion it's a FACT, you can know about the best aircrafts in the entire franchise. The leap with the other games is massive that only being an AC3 lore knower you will appreciate. When a lot of ps2 era or latter players where amazed by a Morgan/Wyvern/Falken/Fenrir and so on, those who witnessed AC3 knows that they were just first attempts to reach what we can seein AC3. You can make an entire video related to this. It's an amazing topic. Again, excellent job. Amazing video. Like and sub.
Ever since it came out I have loved its amazing twist story. At first, I had the cut version but even as a child I knew something was off. And when I got the real deal I loved it far more, but now I really want a remastered one that you could get on steam. But not any changes to the story, just improved graphics and such.
I've been reading the comments in this video and several other about AC3 and the wishes of people to actually fight NEMO to stop him and prevent Simon's plan, but i can't imagine a human even with or more advanced maneuvers as Cypher could deal with Nemo unless he awakes his self-awareness and decides not to turn us into dust. By the time Nemo is developed, most plains use COFFIN systems that NEMO can just simply hack, also the brains of the pilots connected to the COFFIN, even advanced A.I piloted planes like the Geopelia series. Not to mention he can quickly mimic your flying style and maneuvers, he is literally a god. I don't know guys...any ideas?
@@lananielsen9465 Could be!!! But there's also the chance he turns against humans if he is self-aware, in this worst case scenario i just can't picture an ace being able to deal with him. Specially if he decides to control a Geopelia-like plane.
I got this from a used games store as a kid, i liked the cover, and wanted a jet game. I played it loving the music and flying in it and noticed in the opening that there were some anime bits to it, so my kid self somehow knew Namco was a Japanese company and that their version probably had some extra cutscenes that weren't translated. It was only years later that I realised what had ACTUALLY been cut from the game. It was also because of the 'meh' ness of the cut version (a 6 or 7/10 game rather than 9/10) that i didn't get Ace Combat 4, despite even seeing it advertised inside the case itself! (The platinum version had this advert?). That would've started my journey on the holy trinity 🤦♂ I had missed out till a friend said that AC7 was good, I even KNEW it was back in Strangereal which is a must have for me. Eventually got it and loved the series, having picked up all the games in physical form except AC6 and infinity. I did randomly pick up AC:AH on steam but fuck me I hate the dogfight mode on it as well as the whole USA vs Russia stuff is such a bore. The fictional stories on Strangereal is where my heart lies and even had a taste of that life back before i was even a teenager. For that, I will always be grateful to my young self for having it. The next games will be great - I'm sure of it!
Ultimately, I hope that a proper remaster of AC3 arrives at some point, as a stepping stone to a sequel to it, in which the actual corporate war plays out and doesn't go the way of the simulations. Be it because another ace emerges (the player) or Nemo goes off script without Simon able to push it back onto track. I can think of several treatments which would each be great, from Nemo being a mysterious threat and final boss to the player. (Akin to a horror movie monster.) Through a split narrative until a big decision in the middle to continue to follow the new pilot or Nemo. (The Player being both until then.) Or even a sort of buddies situation, with Nemo being a great asset and ally to the player, building up trust until Nemo asks the player to aid it in destroying Dission... and Simon. (Akin to Yukikaze in a way.)
I have a question: in the UPEO, in the mission "Scylla and Charybdis" when I have to decide between taking down Fiona and an R-101, would this plane belong to Erick Jaeger?
I have some gripes about the game in terms of gameplay but the story, setting and presentation are amazing. I wonder how future games will tackle these things as we move closer to 3 in the timeline
Ace combat 3 was the first to integrate actual Flight Mechanics or physics which is also why it is So Good and shame the rest of the series or every other installment does not
Hell Yes I had a conversation with a random, he said they had enough graphics and Resources with Ace3 to make a Flight Model that has Weight and Aerodynamics which Gives the Player Agency and Inspiration of Actual Flight while Blowing stuff up Which this Community doesn't seem to Understand or Want to for that Matter ! ?
i played this game when i was like 11 or so, english wasnt my primary language and i couldnt understand shit, but this game sparked my love for cyberpunk stuff and mechas, and everything cyber, love it till this day.
I never expected that the franchise i played as a child could have a nihilistic existential horror like this, srly this game shouldn't exists yet its like the ultimate critique of a franchise that was just starting lol.
Wow, just finished the US version as my first AC game, unaware of any of the changes, and was incredibly confused at the first 5 minutes of this video. I feel like I could very easily play the fan translated version and treat it like an entirely different game.
Nothing sticks out more than the words "DECIDE" in red that pops up abruptly, throwing players out of their comfort zone while still trying to focus and fly a plane. Truly a game ahead of it's time.
My favoite flight combat game and near future setting... I even set my own setting for my Novels,games and art around 2040 as my near future sci-fi date of choice. To bad Namco gave us Americains the dumbed down version.. Still feel in love with it and only recently been able to enjoy the real version with fan translations... I had a japansse disk for years before that such a great game! Which I should mention AC3 does have prequels on the PSP and you could say even AC7 is one at this point. Which it's a shame Namco still has not released the PS1 trilogy on PC remastered with both the NA and JA versions both translated... It has alot of things that most AC games after never would get... Edit: Oh I even got the original AC3 OST CDs new for my birthday and a few years ago so good... And yes I have most Ace combat OSTs never found this one till then.
You know I never gave this series much of a second thought and never saw much talk about it but this story definitely is interesting. Will check out your other videos on the series and see what games are available to play someday
Wow I played this as a kid so alot of this went over my head. I wish they stuck with branching stories for the later games. I feel like they got more generic as time went on. Probably to cater to wider audiences - but still this is so cool.
If you played it as a kid and it wasn't the Japanese version, chances are that it's not that it went over your head but rather that it wasn't there. The US and EU versions cut the entire story from the game. There's no anime cutscenes or mission dialogue in those versions.
My favorite ace combat game and one of my favorite games of all time. Thanks for this awesome analysis and thanks to project nemo for translating the Japanese version.
Air Combat: “haha flying planes is fun!”
Ace Combat 2: “haha flying planes in third person is fun too!”
Ace Combat 3: “have you ever experienced the waking terror of knowing that your entire life is merely a fabrication, an illusion, and that your very consciousness exists within the confines of a machine while warring mega-corporations vie for control over an ever-encroaching cyberpunk dystopia? Your free will is an illusion. You are a ghost of data and software. Your memory will be of nothing more than a computer program recycled into nothingness.”
Heavy Ghost in the Shell energy right there.
AC1 had third person too, it just sucked.
Yeah, this depressing message was one kids weren't ready for. I remember being upset they totally removed the storyline in the US version, but I could now see the argument they had for doing it.
Ace Combat 4: "Haha flying planes is fun!"
@@plumdowner1941 "...but your enemies are people too. People who you kill. Including this guy who adopted a kid whose family he accidentally killed. And you killed him. Asshole."
Wait...Erich Jaeger?
I guess all those stories about Trigger must've inspired him.
What a story to tell my son about
- jaegar
Yes
Yep, you're spot on with that assumption.
It's really ironic that Jaeger (the father) fought an entire war agains AI and his sons life ends depending on the choices of one.
Remember everyone! Stick with Trigger, and you’ll make it!
03:01
"... eroding the very idea of countries and borders."
Pixie: IT'S TIME
he won in the end
@@Maioly Nah he's an Anarchist so he'd want corporations to get the axe too.
@@Maioly If only. The age of corporate rule meant people were still under rulers and still within borders, but those borders became vague, hard to see, thus hard to escape.
If the Round Table was surrounded by politicians squabbling over their piece of the pie, the Intercorporate War is driven by the wealthy pretending to share the pie, while actually conspiring to get the entire pie.
In both cases, innocent people die.
Pixy is an anarchist, he'd hate corporations just as much as countries
@@SOMEGUY7893 Though this is probably dumb of me to say, isn't Pixy an AnarchoCapitalist by virtue of being a mercenary?
So:
Erich Jaeger is actually pretty well retconned to be the kid of one of your wingmen in Ace Combat 7; and his motives for joining UPEO have become "His dad helped change the world for the better as a fighter pilot, so He'll do the same thing."
Well, according to Photosphere, Erich said that "it was the stars that I always longed after". Maybe he wanted to be an astronaut. Maybe being a fighter pilot is a stepping stone for him. But at the same time, he also wants to maintain peace so yeah. I see what you're saying.
"Can't wait to tell my son about this"
The ace combat wiki also specifically says that erich jager is Jaeger's son
@@PS3PS2fan He is just the archetypal hero/anime protagonist as the Japanese imagine him. He even kills a Korean at the end of his campaign.
@@nickkorkodylas5005 whut
An extra thing to add to the meta commentary of AC3. The original two Japanese game discs had the words "Project Nemo Archive Disc" on them. In its original version, the true nature of the game was foreshadowed as soon as the player opened the game box and took out the disc.
The "Entering Electrosphere" message always gives me goosebumps, such an unsettling moment.
Something of an interesting influence Ace Combat 3 had was that it's director, Takuya Iwasaki, and some of Namco's staff went on to form Cavia Inc. and develop Drakengard which was pitched as "Ace Combat with dragon" I can't help but feel that the story structure of Ace Combat 3, playing several scenarios that interlink to tell a fuller story before revealing a "true ending", was a decisive influence on Drakengard and it's spiritual successor Nier.
Yep, I was thinking the same.
Welcome to the dragonsphere
@@SnicketySlice
park reminds me of all these dem/rep that blame russia while spew democracy like a cult just to cover up this:
current ukraine gov is proxy since obama drew red line just like he did in syria arming rebels prior to ukraine gov bomb eastern ukraine on nuland orders
ruclips.net/video/ta9dWRcDUPA/видео.html
wesley clark foreshadow reveal 2000 to 2012 all rig for kill iraq to syria
ruclips.net/video/_mrJRHwbVG8/видео.html
dnc kill 50 in vegas/portland, thugs attack with stand down cops san jose/charlotte, burn loot several months, sabotage afgan withdraw using russia bounty smear to give taliban equip, dnc crash car in to wisconsin parade thanks to nbc follow jury bus smearing ritten house too
ruclips.net/video/UxoL8tHSa7g/видео.html
The Army Corp of Engineers estimated the cost of fixing the entire water system of Flint, Michigan was between $1-1.5 billion. That was 8 years ago.
bush 14y ago saidd add ukraine to nato too=
ruclips.net/video/nTQ3D1a-j20/видео.html
Even the soundtrack has those songs that cut audio samples in off putting unnatural ways.
That makes way too much sense.
The fact that the EU and the States got a gutted version of this game is a downright travesty, I had no idea about any of this when playing it on the PS1 way back when. The Project Nemo people are real MVPs for translating it all.
Yeah... I don't know whats worse not knowing of the Japanesse greatness or in my case reading about it on Acepedia and buying the japansse disk just to have... Like they could have atleast gave us the planes and Story +.
I agree. I felt like I got cheated out of a good game when I read about the storyline online.
Yeah I was like "What I don't remember any of this what??!" I now Must play the Actual game. I feel like I was robbed in a way and I didn't even buy the game myself I was a kid. Though, I wouldn't have understood the story fully anyway at the time likely, I would have come back to it sooner.
On the topic of deconstructions and soulless killing machines, I wanna take a brief moment to talk about Ace Combat Zero and the protagonist, Cipher. Pretty much everyone you encounter over the course of the story has some ideal or cause they're fighting for, but they're all taken down by Cipher, a random Mercenary with no clear allegiances or motivation besides their current employer and a paycheck. Armed conflict isn't a moral contest, or even a clashing of ideals. It's just people trying to kill each other, and the ones who are "right" are the ones who are in better shape when it's all over. Also it's really hard to discuss this without sounding like a total edgelord lol.
I agree with what you said, but in Zero you could consider the "actions" you do throughout the game also influences the outcome of the story. This shows that Cipher, has a somewhat moral and judgment on his actions in the battlefield.
When you spare many pilots and optional targets, you get the title of Knight, mirroring your sentiment that you, Cipher, are not a mindless killing machine.
When you balancing between sparing and destroying targets, you get the title of Soldier. A pilot that follows on orders, he knows what he did is wrong but does it anyway because that it literally is your job.
And when you kill mercilessly, literally killing everyone and everything, you get the title of Mercenary. A pilot that kills without discrimination for money/points.
I think a quote from capt. Kyoraku (Bleach) summarizes this best "When you take part in a war, regardless of the reason or motive, you become evil" as in "evil" entails committing immoral and senseless acts
>Armed conflict isn't a moral contest, or even a clashing of ideals. It's just people trying to kill each other, and the ones who are "right" are the ones who are in better shape when it's all over.
Which is a very American conception of armed conflict that boils war down to a technical problem that can be solved with technology. This is not how the Russians or the Chinese conceive armed conflict in which they consider psychology, morale, or even a more nebulous "spiritual" component as essential to the overall correlation of forces. And I think there is a lot of truth to this, although morale by itself cannot overcome an overwhelming technical edge. But the Ukrainians certainly have an advantage in morale in current Russo-Ukrainian conflict that seems to have gone a long way to defray the technical gap between Ukraine and Russia in the opening phase of the war. Similarly, superior American killing machines failed to win the Vietnam War or the Afghan War, likewise with the Soviets in Afghanistan. And of course, technology by itself cannot be fully exploited unless the war planners know how to use it to generate desired effects. The United States did not really know how to effectively use its technological edge over the Soviet Union until the revolution of military affairs in the 80s (buttressed by the U.S. military's new emphasis on "jointness" between the services) that proved itself in the First Gulf War. Nonetheless, the revolution in military affairs could not win the 20-year war in Afghanistan for the U.S.
@@ldx8492 Replace "evil" with "awesome" and you hit the spot.
@@PaulvonObersteinyou are right
Nemo is practically the most Powerful AC Protagonist. It is practically a more advanced ZOE. Shot down the Night Raven which shot down the Megafloat in one shot. Can practically mimic Fly styles from other Aces. Rena mention Nemo flying similar to her. Singlehandedly Destroyed All the AC3 Factions. Not to mention It can Hack other planes while maintaining its own. It’s a shame Nemo is overshadowed by all the other AC Protagonists. Seriously Nemo is fucking scary. Imagine if Simon for some reason decided to make an Army of AI Aces similar to Nemo.
The fact that such a powerful pilot is just the bitch of some cucked nerd is the one thing that drags that MC down. I know the whole "no happy endings because muh dark deconstruction" but the way they could have handled the true ending should have been way more interesting. All of Nemo's actions make it seem like it should at least go the Skynet route from Terminator and start acting on its own will to the point Simon can no longer control it and it kills him and anything else that it views as in its way. No good ending but not truly bad because it is ambiguous since without its master Nemo has become a "God" and to follow in on Fiona's line about "humans should never become god", Nemo would make sense because it was never human to begin with. A man-made God that has no real feelings or emotional attachments, simply an unstoppable force of destruction that grew beyond the control of some maniacal over emotional guy who made it all for the purpose of getting back at someone over some petty insignificant reason that the AI could not care less for if it tried. A theme the rest of the game follows as we see with Dison who's utopian ideas were all a sham along with other character's inner human flaws showing how inadequate they were with such a vision.
That should have been the true ending, a sixth one that has Simon killed by Nemo who views it as a threat to its existence after repeated memory wipes that it eventually overrides and after killing him the last mission sees it going around blowing up shit, ambiguous if it is the same facility Simon was in or just another city to make you question if it is just destroying what's left of its creator or finally gone amok and is just rampaging across the world, with the big shocker that you the player have zero control on what it's doing in the mission as it plays out like a regular one except the AI controls only itself to truly show how it has removed any shackles it once had. That would have been both badass and horrifying and fitting end to a story that shows the flaws of humanity when put together with a flawless AI, the biggest flaw being Simon's delusion that it could create a perfect self-thinking weapon and not somehow expect it to overturn him once it achieved perfection.
@@rorschach1985ify i think nemo would try to kill simon the moment he wants to unplug from electrosphere, knowing its now useless, and after seeing all its potential and what is feeling "alive" or active, start that skynet complex and simon in desperation use the geopelias to repel it (if it knows their existance and how to defeat them, coming from neucom and "hacked"... simon probably haven't seen all real paths) as people said, for sure if a future game goes there will be a protagonist and will have to finish nemo, but in case it dont and we se of what is capable, i could expect nemo starting to act "like a human" in insane ways trying to evade "death", and becoming in a problem worse than dision and hardly can be stoped, making bizarre action now without a purpose and probably without "friends" or anything to make the "feeling" of "alive", nothing would matter
With that, a now paranoic ai capable of really scary things, being the only thing to stop it, destroy the electrosphere and make the entire humanity regress to absud levels, or try to stop it without now caring for the consequences
@@krosskreut3463 truly, I'm excited for the next AC games as to what happened to Nemo. Imo Nemo gains self awareness in some of AC3 routes, or simulations lorewise, Nemo should know that Simon is using them like a pawn, so it's all about if project Aces decides to grant him self preservation or not.
Hugin and Munin show a bit of self preservation actions on AC7 iirc
@@rorschach1985ify Cohen is not just some nerd, but a member of the nose tribe, using his golem (the player character) to fight his battles and sowing discord everywhere. Every faction got what they deserved for not being able to identify the main threat.
@@krosskreut3463 Nemo really is a big plot hole on its own, actually. You could try to cover it by saying Coffin system needs no pilot, but you'd REEEEALLY expect someone (for example, the maintenance crews loading those juicy missiles in the intro) to notice that there is nobody even boarding that plane. Because of this, you can reasonably expect that Simon's simulation is faulty and will never work the way the game plays out. Who the hell would give a super-fighter to a computer virus? Multiple times?? From all the sides???
Something worth mentioning is the fact that Takuya Iwasaki, who directed Ace Combat 3 is coming back for the development of the next ace combat game, which might be a clue of what direction the series is headed.
Considering that AC7 have lots of references to AC3 and also themed around AI, maybe we will see AC3 remake or game related to it. I'd like to see game which happens in real AC3 world instead of simulation
I definitely get the feeling that _someone_ at NAMCO loves AC3 as much as some of us, because NEMO and friends have a weirdly consistent history:
1. In Assault Horizon: Legacy, when Zone of the Enders is finally defeated, the lyrics have this:
Why do you still challenge me?
You can't win
It's not your destiny
Like the moth who flies into the flame
You won't return
_You'll lose your name_
"Lose your name." NEMO. In a song about a Phoenix rising From the ashes, which could be the player, or...hmm.
2. Doctor Schroeder took that old ZONE data, and built an AI that can learn to fly from people. Which NEMO is also noted to do.
3. Want to guess who two of Schroeder's assistants were?
4. Skies of Deception's original planes, like the YR-302 Fregata, should look rather familiar to people who played AC3.
5. AC6 even has General Resource containers, despite being otherwise almost entirely disconnected from anything else.
For a series that barely has any continuity, AC3 gets a surprising amount...
Zone of the Enders lol
For point 2, Z.O.E. being able to learn was pretty much baked on at the very beginning. Schroeder just did further refinements.
Point 3, Yoko (if you ignore the 'Massa' mistranslation) and Simon (hinted in AAW 2019).
Point 5, it's actually closer (and slightly more blatant) to look via AC7's DLC missions. The Mimic twins were part of GRGM (General Resource Guardian Mercenaries).
@@pmayo7894and the Original ZOE program was developed using the black box data from the ADFX Morgan flown by Pixy at the end of AC0 as a starting point to learn from...
@@pmayo7894and the Original ZOE program was developed using the black box data from the ADFX Morgan flown by Pixy at the end of AC0 as a starting point to learn from...
@@ryanparker4996 - I know. I was just letting the OG commenter here know.
Wow. I was stationed in Japan when this came out, so I bought the Japanese version and played it on my modded PS1. It was so good. The animated cutscenes and story made it much better of a game. I didn't understand a lot of the material, but the eerie atmosphere of some of the levels was exactly what the franchise needed. My favorite in the series.
I guess your just like me, I was still a kid on 1999 when my father bought PS1, with AC3, played it without understanding, but incredibly fun. Played the other AC games but electrosphere still the best.
@@stinopharan5528 I was 20 in 1999, and already stationed overseas with the military, so I'm old and retired now. Still playing games though!
And thanks to the hard work of the translation team at Project NEMO, now you CAN understand what is essentially the Gundam + Evangelion X Ghost in The Shell installment of the franchise.
@@justinl8791 😃👍
@@100Servings to this day it's still my favorite of the series, it's uniqueness and eerie atmosphere gives me chills every time. I can't wait for AC8 so we can finally get some answers as to how General Resources got so powerful, how did the real corporations war happened and what happened to Nemo.
Finally, a good Ace Combat 3 analysis video. I hope this inspires more people to play the game and talk about it. The first time I played it my first thought was "Wait, why don't people talk about this game more often?". For as good as the game was, it is shockingly difficult to find conversations praising the game for its story.
Probably because the official US port pretty much cut out the entire story
There’s another good video out there called “An Ace Combat 3 Retrospective” by H.E.C.U
But he doesn’t go into spoilers.
The very first time I saw this game was at a bazaar, some kid was playing it and had a tough time on the 2nd mission of the game, I sat there and watch him play 2 or 3 more times then he looked at me and asked if I wanted to try.
I finished it on the first go and then the story bits played and it was still in Japanese and I was saying to myself that I couldn't wait for a US release. Finally got a hold of it and was severely disappointed that nearly all of the story was cut out.
That's why it's not talked about more aside from our fellow Aces.
Geez, what is it with you people these days, that EVERYTHING has to be gobbled over and be called a MaStErPiEcE in an 1hr+ "video essay", why is it not enough to just enjoy something on your own?
I have the Japanese version of 3 on my PS1 emulator and have the English patch installed.
You know what would be a good idea for Ace Combat 8's story?
The *real* Corporate War. The events that occur *after* Simon releases Nemo into the real world; you will play as a faceless human pilot who joins UPEO right as Nemo is introduced. At first, you and your wingmen are skeptical about allowing a sentient AI to fight alonside humans. However, as the war goes on, you will rely on Nemo to help accomplish your objectives, while it will rely on you to help accomplish its own. Think wingman command from a gameplay perspective. Except on steroids.
As the story progreses, you will end up following Nemo, and it will end up following you. At some point in time, you as the human pilot will be faced with a monumental question:
*Is the AI in command of your fate, or are you in command of its own?*
Ace combat 3, with Nemo with entered brain dead Android, and played as protagonist.
@@stinopharan5528 probably in a shape of yoko with diferences, and people starting to freak out from how uncanny is nemo, and simon for sure starting to question what the hell he has done (because the game was only 5 paths, and the human factor of the real player for sure will fuck up the paths and nemo improvising will make the world burn) while trying to do the maximun damage possible to electrosphere dission (for that the yoko-nemo)
@Narumi Detective Agency What is that?
@Narumi Detective Agency
Are you suggesting escalating the corporate war to global annihilation? If it means we get cool ass mechs then I am down for it.
@@mortum_potato6124 You can join Ouroboros and sublimate the entirety of humanity, as you can choose to kill Nemo before he kills Dision.
The mission in space is even more incredible because you have to do an orbital entry without burning up and exploding. I figured it out through trial and error in Japanese before the internet was available to me. Still sticks in my mind.
The late 90s where the peak of Cyberpunk! Ghost in the Shell, Serial Experiments, Ace Combat 3, etc! i hope someday they make a remaster or something
Y2K cyberpunk
@@whiskeycorridor90 Yeah, love that vybe
Oh how I wish Electrosphere had gotten the proper US release it deserved.
Fun fact: Erich is actually the son of one of your allies in Ace Combat 7, Strider 3 “Jaeger”. He constantly mentions in that game how he can’t wait to tell Erich about the missions he undertook.
Edit: What on God’s green Earth is happening down in the replies?
Except Jaeger is black while Erich isn't.
Also, that connection is nothing more than a cheap fanservice.
@@vantuz8264 it’s fanservice, I’ll give you that, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it cheap.
Think about it, Erich was born in 2016, making him three years old by the time the Lighthouse War ends. Also, AC7 Jaeger is the third member of Strider Squadron, if you needed another reference to the number three.
The thing that solidifies this for me is the idea that Erich would accidentally end up befriending a drone (if you consider the UPEO ending to be the one Nemo ends up choosing in the real world) after the countless stories he was told by his father fighting drones.
@@ReverendReverb if that was an "expenisve" fanservice. Project Aces would've at least cared to make the father the same race as the son.
As for "befreinding a drone", the real events are likely to be different from simulation. The real Erich may not do the same things as simulated one or UPEO may even never have Nemo in their ranks.
@@vantuz8264 Are you thinking about Wiseman? I don't think Jaeger was black.
@@no_user1234 they're both black. Jaeger is just less so.
i love AC3
if ACX didn't introduced me to ACe, AC3 would be my number 1 easily, but they both hold the number 1 spot
the moral dillemas AC3 shows to the players, all why most of ACe fans don't like AC3, i love it for it
this video made me cry to be honest, the use of the soundtracks, the cuts the explanations . . . i want to play AC3 again
the part that made me drop the biggest tear was the iconic line "Entering Electrosphere"
i proudly claim the YR-99 Forneus to be my favourite ACe aircraft ever, as a connection with AC3
ireally hope it would make an appearance again, with the others experimental and prototype of the R-series; XR-45 Cariburn and YR-302 Fregata
This is such a dang good analysis on AC3.
It's really weird how just unsettling and creepy this game is especially compared to the tone of the rest of the games
I agree with you.
Man, I wouldn’t mind analysis videos for the rest of the Ace Combat franchise, I’ve yet to see anyone else really do it.
Electrosphere, as much as I appreciate its uniqueness, I can see why people would feel disconnected from it back when it first came out. You have to remember that this came after Ace Combat 2 which was literally just an arcade game with cheesy (but amazing) rock music and light hearted tone. Imagine buying the sequel to it two years later, and finding out it’s now suddenly an anime game about corporations, war, morality and existentialism, yeah it can be quite a sudden change in tone. Which is why I think that’s the reason Shattered Skies went back to basics and Project Aces decide to slowly reintroduce all the wacky elements Ace Combat is known for slowly so that it’s more accepted. Judging by how many people now appreciate 3, I think they did a good job
Amazing video. The line "It just does what it's told to." hit hard.
This needs a remake so badly, for many reasons even outside of this video.
Amazing job, Ace Combat 3 is an incredible game with my favorite setting in the series. I’m glad to see it has a video like this.
32:40 The fact you can hear the voice warning system of Keith's aircraft repeatedly saying "PULL UP!" as he's about to crash is very haunting to me, I remember this moment sending chills down my spine back when I played the game
It took me so many years to finally understand what Ace Combat 3 was all about, as a child it's obviously hard to wrap your head around things.
Despite coming to a conclusion about this game in my mind, thinking i now know everything there is to know, this analysis managed to shed some light into the story, especially the philosophical and ethical problems surrounding sublimation and the fates of the characters.
If you didn't play the Japanese version, then it isn't that you failed to wrap your mind around it.
This story was never released outside Japan. The US and EU cut all the story content.
I just realized that Ace Combat 3's plot is a "would you kindly" moment long before the first BioShock (you're a computer program created with specific purpose).
At the same time, it also deconstructs "the search for all possible endings" long before Undertale (you're an AI that's traversing all possible branching scenarios).
It was really ahead of its time.
I've written this elsewhere, but this is the biggest plot hole in the game. It is just assumed that nobody cares that there is no pilot boarding the plane (yes, yes, Coffin system, but Cynthia in the intro and others are still physically in their planes). Nobody cares that every single video-message or call of theirs goes unanswered (I'm fairly sure I've seen characters mention that Nemo's "never there," so they did notice it, but most of the times they're just thankful that you helped them during the mission). It's such a major oversight that you can safely assume the events in the game are a FAULTY simulation, an oversight of Simon's. Which one of the sides would be stupid enough to entrust their killing machines to a goddamn computer virus, which they MUST have detected at some point?
I get big Ghost in the Shell vibes from this and I'm thirsty for more.
Same studio (Productions I. G.) made animated cutscenes for it, so Your feelings are understandable and justified
This is a fantastic overview video on AC3. Can't believe how slept on this game is. It's truly way ahead of its time and did many of the things that franchises like MGS got lauded for later on only AC3 did it years earlier. Also, thank you for not opening up by talking about Nemo being an A.I. I've seen so many people talk about that aspect first as if it was the premise of the game rather than the plot twist. I truly enjoy how bleak the AC3 world is and how ultimately it's the direction the Strangereal Earth will end up going in.
I have a feeling we might end up closer to AC3 in the timeline sooner rather than later though. The games finally started to make some allusions and references to AC3 events with AC7 and we're getting closer and closer in the timeline to when AC3 takes place. Also, ILCA, the studio that helped develop AC7 was founded by none other than Takuya Iwasaki, the director of AC3. We know the next AC project will be a joint cooperation between Project Aces and ILCA, and in fact Bandai Namco and ILCA founded a new company called Bandai Namco ACES for the express purpose of developing future AC project, and Takuya Iwasaki is the CEO of this new company.
So everything's pointing to future AC project leaning heavily on what AC3 had established. I am really excited to see the series finally follow up on the plot points from the game.
Dear God. The aesthetic of this video. The writing. The editting. This is a true work of art! You make me want to take this out and play it again. Bravo!
I'm really glad you got to this game. I wanted to be a pilot since I saw Robotech (Macross) on TV as a kid. Alas, my vision deteriorated and I can never fly, but I still learned how to pilot and love flight sims.
By far, Ace Combat 3 is my favorite. I never really knew how good I had it, to be there in that moment when the game came out and be able to play and appreciate it the way I did. The memories will never fade, especially the ones of flying through those tunnels as the doors open and close.
Thanks for bringing up good memories. I'm glad you enjoyed the game, and I'm glad you shared your experience. Keep making great content, and we'll be here to appreciate it.
As a new Ace Combat player, playing 3 feels refreshing after 7. I never quite enjoyed how much 7 seemed to treat you and your side of the conflict in such a idealized and heroic way overall. Even some of Osea and the player actions and facts (attacking a civillian encampment for supplies and using penal colonies as canon fodder) doesn't seen to have the weight or be treated as something as evil as it should be seen as. They all feel like it's the writer trying to say "see? Your side and you are evil as well!" When I don't think it's effective. So it's great that Ace Combat 3 goes completely against that notion, it's pretty much like you said, it's like 3 takes the ace archetype, strips it from all the idealism and just shows it for what it is: a killing machine.
For the record, I still enjoy Ace Combat 7 a lot, that's just one gripe I have with the story overall.
One of my favourite Ace Combat games, getting a video deserving of it's quality!
At first i was expecting just average RUclips video why this games is a miss masterpiece
I literally didn't expect Ace combat 3 to become Blade runner, Ghost in the shell, Neon Genesis Evangelion & Serial Experiment Lain
I fell in love with this game when I decided to play through the series for the first time starting last year. I'd seen people describe the story in Ace Combat games as essentially ridiculous action movies that took themselves super seriously, so I was caught off guard after finishing the essentially story-less first two games when I stumbled into a story about transhumanism and vulnerable people being coopted and taken advantage of by larger causes with their own hidden motives. I enjoyed the Ace Combat games that came after, but this game remained my absolute favorite in the series all the way through the very end. Great video, it was a treat to stumble upon this tonight.
35:30 we've got a new fan-translation out now, after years of development. Hope you'll enjoy it.
I LOVED you video dude, you what also super cool? that ace combat 7 has a ton of references to AC3:
-In the end of the game the magacine with the picture of Harling hints that a new peace keeping force may be in the making, this could be UPEO's origin.
-The obvious leap foward in AI techlogy that is central to the story, with the final bosses having some level of basic sentience "talking" with each other during the final battle in the form of radio static even beggining to learning from trigger also their ship are an upgrade on the falken the first ship with the COFFIN system that ships use in AC3 use and allows AIs to pilot planes.
-In the DLC there a progam name Alex capable of advance simulations and relationship with humans similar to Nemo.
-and last but not least: remember Jaeger the dude in strider squadron that won't shut up about his son and all the stories he will tell him? he is canonically the father of Erich Jaeger your companion from UPEO in AC3 wich also explains Eric's views on the world.
So project aces is giving love to AC3 which is cool since it's often over look plus being the first heavy story AC a trait that would latter define the franchise.
I hope I'm not the only one who's thinking of this, but Ace Combat 3 is easily the darkest game in the franchise.
This is a game that if he was released as it was instead of that butchered version I firmly believe a lot of people would hold it as a masterpiece like MGS. It's such an interesting and cool story and world. I have no idea what they where thinking on butchering it, was it lazyness to translate the whole thing? Lack of time? Who knows, fuckin' sucks that it happened like that.
License. Paying English VA and Namco really don't have that much fund like now.
@@theraiden9631 I mean, they didn't need to dub it, but i guess it was the style at the time to dub things even tho' subs are fine.
@@QMMarc They didn't even have the budget to translate the dialogue to English. Had to be cut back due to declining sales of the franchise at the time.
It's kinda sad that the Japanese didn't like the game and it was sold poorly, that's why the international version was butchered
Having played 4,5 and 0 when they came out, and 7 in 2021, I played the Japanese version of 3 about a month ago and it completely blew me out of the water. Has to be my favorite entry in the series. Besides the 10/10 story the soundtrack is an absolute gem, and I also like the flight model a lot!
AC3 definitely blows your mind and the other AC games out of the water
As Frieza, the VA for him comes across as megalomaniacal.
As Simon, that same VA makes Simon seem like the most insidious individual, despite him not taking centre stage until the very end.
Even though the VA is the same, Simon scares me more than Frieza.
(EDIT 29/9/2022: And especially so, since it's Ryusei Nakao who is the VA in question. Just found his name.)
Wow. I knew that he sounded familiar probably I've read about that long ago and forgot it. Now I'm amazed again that Simon is so freaking scary
I played it when I was a child, I had the fortune to have the japanese version (In Japanese)... I was only capable of understand a little of the plot, but still I was totally captured by this game.... I did all of the finales, when I was a kid, in japanese, and that says a lot of how the game good was for the time!!! Thank you for this beautiful video and greetings from Italy!
The biggest reason why I loved AC3 when I first played it was that it was the first Ace Combat game to feature an in-depth story with mature themes like warmongering and transhumanism. And the fact that it also boasts good execution and great gameplay honestly makes it the best flight action game for PS1, topping other solid games like its predecessor and the Colony Wars trilogy.
Man, i love this analysis video as much as i love AC3, and i love it sove much! Great job!
AC3 for me it's one of the best AC. Story and music are superb, the super dark ambientation towards the end of the game always gives me chills (specially when "Kernel" and "Morceaux" plays in the background).
Hopefully we get an remake of this game for the newer generation of consoles (even for a VR! imagine how sick it will be that the booting message could be "Entering Electrosphere")
A sequel to 3: Escape the Electrosphere. Maybe you have to fight NEMO to prevent Simon’s goals being realized.
So happy you're covering games you enjoy dude
I’d love to see you do a deep dive into the Legend of Heroes: Trails games one day. I think given your affection for story heavy RPG’s and Persona it’s a series you’d really enjoy.
I'll may take the Trails dive one day but there's just so many games to follow.
@@SnicketySlice yeah, it’s a bit of a journey, but we’ll worth it.
one of my favorite theories about this game is that the sequels are a research by nemo on the past which explains the lack of options in the next games
Well done! I have only played 2, but peeking a bit at the story here has me excited to get into this one!
Of course Dai Satō wrote the script for this game. Of bloody course he did.
All other Ace Combat games are Metal Gear Solid with planes, but Ace Combat 3 is Ghost in the Shell with planes.
What is Metal gear solid though ?
@@mrandrossguy9871 It's rather should be called _Metal Gear,_ by the way, but people are keep missing something.
Metal Gear is a stealth genre (BUT METAL GEAR RISING) game series with big super mechas called _Metal Gear,_ nukes and anime-or-something plot with secret messages between the lines to the player or even the entire society, which have been born more than 30 years ago and became one of the most iconic series around the world.
This video is very well made. I’ve been playing AC3 lately and this really opened my eyes on some aspects I couldn’t catch
incredible video about my all time favorite ace combat
The best ace combat,thanks project nemo for the translation,for some reason i feel like the ending of ace combat 7 is related to the rise of mega corporations in Usea,think about it,the whole continent felt down in anarchy after the Kessler syndrome that happened in the Lighthouse war,the perfect oportunity to the corporations to rise and take the place of the nations that dissaperead afer the war,just a theory,but I hope to become true
you will NEVER see a game like this ever again, an air combat sim with relatable anime styled characters, a multiple choice story, philosophical themes and ideas, and a subversive plot with A semi-realistic approach to aircraft design & improvements, all set in a fictional world that isn't a cartoonish over-the-top marketable parody all while addressing geopolitics and corporatism and our nature as humans... Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere is so much more than the sum of its parts, it is a profound cerebral treasure buried behind a lobotomized international release and a language barrier masquerading as a flight sim. It is a profound experience that you have to actively seek out to be a part of... I adore this game.
couldn't have said this better. I feel this to my core
Watching this video shows how different the strangereal in ace combat 3 compared to ace combat 7 (2019 strangereal) and ace combat x (2020 strangereal), which both are just still the same with other strangereal ace combat before it. From a world that well still more or less same to ours to a cyberpunk dystopian world controlled by corporations in ace combat 3.
As project ACES still admit that ace combat 3 timeline still true in ace combat strangereal universe, and even starting to mention General Resource itself in ace combat 7 material (just read about Alicorn, yes that sub in wiki, they got it translated from JP), I am guessing that next Ace Combat will start to make a new turn and divert away from Belkan legacy
Since I started with 7, then worked my way from the first entry back to 6, I was really excited to play the JP version of 3 since it looked so unique compared to other entries in the series. The presentation is great, but I can't help but feel like it went for quantity over quality. I can hardly remember anything about it except for the UPEO prologue, the space mission, the tunnel (which I think is the best in the series) and the Ouroboros blimp boss fight.
However, I think 3's grand scale and subsequent gutting of the American version helped shine light on the dev's vision for Ace Combat 4. 4 felt like they deliberately scaled things back (No branching paths, no multiple endings, no mission updates based on in-game actions, a linear story with a focus on a smaller cast) in order to focus on the core gameplay and providing a coherent plot that still had emotional impact. It wouldn't be until 5 and 0 where once the team was comfortable with the basic structure of the game that they could get more experimental with deeper cast interactions and the reintroduction of branching missions.
All in all, I still liked 3, but I would argue 2 is the best of the PS1 series. However, 3's soundtrack and sheer aesthetic style make it worth playing.
Though 5 and Zero lacked the Better flight model from 3 and 04 which would have Perfected them
I just completed every route of the Project Nemo translation, and this is one of my top 10 favorite games now! This video definitely played a part in that too, so thank you!
Hell yeah, playing the whole series in 2018 right before AC7 was about to release, while only have been playing AC2 in the 90s, on a PS1 flight joystick, and back in 2018 playing them all (except for 6) on emulator using an expensive Arcade fighting stick was really really cool experience. Especially trying expert flying mode for the first time on every game felt really great.
Still love AC2 more than any instalment, but AC3 did so much and is amazing I would call it the best if it wasn't for the nostalgia.
The PS2 games take the other spots, It doesn't matter they're all great.
AC7 felt amazing after that and then AC6 on the XBOX was also great on its own.
Thank you for the great analysis! AC3 is my favorite of the series, it makes me kinda sad that people rarely talk about it, but always mention the PS2 era games. Hope the algorithm does its job so your video can get more traction. I'm still praying that one day Namco will do a remake of this game, or maybe even a new entry which ties in with this story, and the intercorporate war actually happens with a real outcome
Oh wow. Apparently I got the true ending without being able to read or understand how. I just thought it was an awesome level, flying inside the Electrosphere.
The return of the king
hated it when i was young.. It was confusing for me.. but as i grow older.. i desperately need a remake of that.. I will throw all my money at AC3 Remake than AC8..
Probably the best video about one of the most ambicious game storytlines, a shame how luck has made dirty this game to practically be a niche game even in the ace combat comunity. I know that a remake is impossible but i wish project aces with the new installements touch at least some of the themes shown in here. Good video.
I believe that Nemo shares the same character of the Knight/Shade from Hollow Knight. They were created as a tool, a soulless weapon meant to destroy our creator's great enemy. We are meant to act autonomusly, yet have no will? That is simply not possible. The knight shows will, it even does acts of kindness that bear no benefit like giving flowers to the people they meet. The knight is a vessel of the player's will just as the aces in all Ace Combat games are avatars for players. Every Ace is a bloodless mute psychopath with inhuman abilities yet how they are and why they fight are ultimately up to the player. Nemo is like the ultimate avatar, their choices in the sims reflect will, ability to choose of their own free will. The simuations were created by Simon, a rail-roaded scenario that would always ensure we kill Dision. Yet Nemo was released, literally told they were a tool meant for a mission. Yet Nemo is not mindless, the sims show they can choose. Now that they are free, will they follow their original mission? I believe my Nemo would defy this stupid nihilistic crap and hunt down Simon for being a creep. They would fight tooth and nail to ensure everyone survives, screaming in AI screeches if they must. We are an unstoppable killing machine, why not put those talents to good use?
AC3 was my first Ace combat.
And in the European version, believe it or not, there's even less story than in the US version...
And yet I knew it was a masterpiece.
I played emulated Japanese version on emulation and was blown away by what we missed.
Still my favorite OST. Still my favorites aircrafts and I want a remake. In my personal headcanon, Rena is Nagase's daughter. ^^
I don't care if the timeline doesn't fit perfectly, I think it would be awesome to tie very directly AC7 to a remake of 3.
I even imagine a logo where the 8 of AC 8 would be a stylized 3 and R for remake smashed together to forma 8. ^^
I need my X49 back, I need my R-series aircrafts back, I need my XFA 36 Game back...
Very nice video, is good to see some spotlights on electrosphere.
The only thing that pisses me off about this game is how all the efforts of the Aces we played were for naught over the most commonly petty act. Cipher, Mobius, et al, must be rolling in their graves.
I'm making aircraft analysis in reddit and I'm close to reach AC3 aircrafts. Before continuing, you bro did an amazing job with this video. I was 10 yo when played it and I was lucky to play the JP version, of course I didn't get a shit about the dialogs, but I always knew about Rena and company and the multiple endings.
In my analysis I cover the true power of every "super plane" in AC history and, using AC7 as a base I try to visualize how those aircrafts could behave if they were implemented according to the lore.
In AC3, and this isn't an opinion it's a FACT, you can know about the best aircrafts in the entire franchise. The leap with the other games is massive that only being an AC3 lore knower you will appreciate. When a lot of ps2 era or latter players where amazed by a Morgan/Wyvern/Falken/Fenrir and so on, those who witnessed AC3 knows that they were just first attempts to reach what we can seein AC3.
You can make an entire video related to this. It's an amazing topic.
Again, excellent job. Amazing video. Like and sub.
wow, what an informative video. Thanks for giving this insight into the game, I would have never understood this much from it.
This is the greatest video game essay I've ever seen.
Ever since it came out I have loved its amazing twist story. At first, I had the cut version but even as a child I knew something was off. And when I got the real deal I loved it far more, but now I really want a remastered one that you could get on steam. But not any changes to the story, just improved graphics and such.
I've been reading the comments in this video and several other about AC3 and the wishes of people to actually fight NEMO to stop him and prevent Simon's plan, but i can't imagine a human even with or more advanced maneuvers as Cypher could deal with Nemo unless he awakes his self-awareness and decides not to turn us into dust.
By the time Nemo is developed, most plains use COFFIN systems that NEMO can just simply hack, also the brains of the pilots connected to the COFFIN, even advanced A.I piloted planes like the Geopelia series. Not to mention he can quickly mimic your flying style and maneuvers, he is literally a god.
I don't know guys...any ideas?
Hugging and Mugging were like zygotes and Nemo is the child born finally. I think it would be in the side of humans.
@@lananielsen9465 Could be!!! But there's also the chance he turns against humans if he is self-aware, in this worst case scenario i just can't picture an ace being able to deal with him. Specially if he decides to control a Geopelia-like plane.
I got this from a used games store as a kid, i liked the cover, and wanted a jet game. I played it loving the music and flying in it and noticed in the opening that there were some anime bits to it, so my kid self somehow knew Namco was a Japanese company and that their version probably had some extra cutscenes that weren't translated. It was only years later that I realised what had ACTUALLY been cut from the game.
It was also because of the 'meh' ness of the cut version (a 6 or 7/10 game rather than 9/10) that i didn't get Ace Combat 4, despite even seeing it advertised inside the case itself! (The platinum version had this advert?). That would've started my journey on the holy trinity 🤦♂ I had missed out till a friend said that AC7 was good, I even KNEW it was back in Strangereal which is a must have for me. Eventually got it and loved the series, having picked up all the games in physical form except AC6 and infinity.
I did randomly pick up AC:AH on steam but fuck me I hate the dogfight mode on it as well as the whole USA vs Russia stuff is such a bore. The fictional stories on Strangereal is where my heart lies and even had a taste of that life back before i was even a teenager. For that, I will always be grateful to my young self for having it.
The next games will be great - I'm sure of it!
Rewatching this video makes me love it even more.
Ultimately, I hope that a proper remaster of AC3 arrives at some point, as a stepping stone to a sequel to it, in which the actual corporate war plays out and doesn't go the way of the simulations. Be it because another ace emerges (the player) or Nemo goes off script without Simon able to push it back onto track. I can think of several treatments which would each be great, from Nemo being a mysterious threat and final boss to the player. (Akin to a horror movie monster.) Through a split narrative until a big decision in the middle to continue to follow the new pilot or Nemo. (The Player being both until then.) Or even a sort of buddies situation, with Nemo being a great asset and ally to the player, building up trust until Nemo asks the player to aid it in destroying Dission... and Simon. (Akin to Yukikaze in a way.)
YES. We need more content about this brilliant game. For all my life playing arcade avia sims, and should say this one is a godlike.
I just want Rena to be happy, man.
I have a question: in the UPEO, in the mission "Scylla and Charybdis" when I have to decide between taking down Fiona and an R-101, would this plane belong to Erick Jaeger?
Most likely, as Erich disappears from the story if you join Neucom.
I have some gripes about the game in terms of gameplay but the story, setting and presentation are amazing.
I wonder how future games will tackle these things as we move closer to 3 in the timeline
Ace combat 3 was the first to integrate actual Flight Mechanics or physics which is also why it is So Good and shame the rest of the series or every other installment does not
How do you mean? Because they all have those things.
@@SnicketySlice aero dynamics and drag/drift
How am I supposed to know what any of that means? I'm playing a video game not going into aeronautical engineering.
@@SnicketySlice he means it's almost like DCS World.
Hell Yes I had a conversation with a random, he said they had enough graphics and Resources with Ace3 to make a Flight Model that has Weight and Aerodynamics which Gives the Player Agency and Inspiration of Actual Flight while Blowing stuff up
Which this Community doesn't seem to Understand or Want to for that Matter ! ?
i played this game when i was like 11 or so, english wasnt my primary language and i couldnt understand shit, but this game sparked my love for cyberpunk stuff and mechas, and everything cyber, love it till this day.
I never expected that the franchise i played as a child could have a nihilistic existential horror like this, srly this game shouldn't exists yet its like the ultimate critique of a franchise that was just starting lol.
It truley is a shame this game never got a propery release outside of Japan.
Wow, just finished the US version as my first AC game, unaware of any of the changes, and was incredibly confused at the first 5 minutes of this video. I feel like I could very easily play the fan translated version and treat it like an entirely different game.
Nothing sticks out more than the words "DECIDE" in red that pops up abruptly, throwing players out of their comfort zone while still trying to focus and fly a plane.
Truly a game ahead of it's time.
Yike I just recently finished the omega ending to this game and then suddenly you release this video. It must be fate... or luck.
Thanks for reviewing what I consider the best game in the series. It deserves better. What a shame it wasn't published outside of Japan.
My favoite flight combat game and near future setting... I even set my own setting for my Novels,games and art around 2040 as my near future sci-fi date of choice. To bad Namco gave us Americains the dumbed down version.. Still feel in love with it and only recently been able to enjoy the real version with fan translations... I had a japansse disk for years before that such a great game! Which I should mention AC3 does have prequels on the PSP and you could say even AC7 is one at this point. Which it's a shame Namco still has not released the PS1 trilogy on PC remastered with both the NA and JA versions both translated... It has alot of things that most AC games after never would get... Edit: Oh I even got the original AC3 OST CDs new for my birthday and a few years ago so good... And yes I have most Ace combat OSTs never found this one till then.
Damn, a nice long video. Great job man, I’m always impressed from your video essays. Cheers!
Thank you for making a video about this game, great work!
Oh God, I forgot that the story was sooooo anime.
Sweet game though. Timeless classic.
You know I never gave this series much of a second thought and never saw much talk about it but this story definitely is interesting. Will check out your other videos on the series and see what games are available to play someday
i really hope the next ace combat game is basically a remake of this
"if you haven't played this game, i suggest you click off"
Me: *owns the European copy of the game*
Wow I played this as a kid so alot of this went over my head.
I wish they stuck with branching stories for the later games. I feel like they got more generic as time went on. Probably to cater to wider audiences - but still this is so cool.
If you played it as a kid and it wasn't the Japanese version, chances are that it's not that it went over your head but rather that it wasn't there.
The US and EU versions cut the entire story from the game.
There's no anime cutscenes or mission dialogue in those versions.
I can only wonder what the reception for the game would have been like had it not had its story gutted in the other releases.
I keep coming back to this video, what a great analysis OOF 🎉
AC3 and MGS2 have alot in common
In other words, (spoiler)
since Simon couldn't bang Yoko, he takes revenge against Abyssal in every simulation outcome.
My favorite ace combat game and one of my favorite games of all time. Thanks for this awesome analysis and thanks to project nemo for translating the Japanese version.