Ace Combat 3: Электросфера – Воздушные Битвы Будущего

1999 video game

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (エースコンバット３ エレクトロスフィア, Ēsu Konbatto Surī Erekutorosufia) is a combat flight simulation video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. The third game in the Ace Combat franchise, it was released in Japan in 1999 and in Europe and North America in 2000. Players control an aircraft and must complete various mission objectives, such as destroying squadrons of enemies or protecting a base from enemy fire. Namco directors Takuya Iwasaki and Atsushi Shiozawa designed Electrosphere to be visually distinct from other combat flight simulators, using Ace Combat 2 as a base for the game's ideas and mechanics. The storyline was designed to be a core aspect of the game, and to serve a proper purpose by directly affecting the gameplay. Electrosphere carries a more futuristic science fiction inspired landscape and world compared to the modern day theme of its predecessors. The game is infamous for its drastic differences in content in the Japanese and international releases; Namco intended to retain the Japanese version's two disc campaign and larger story, but due to financial constraints the game was cut down for North America and Europe. Though it had a small marketing campaign and little promotion, Electrosphere shipped over one million copies. The Japanese release received positive reviews and was seen as ambitious in its design. International releases were more mixed, with critics expressing confusion towards the lack of content and bland gameplay. In retrospect, Electrosphere has been well received, with critics identifying and appreciating its ambition, story, and changes to the gameplay of the series.

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere is a combat flight simulation video game. Like its predecessors, it is presented in a more arcade like format in contrast to other flight sim video games. Players pilot one of 23 different aircraft across four separate factions and must complete a selection of the game's 52 missions depending on their faction. These missions range from destroying squadrons of enemies to protecting a base from enemy fire. Player performance is graded from an A to D letter scale, which are logged in a chart on the title screen. Electrosphere adds several new mechanics to the core Ace Combat gameplay. One of these is the ability to fly spacecraft, with one mission taking place above Earth in outer space. Players can watch instant replays of their best kills at the end of each mission. A limited number of planes and weapons can be selected for the first few missions, but only one can be used for the remaining half of the game. Missions also contain radio chatter from both the player's faction and opposing ones. The player can rotate their camera 360 degrees around their fighter in order to see what is behind them or get a better view of the level. The most notable of these are the branching stage paths; depending on actions made by player input at certain sections of the game, the plot will change based on the outcome of those decision, leading to one of five possible endings. During development, the team worked to make Electrosphere visually distinct from other combat flight simulators and create new technological breakthroughs. Tetsukazu Nakanishi, who had previously contributed tracks to Ace Combat 2, served as the lead composer and sound director of Electrosphere, which features a techno and electronica soundtrack. While previous games mostly featured melodic upbeat music akin to funk rock, the soundtrack features more emphasis on sound design than melodical elements, which Nakanishi felt fits the game's atmosphere and design. Other tracks in the game were composed by Koji Nakagawa, Kanako Kakino, Hiroshi Okubo, and Go Shiina, along with one contribution from Tomoko Tatsuta. Kakino incorporated elements of world music into her tracks to express nature and life, while sticking to the sound direction. Shiina extensively used an arpeggiator for his tracks, which he found very enjoyable to use.

Namco announced Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere in August 1998. A small sample of video footage from the game was presented in a bonus disc shipped out with the Japanese release of Ridge Racer Type 4. Famitsu reported that the game was roughly 80% complete by January 1999. After months of secrecy, Namco demonstrated Electrosphere at the 1999 Tokyo Game Show, presented alongside World Stadium 3, Dragon Valor, and the Dreamcast conversion of Soulcalibur, taking up most of the Namco's booth. Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere was published on May 27, 1999 in Japan by Namco Inc Alongside a 26 page instruction manual, it contained a 30 page promotional booklet called the Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere Portfolio Photosphere, which details the game's characters, aircraft, storyline, and other information regarding its fictional world. On December 7, 2000, it was re released in Japan under the PlayStation the Best line of budget titles. and in North America on March 7. Namco presented the game at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) exposition to mostly positive coverage. Before the funding was cut for the translation, Namco had already begun advertising the game's interconnected storyline. Work on a text only English fan translation for all 52 missions began in 2009, reaching completion in 2010. In December 2016, the team published patches that translated the game's story. An update by the same team was published on July 13, 2023. In December 2021, a localization group called the "Load Word Team" translated the game in the Italian language. Later on May 27, 2023, the same team also completed translation to the English and Spanish languages.

The Japanese version received mostly positive reviews. Staff from Famitsu appreciated the game for its "overwhelming" graphics and deeper storyline, in addition to its realism. In an early preview, James Mielke of GameSpot commented that the game, while it was not as fun as Ace Combat 2, had the same ambitious design as R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, with personality driven cutscenes, sleek fighter craft designs, and detailed graphics. Edge staff members highlighted its branching storyline, stating that it makes the game more involving and rewarding than its predecessors. Not all reviewers expressed criticism over the game; Sam Bishop of IGN and Dr. Zombie of GamePro both praised the gameplay for being solid and energetic, with Bishop in particular commenting that it "delivers the same action packed air combat experience that you've come to expect from the series, and does it with an unmatched style and flair that's never over the top". Critics agreed that Electrosphere posed "gorgeous" graphics with plenty of detail. Commercially, the game under performed, and was not as big of a hit as Namco hoped it would be. It was commercially unsuccessful in North America and pulled fewer units than previous entries. The game won the award for "Shooter" in both Editors' Choice and Readers' Choice at IGNs Best of 2000 Awards.

Ace Combat 3 has received better feedback in retrospect, with critics identifying its ambitious design and story. In celebration of the game's 20th anniversary in 2019, Game*Spark retrospectively compared the complex storyline of Electrosphere to that of Final Fantasy VII and Ridge Racer Type 4, praising its branching path system for having a meaningful, interesting impact on the plot as a whole. They also liked the game's futuristic atmosphere and theme, a drastic departure from other Ace Combat games. Game*Spark further stated that Electrosphere was one of the best and most unique games in the series, showing disappointment towards the lack of a modern digital release on platforms such as PlayStation Network. Sebastiano Pezzile, a writer for Player. it, reviewed the game in 2019 to commemorate the launch of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. He compared its story and visual style to that of Neon Genesis Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell, enjoying its larger storyline for being far darker than its predecessors. While Pazille praised its Wipeout influenced soundtrack, he was critical of the international version for being inferior to Air Combat and Ace Combat 2 from a content standpoint. Writing for GameRevolution, Tyler Treese also expressed his disappointment in the game's international release, believing it made for one of the worst attempts at video game localization.