History VideoGame / AceCombat

* FictionalEarth: Strangereal is Earth in every possible way except for landmasses (which for the most part are Earth continents shifted in different directions and visually modified) and nations. You can even tell what real world counterparts the nations are based on. It has an Antarctica no different from the real one. It even has its own Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Almost all the aircraft used in the game exist in reality.

* LikeRealityUnlessNoted: Although Strangereal is a rather different alternate Earth from ours, it uses the same planes with an occasional twist or two, and many countries and events have clear parallels to those on our Earth. And then of course [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality the physics breaking arcade elements the game adds for fun]].

Part of ''Ace Combat'' 's appeal is that the games, starting from ''Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'', featured real-life planes and experimental fighter jets, often working with well-known aerospace manufacturers such as [[https://www.lockheedmartin.com/ Lockheed Martin]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Aircraft Fairchild Aircraft]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Defense,_Space_%26_Security Boeing Defense, Space & Security]] and [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman Northrop Grumman]], among ''many'' others, to achieve the impressive amount of authenticity and realism seen with the planes of the real-life military.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies''[[note]]''Ace Combat 04: Distant Thunder'' in the EU version[[/note]][=*=]: In 2003, Erusea has invaded its neighbors and by 2004 controls all of Usea. As Mobius One, top ace of the Independent States Allied Forces, it's up to you to drive them back and take the fight to them.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' [[note]]''Ace Combat 5: Squadron Leader'' in the EU version[[/note]][=*=]: In 2010, a series of mysterious recon activities leads to a war between the Union of Yuktobanian Republics and the Osean Federation. However, the real cause of the war is not as straightforward as it first appears. As "Blaze", your goal is to find out the true cause of the war and stop it from spreading. Was it ''really'' the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, or was it some ''other'' faction acting behind the scenes?
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar''[[note]]Simply ''Ace Combat: The Belkan War'' in the EU[[/note]][=*=]: In 1995, the Belkan Federation attempts a land grab. As mercenary pilot Galm One "Cipher", you fight to thwart their goals; however, the driving of the Belkans to peace talks is not the end of things.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault''[[note]]''Ace Combat X
: Joint Assault'' in Japan[[/note]][=**=]: ''Joint Assault'' deviates from the Strangereal world that every previous installment of the game has taken place in, instead taking place in [[RealLife real world locations such as Tokyo, London, and San Francisco]]. As Antares, a newcomer to Martinez Security, you fight the machinations of a powerful terrorist group across the world.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown''[=*=]: Taking place in 2019, the Kingdom of Erusea declares war on the Osean Federation over a territory dispute after Osea constructed a SpaceElevator called the "Light House". You take on the role of Trigger, a convicted criminal, and are thrown into the 444th fighter squadron -- the Spare Squadron -- for atonement along with other convicts.

# ''Ace Combat 2'' and its remake ''Assault Horizon Legacy'': Usean Rebellion/First Usean Continental War (1997/1998)

# ''Ace Combat 04'': (Second) Usean Continental War (2004-05)

# ''Ace Combat 6'': Anean Continental War (2015-16)

# ''Ace Combat X'' and ''Ace Combat Xi'': Leasath-Aurelia War (2020)

# ''Ace Combat 3'': Usean Corporate War (2040)

* AcePilot: The entire series is based on this trope and ImprobablePilotingSkills, wingmen and allied aircraft excepted. Supposedly [[spoiler:Mobius One]] may be considered ''the'' trope namer for ''04'', ''5'', ''Zero'', ''6'' (and maybe ''X''), especially if you take ''Ace Combat 5'''s Arcade Mode ("Operation Katina") as canon, where [[spoiler:Mobius One (with the help of [[MissionControl AWACS SkyEye]]) defeated a ''de facto'' resurgent Erusean military and at the final battle six X-02 Wyverns using only a [[CoolPlane F-22 Raptor]]]] a year after the events of ''Ace Combat 04'', where he was the lead element in every major ISAF operation of the Usean Continental War of 2003-2005.

* AlternateUniverse: Strangereal, a ConstructedWorld similar to ours in many ways, except without nukes and continents closer together.

** The games like to talk about how terrible nuclear weapons are... despite that the Strangereal setting needed to be made in the first place because nuclear arms have ''prevented'' the kind of all-out wars between major military powers that the plotlines are built around. So nukes are bad, as we are told by a world that collapses into gigantic, pointless wars every five or so years because nobody has an effective deterrent against them. Historically, nuclear weapons were not developed in Strangereal until the 1980s by Belka (Strangereal's version of Nazi Germany). Superweapons such as airborne fortresses, railguns and laser platforms are supposed to fill the deterrent role that nuclear weapons normally would, but they do a poor job of it, not least for the fact that they aren't actually meant to be one in-universe; although some could act the role due to being well-known, built for a different purpose but also being effective as a weapon (Stonehenge was built and highly-publicized for the purpose of protecting the continent from the Ulysses asteroid, Excalibur was meant for missile defense, Chandelier also for shooting down asteroids, Arkbird was already fitted with lasers for destroying asteroid fragments still in orbit), for the most part they are in fact ''meant'' to be used in a shooting war, most of them being purpose-built for killing people and introduced to the world at large by firing the opening shots of a war (most of the airborne fortresses such as the P-1112 Aigaion from ''6'' or the Gleipnir from ''X'') or quickly finished, repaired, or otherwise repurposed to turn the tide of a war that's gone badly (stuff like Megalith from ''04'', Arkbird and then the SOLG from ''5'', Chandelier from ''6'', etc.)
** The "Nukes are bad" message that's often presented in the games is even more undermined by the fact that the massive conventional wars the series portrays are only possible because Strangereal is a world where nuclear proliferation never occurred, and thus no doctrine of MutuallyAssuredDestruction arose to discourage overt conflict between superpowers. Even worse, the still-legitimate part of that message is broken by the fact that Belka, the only country in Strangereal known to have access to nuclear weapons as above, has since gone on to have a hand in, if not be [[TheManBehindTheMan directly responsible for]], ''every single'' bad thing that's gone on in the series since the events of ''Zero''. The only mainline games the Belkans and/or Gründer Industries ''don't'' have any hand in are ''Air Combat'',[[note]]A self-contained conflict set concurrently to the Belkan War, which [[BroadStrokes Project Aces has no reason yet to acknowledge as canon except as Scarface 1/Phoenix's backstory due to what little narrative there is]][[/note]] ''Ace Combat 04'',[[note]]A conflict which was caused due to the direct aftermath of the Ulysses asteroid impact[[/note]] and ''Ace Combat X''.[[note]]A WarForFunAndProfit that severely backfires on the instigator[[/note]] This turns what could have been a still-legitimate aesop of "nukes are bad because they could destroy the world if left unchecked and used with reckless abandon" into an overly-simplistic HitlerAteSugar moral, that "nukes are bad because only the bad guys use them".
** Most egregious is that there doesn't appear to be any kind of interventionism in Strangereal. Two countries can go to war with each other for reasons ranging from legitimate "not wanting to take in any more refugees" as in ''04'' to simply "wanting to test out their leader's new toys" as in ''X'', and other countries (not even the superpowers like Osea or Yuktobania) will never involve themselves or attempt to broker a truce [[BystanderSyndrome unless the conflict spills over their border]]. This is especially evident in the Aurelian War of 2020 (the aforementioned ''X'') and the Anean Continental War of 2015-2016 (''6''); both wars took place on the borders of a major superpower (Osea in the former and Yuktobania in the latter) and neither country was known to have stepped in. Erusea is able to occupy Usea, a continent roughly the size of Asia for no less than two years, while utilizing a massive railgun network to maintain air dominance, yet no other nation ever intercedes on Usea's behalf, though this is [[AvertedTrope averted]] in ''Ace Combat 7''; at the beginning of the Lighthouse War, the ''official'' two major factions are the Kingdom of Erusea and the IUN, but the IUN is essentially a proxy of Osea and its allies, and much is had about the opinions of other countries who side with either the IUN or with Erusea. Erusea manages to score major moral and strategic victories by not only severely damaging Osea and the IUN in the opening volleys, but doing so without inflicting a ''single civilian casualty'' thanks to their advanced drones, whereas Osea's counter attack not only fails to inflict any strategic damage at all but ''does'' cause damage to civilian infrastructure, turning several neutral countries against them as a result. A later mission also deals with escorting an Osean plane across the border between Erusea and an Osean-aligned neutral country, and the neutral country's army units express frustration at being able to literally see the Oseans battling for their lives in the air above but are unable to do anything about it since they're still on the Erusean side of the border. The Eruseans, on the other hand, are anxiously ''waiting'' for the neutral country to make a wrong move, and even have combat engineering vehicles lined up on their side of the border simply waiting for the order to breach their defenses the moment it happens.
** On top of that, no sense of military reduction or oversight is ever implemented for belligerent nations; Belka is able to keep a significant portion of its once mighty air force and military, and Erusea is able to rebuild and revitalize its military 14 years after a devastating two-year occupation of an entire continent. For comparison, East and West Germany were founded in 1949, but didn't have their own militaries until early 1956 and late 1955, respectively, while Japan either gave up or was forced to give up its right to declare war[[note]]While the post-war Japanese constitution was primarily drafted by the Allies, there were some Japanese politicians involved, and there is some debate as to who came up with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_9_of_the_Japanese_Constitution Article 9]], which gave up their right to declare war[[/note]] and refuses to maintain any weapon they think can't be used for defence.

* CataclysmBackstory: The Ulysses meteor defined the Strangereal universe. When it was first discovered, many countries scrambled to create weapons capable of destroying it, leading to the building of the many doomsday weapons faced in the franchise. When it actually crashed, the economic and political consequences led to two of the wars in the games, the Anean and Second Usean Continental Wars. The devastation of Ulysses also ultimately spurred the construction of the Lighthouse Space Elevator in the early 2010s, as a means to assist with the rebuilding of the Usean continent with a strong supply of solar energy.

** That said, despite their legendary accomplishments, every playable pilot disappears from history shortly after their final victories. Probably voluntarily. The sole exception seems to be Mobius One, who continues serving ISAF after the end of ''04'''s Usean Continental War, putting down a Free Erusea movement in 2006 (''[=AC5=]''[='=]s Arcade Mode) and helping put down another uprising in 2014 (''[=AC7=]''[='=]s VR missions).

* NoEnding: To the setting as a whole due to ''Electrosphere'' being set in the 2030s in a world where technology corporations and the military-industrial complex dominate most of the world and having a GainaxEnding that creates more questions than it answers. Due to the game's low sales, developer Project ACES has refused to continue the story and instead have focused on conflicts set before the Corporate War while still foreshadowing its eventuality.

** Subverted with the implicitly stated [[spoiler:and sometimes detonated]] nuclear arsenal from various games. What's interesting about this is that although nukes exist, nuclear ''proliferation'' doesn't seem to. As such, nuclear weapons are seen as more frightening InUniverse than they are in RealLife, which is the reason TheVerse [[AnthropicPrinciple exists in the first place]].

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault''[[note]]''Ace Combat X
: Joint Assault'' in Japan[[/note]][=**=]: ''Joint Assault'' deviates from the Strangereal world that every previous installment of the game has taken place in, instead taking place in [[RealLife real world locations such as Tokyo, London, and San Francisco. As Antares, a newcomer to Martinez Security, you fight the machinations of a powerful terrorist group across the world.

-> [-"[=*=]" denotes a game taken place in the [[FictionalEarth Strangereal]] universe.-]
-> [-"[=**=]" denotes a game set in the real world and/or running in its own continuity.-]

** ''VideoGame/AirCombat'' (''Ace Combat'' in Japan)[=*=]: A country is invaded by a terrorist group and, to minimize losses, an elite mercenary squadron has been hired to end the war. [[ReformulatedGame Meant to be a direct port of the above arcade game of same name, before being made into its own]].

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault''[[note]]''Ace Combat X
: Joint Assault'' in Japan[[/note]][=**=]: ''Joint Assault'' deviates from the Strangereal world that every previous installment of the game has taken place in, instead taking place in [[RealLife real world locations such as Tokyo, London, and San Francisco. As Antares, a newcomer to Martinez Security, you fight the machinations of a powerful terrorist group across the world.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar''[[note]]Simply ''Ace Combat: The Belkan War'' in the EU[[/note]][=*=]: In 1995, the Belkan Federation attempts a land grab. As mercenary pilot Galm One "Cipher" you fight to thwart their goals; however, the driving of the Belkans to peace talks is not the end of things.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault''[[note]]''Ace Combat X
: Joint Assault'' in Japan[[/note]][=**=]: ''Joint Assault'' deviates from the Strangereal world that every previous installment of the game has taken place in, instead taking place in [[RealLife real world locations such as Tokyo, London, and San Francisco. As Antares, a newcomer to Martinez Security, you fight the machinations of a powerful terrorist group across the world.

-> [-"[=**=]" denotes a game set in the real world and/or running in its own continuity.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault''[[note]]''Ace Combat X
: Joint Assault'' in Japan[[/note]][=**=]: ''Joint Assault'' deviates from the Strangereal world that every previous installment of the game has taken place in, instead taking place in [[RealLife real world locations such as Tokyo, London, and San Francisco. As Antares, a newcomer to Martinez Security, you fight the machinations of a powerful terrorist group across the world.

''Ace Combat'' is a series of arcade-style combat flight games, involving [[SimulationGame flight sim]] levels of graphical detail but without all the fiddly realistic controls; the play style is something between {{Shoot Em Up}}s and the ActionGame. Developed and published by Creator/{{Namco}} / Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment under the ''Project Aces'' production team, the games are semi-realistic, featuring real-life aircraft and such things as planes stalling if they slow down too much, but combined with aircraft that carry [[HyperspaceArsenal hundreds of missiles at once]] and [[BottomlessFuelTanks unlimited]] [[EasyLogistics fuel]]. Most of the games take place in a FictionalEarth named Strangereal, one similar to and yet very different from our own.

Part of ''Ace Combat'' 's appeal is that the games, starting from ''Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'', features real-life planes and experimental fighter jets, often working with well-known aerospace manufacturers such as [[https://www.lockheedmartin.com/ Lockheed Martin]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Aircraft Fairchild Aircraft]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Defense,_Space_%26_Security Boeing Defense, Space & Security]] and [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman Northrop Grumman]], among ''many'' others, to achieve the impressive amount of authenticity and realism seen with the planes of real-life military.

** ''Air Combat'': As an ace pilot codenamed Falcon 1, you are commissioned by the UN to carry out various intercept missions against a rogue state.
** ''Air Combat 22'': Hostile forces have launched an all-out attack, and as one of three pilots for the 19th Aerial Force (Aeries, Top Gunner, or the returning Falcon 1) it's up to you and your squad to push them back.
** ''Mach Storm'': Being the leader of Storm Squadron, you are assigned to stop the potential terrorist attacks unleashed in many parts of the real-world. Based off the ''Assault Horizon'' universe but with its own take.

** ''VideoGame/AirCombat'' (''Ace Combat'' in Japan) - A country is invaded by a terrorist group and, to minimize losses, an elite mercenary squadron has been hired to end the war. [[ReformulatedGame Meant to be a direct port of the above arcade game of same name, before being made into its own]].
** ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' - Rebels across the Usean continent take over multiple cities and bases and Special Tactical Fighter Squadron "Scarface" must defeat them.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' - In the 2040s, the world is ruled by [[MegaCorp corporations]] who fight over territorial disputes. The rumours of a new SuperPrototype threaten to upset the balance of power. Released outside of Japan as a [[invoked]]BadExportForYou, lacking StoryBranching, the cutscenes or anything that made the game iconic.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'' (''Distant Thunder'' in the European version) - In 2003, Erusea has invaded its neighbors and by 2004 controls all of Usea. As Mobius One, top ace of the Independent States Allied Forces, it's up to you to drive them back and take the fight to them.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' (''Squadron Leader'' in the EU) - In 2010, a series of mysterious recon activities leads to a war between the Union of Yuktobanian Republics and the Osean Federation. However, the real cause of the war is not as straightforward as it first appears. As "Blaze", your goal is to find out the true cause of the war and and stop it from spreading. Was it ''really'' the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, or was it some ''other'' faction acting behind the scenes?
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'' (without the ''Zero'' in the EU) - In 1995, the Belkan Federation attempts a land grab. As mercenary pilot Galm One "Cipher" you fight to thwart their goals; however, the driving of the Belkans to peace talks is not the end of things.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception'' - In 2020, the Democratic Republic of Leasath launches an attack on its southern neighbour, the Federal Republic of Aurelia, nearly overrunning the latter within ten days thanks to their airborne fortress Gleipnir. As Gryphus One, you lead Aurelia's survivors in taking back your nation.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'' - ''Joint Assault'' deviates from the Strangereal world that every previous installment of the game has taken place in, instead taking place in [[RealLife real world locations such as Tokyo, London, and San Francisco]]. As Antares, a newcomer to Martinez Security, you fight the machinations of a powerful terrorist group across the world.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatAdvance'' - In 2032, [[MegaCorp Corporations]] begin to dominate the world and [[OneNationUnderCopyright corpocracies]] now control as much of the world as independent democracies. One corporation, General Resource, creates the Air Strike Force to help take over the remaining independent countries and use them to gain more resources. As a pilot of the United Air Defense, you are the last hope for the remaining independent republics as you stop General Resource from taking over the world. [[invoked]][[NoExportForYou The first game in the series not to see a Japanese release.]]

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'' - In 2015, the Federal Republic of Estovakia, after coming out of years of Civil War, invades the neighboring Republic of Emmeria. Due to the use of high-tech weaponry and grizzled veterans, the Estovakians were able to take over the Emmerian Mainland and drive the Emmerian military to Vitoze. As Garuda One, you lead Emmeria's survivors in taking back your country.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' - In a departure from past games, ''Assault Horizon'' is set in the real world instead of Strangereal (hence why this game is not titled ''[=AC7=]''). You take on the role various pilots in the 108th Task Force, a mixed arms force made up of NATO and Russian personnel. The 108th's mission is to combat a growing rebel movement in Africa, aided by Russian mercenaries who possess a terrifying new superweapon codenamed "Trinity."

** ''Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion'' - In 2020, the Democratic Republic of Leasath launches an attack on its southern neighbour, the Federal Republic of Aurelia, nearly overrunning the latter within ten days thanks to their airborne fortress Gleipnir. You play as Falco One, [[HeroOfAnotherStory another Ace Squad who took part in the same war with Gryphus One]], in an attempt to liberate your country from Leasath's control.
** ''VideoGame/AceCombatNorthernWings'' - The player takes command of Grendel Squadron, a secret squadron created by the Kingdom of Nordennavic, a small, neutral nation on the Anean Continent, to [[MysteriousProtector covertly influence wars]] that may threaten their homeland. It is set across a seventeen year period during wars featured in ''04'', ''5'', and ''6''.

** ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy]]'' - Despite the name, ''Assault Horizon Legacy'' (called ''Ace Combat 3D: Cross Rumble'' in Japan) returns to Strangereal. It's a remake and retelling of ''Ace Combat 2'' adding elements from earlier games in the series, primarily ''Zero'', with you taking on the role of Phoenix (aka Scarface One). ''[=AC2=]''[='s=] wingmen Slash and Edge make a return, as does the enigmatic Z.O.E.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity'' - A downloadable title for the [=PS3=], with a higher focus on multiplayer. Set in the real world around the year of 2019, 20 years after an asteroid impact. [[MythologyGag Aircraft and several superweapons]] from the older ''Ace Combat'' games make appearances.

** ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' - Taking place in 2019, the Kingdom of Erusea declares war on the Osean Federation over a territory dispute after Osea constructed a SpaceElevator called the "Light House". You take on the role of Trigger, a convicted criminal, and are thrown into the 444th fighter squadron -- the Spare Squadron -- for atonement along with other convicts.

Part of ''Ace Combat'' 's appeal is that the games, starting from ''Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'', features real-life planes and experimental fighter jets, often working with aerospace manufacturers in the world such as [[https://www.lockheedmartin.com/ Lockheed Martin]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Aircraft Fairchild Aircraft]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Defense,_Space_%26_Security Boeing Defense, Space & Security]] and [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman Northrop Grumman]], among ''many'' others, to achieve the impressive amount of authenticity and realism seen with the planes of real-life military.

''Ace Combat'' is a series of arcade-style combat flight games, involving [[SimulationGame flight sim]] levels of graphical detail but without all the fiddly realistic controls; the play style is something between {{Shoot Em Up}}s and the ActionGame. Developed and published by Creator/{{Namco}} / Creator/BandaiNamcoGames under the ''Project Aces'' production team, the games are semi-realistic, featuring real-life aircraft and such things as planes stalling if they slow down too much, but combined with aircraft that carry [[HyperspaceArsenal hundreds of missiles at once]] and [[BottomlessFuelTanks unlimited]] [[EasyLogistics fuel]]. Most of the games take place in a FictionalEarth named Strangereal, one similar to and yet very different from our own.

Part of ''Ace Combat'' 's appeal is that the games, starting from ''Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'', features real-life planes and experimental fighter jets, often working with aerospace manufacturers in the world such as [[https://www.lockheedmartin.com/ Lockheed Martin]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Aircraft Fairchild Aircraft]], [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Defense,_Space_%26_Security Boeing Defense, Space & Security]] and [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman Northrop Grumman]], among ''many'' others, to achieve the amount of authenticity and realism seen with the planes of real-life military.