After 30-odd years of predictable industry antics, you know the drill by now -- new round of videogame consoles, new 'next-generation' arcade-style dogfighting simulation must inevitably follow shortly thereafter.



Case in point: Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, the latest in the long-running series, adds online play, amps up visual quality by several multitudes over past installments, and otherwise sends excitement levels soaring to Mach 10. Amusingly enough, publisher Namco claims the franchise has shifted over 10 million units at retail already -- and as satisfying as this puppy is for aspiring aces, here's hoping armchair pilots spot them another seven figures' worth of encouragement to keep those afterburners going.



Lock and load? Not exactly, as the wonky storyline and a grievous tendency towards melodrama quickly reveal. But frankly, with these slick visuals and gratuitously satisfying, hands-on missile- and machine-gun-toting action, you won't give a rat's patoot.



It certainly bears mentioning that voice acting is less than stellar, and issues with lip-synch timing do rob the tale of some immediacy and impact. (We're not exactly fans of the campaign's cheesy plotlines featuring people whose lives are affected by your battles, either.) Still, if you can put literary aspirations aside and focus on what matters most, i.e. simple turn-'n'-burn excitement, there's much to admire. And besides, the designers do deserve kudos for attempting to go a level beyond the typical straightforward, militaristic plotline and deliver a greater sense of emotional impact, even if they do fall flat on their thrusters.



But we digress... Don't allow yourself be fooled by the workmanlike menus and front end, because a bevy of cornea-searing delights quickly await the intrepid flyboy. Put bluntly, we think you'll find this is hands-down the best-looking air combat title you've ever seen, as you scream through high-resolution, cloud-filled skies or above choppy waters, admiring every scenic splash of natural color or searing burst of gunfire. While a simplistic control scheme and fictional setting simply reinforce the title's vast conceptual distance from reality, unless you're a total military nut, it's hardly a drawback. In fact, these caveats only help increase comfort levels behind the gamepad, and ensure that you get to the good part -- blasting painstakingly modeled bogies out of the photorealistic sky -- that much faster.



On a positive note, the basic flight model and ease with which you control speed, direction and aiming (read: you can just as easily skip the $150 flight stick bundle as cop it, unless you're a real sim-head) prove a massive boon, especially to newcomers. Then again, from another perspective, it also -- inevitably large number of deaths and restarts aside (this is an arcade-style outing, after all) -- shortens total game length to about 10-15 hours. Happily though, you do get a wide selection of aircraft (F-22 Raptor, F/A-18, Tornado, Typhoon and so on) to pick from, and a sweet selection of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions complete with multiple challenging objectives bound to keep you on your toes.



Honestly, so much is thrown at you during these engagements that it's often hard to stay on target, but hey. Better too much to shoot (boats, jetfighters, missile launch sites, etc.) at than too little, right? That goes double when you see how gorgeous the explosions and puffs of flame and smoke that follow in the wake of each conquest look, painting the screen with eye-catching distractions. We can't say enough about the dazzling orchestral soundtrack either, or quality of sound effects featured, ranging from thrilling whooshes of air to crisp bangs and pops.



Amusingly, you're also backed by helicopters, tanks and bombers, which convincingly appear to take part in each conflict when ordered in at specific times, lending an even greater sense of urgency and depth to the proceedings. Not that you ever feel alone, though: Hearing calls for assistance via staccato radio chatter and winging to the rescue, then unloading a payload of missiles on unsuspecting opponents proves immensely satisfying. Naturally, this 'living battlefield' mechanic -- with intelligent opponents who really force you to give chase and skim the tops of mountain ranges or breeze by cities watching vapor trails and bullets fly (rather than circle one another endlessly, as in competing titles) -- greatly magnifies the experience's charm.



Even with a wingman present (although not a particularly bright one), there's never any question that you're the man of the hour. Of course, there's nothing quite like picking a particular craft and special weapon before an assignment, only to find it negated by whatever surprise twist unfolds, to make you feel especially impotent. But get over it. With so many optional mission objectives available and vessels to command, and hence added replay value, there's plenty of time to happily obliterate your blues away.



Nonetheless, broadband-ready multiplayer is by far the biggest payout here. How do we love Ace Combat 6? Let us count the ways: Think deathmatch, team deathmatch, co-op and siege options (requiring you to take out specific targets) -- just a few of the many choices on offer. What's more, up to 16 players can participate in the fun, and in this mode the game performs smoothly and delivers even greater thrills than you'd find in the lone-wolf campaign, making the disc a superb choice for when friends are hanging at your crib. Join forces with buddies or rip them a new one in free-for-all smackdowns -- the best part is, you don't have to know your way around a flight yoke to jump right in and start racking up the body count.



What you see is essentially what you get here, but make no mistake: This is a purely action-intensive outing, with few concessions to real-world aerial operations. Furthermore, pretty as a picture and a true joy to lay hands on, the purists' loss is the passing enthusiasts' gain. There are certainly hiccups with the formula, e.g. ground textures lose a little bit of their luster up close, and the innovations introduced here are relatively minor compared with those offered by predecessors.



Even so, compared to the likes of Blazing Angels 2, you can't go wrong. Say what you will about Ace Combat 6's derivative structure, campy plot, flair for dramatic impact vs. strict authenticity, and strictly incremental gains over prior series installments. When it comes to kicking the tires and lighting the fires, the following is obvious -- this sucker delivers in spades.

This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.