History VideoGame / AceCombat5TheUnsungWar

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: The "Blind Spot" mission had a pivotal plot point in which Wardog squadron is accused of attacking a civilian university in the combat area, which obviously you don't do (you're assigned to attack air targets only). However, due to jamming, the picture is unclear and Wardog ends up taking the blame due to being the only (official) unit in the area. The problem is that planes are equipped with gunsight cameras to confirm kills. A review of those cameras, or even just the mission recording of inertial positioning, or any of a number of other backup systems, would have proven Wardog innocent.
** In that case, gunsight camera footage could have been conceivably used to [[spoiler: catch Pops and Wardog ejecting from their stolen training jets before Swordsman shot down their planes at the end of Final Option (instead of just tracking the "kills" via radar), since they were then believed to be traitors by their commanders.]]
* ArtisticLicensePhysics: During the final mission, [[spoiler: The SOLG, a massive nuclear equipped satellite, is sent on a collision course with the Osean capital of Oured]]. Razgriz destroys it, which somehow causes it to vaporize in midair with no damage done to anything, rather then continuing along it's previous trajectory as a big radioactive, flaming mass as one would more reasonably expect for something like that.

** The final opponents of ''Operation Katina'' are a flight of X-02 Wyverns functioning as [=UCAVs=]. [=ISAF=] Command specifically thanks Mobius One for helping recover data on them.

** InUniverse. The FALKEN's description says it's a prototype plane the Belkans are engineering. You are given a message saying that special plane parts have been located when you discover them in the game, basically lampshading that you are unlocking an InfinityPlusOneSword. However, the FALKEN itself is never encountered or mentioned anywhere in the story.

** Almost completely, even. The translated game keep the Japanese voice tracks and providing option for English sub in the process.

* CallingYourAttacks: A bit of hindsight humor; Whenever [[MissionControl Thunderhead]] activates Electronic Counter-Counter-Measures to overcome enemy jamming, he shouts, ''"ECCM! RESTORE COMMUNICATION LINK!"'' It's not hard to imagine him saying that while hammily mashing a BigRedButton.

* ClownCarBase: Mission "ACES" is the worst offender. You can choose between every plane you own. Since there are 53 playable aircraft and of each you can have a full squadron of 4, it means that the Kestrel can carry up to ''212 planes!'' (Real-world Nimitz class carriers hold a maximum of 90 planes, less than ''half'' of that). Considering the franchise's HyperspaceArsenal, [[HilariousinHindsight sure why not?]]

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Done for dramatic effect - many of the levels in the pre-Razgriz section of the game deliberately mirror prominent levels from ''Ace Combat 04'' before it - such as the amphibious landing taking place during a rainy night just like 04's Operation Bunker Shot, or the great battle in the desert on the way to the enemy capital just like 04's Whiskey Corridor. This is done so [[spoiler:the player's squadron leaving Osean service at the same point in the game ''04'' ended]] is more of an unexpected twist.

In 2019, ''Ace Combat 5'' was [[https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/434415-ace-combat-5-ps4-pre-order-bonus-is-not-a-remaster-says-bandai-namco ported to (but not remastered for)]] the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, ''exclusively'' as a pre-order bonus with the release of ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' (UsefulNotes/XboxOne preorders instead came bundled with ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation''). There are currently no plans to release the game separately.

* ShooOutTheClowns: Of the four original members of Wardog Squadron, it's [[spoilder:comic relief Chopper]] who dies when the story takes a darker turn.

* BadassBoast: For Project Aces, "Nothing Else Comes Close" seen when the game first loads and just before the lengthy post Fortress cut scene (instead of something about Razgriz.) Given how highly regarded the game is by fans it's pretty prophetic.
%%* BattleshipRaid: The two ''Scinfaxi''-class submarines (''Scinfaxi'' and ''Hrimfaxi'').

In 2019, ''Ace Combat 5'' was [[https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/434415-ace-combat-5-ps4-pre-order-bonus-is-not-a-remaster-says-bandai-namco ported to (but not remastered for)]] the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, ''exclusively'' as a pre-order bonus with the release of ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' (UsefulNotes/XboxOne preorders instead came bundled with ''VideoGame/AceCombat6''). There are currently no plans to release the game separately.

* ABirthdayNotABreak: Wonderfully averted as Grimm's birthday is a week [[spoiler:after the final mission]]. Better yet, he'll finally see (''he'', not ''you'') his mother and brother after a long time.

** After the conclusion of Mission 05, Wardog Squadron, low on fuel, lands at Hierlark Air Force Base in North Osea, and Nagase muses on the fact that despite the territory being called "North Osea", many of the locals still feel nationalism towards Belka and thusly prefer to call the territory "South Belka". [[spoiler: As it turns out, an arms company called "North Osea Grunder Industries" based out of the titular territory is part of the Grey Men plot, and directly contributed resources towards their conspiracy. The penultimate mission of the game is set over and in one of their main facilities where the remaining warmongering splinter factions have gathered.]]

** The ending cutscene in Mission 05, in which the squadron, low on fuel, lands at Hierlark Air Force Base in North Osea, is narrated by Nagase, who muses on the fact that despite the territory being called "North Osea", many of the locals still feel nationalism towards Belka and thusly prefer to call the territory "South Belka". [[spoiler: As it turns out, an arms company called "North Osea Grunder Industries" based out of the titular territory is part of the Grey Men plot, and directly contributed resources towards their conspiracy. The penultimate mission of the game is set over and in one of their main facilities where the remaining warmongering splinter factions have gathered.]]

** There's also ''Sea of Chaos'' where this haunting song plays throughout. One may be confused until it's revealed Anderson played the song across all radio frequencies to evoke precisely this reaction.

** An early mission sees Wardog Squadron escorting a government plane on its way to North Point, an Usean country that was both the final level in ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' and the allied HQ in ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies''.

* CreatorProvincialism: In the same manner as ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere'' - the American and PAL releases feature the exact same boxart, ''except'' for the Spanish and French versions, which replace the F-14 Tomcat on the cover with, respectively, a Eurofighter Typhoon and a Dassault Rafale.

* DelayingAction: Mission 17 is a Type 2 (Hold them off until the cavalry arrives).

* AluminiumChristmasTrees:
** Some players thought that the Su-32 having a toilet and a kitchen in it was a joke. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su-32#Design Well...]]
** [[MilitaryMashUpMachine Submarine aircraft carriers]] have actually been developed as far back as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxyk84t4Q8w WW2]], though none have seen widespread service or been as powerful, or as massive in scale, as the Scinfaxi and Hrímfaxi.

** In the mission 'Chain Reaction', one of the civilian aircraft parked inside Apito International Airport is from the [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies 'Air Erusea']] airline, notable by its orange rose emblem on the vertical stabilizer. A couple of planes with the designated 'AER' are asking permission to land at the airport. There are also planes from the 'Air Ixiom' airline (the airline that the ''other'' Kei Nagase was working in as a co-pilot in AC04) waiting to land as well.

* RealSongThemeTune: One of the in game tracks as well as the trailer includes ''Blurry'' by Puddle of Mudd, which is about cowardice and abandonment. [[DeclarationOfProtection Somehow these themes don't quite fit.]]

Four years prior, in [[GaidenGame another story]], it has been one year since the end of the [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies Second Usean Continental War]] and the hostilities have more or less been stopped. However, ''yet another'' group of rogue Erusian officers have vowed to keep fighting the "good" fight. Calling themselves "Free Erusea", they have raided an abandoned factory from the war and seized a rather large arsenal of weapons. To defeat them, the Independent State Allied Forces initiate ''Operation Katina'' -- complete and total pacification of all enemy forces. To this end, they deploy the hero of the war, [[TheDreaded Mobius One]], to get the job done, with a little help, of course, from AWACS Sky Eye.

** [[MilitaryMashUpMachine Submarine aircraft carriers]] have actually been developed as far back as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxyk84t4Q8w WW2]], though none have seen widespread service or been as powerful, or as massive, as the Scinfaxi and Hrímfaxi.

** Submarine aircraft carriers have actually been developed as far back as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxyk84t4Q8w WW2]], though none have seen widespread service or been as powerful, or as massive, as the Scinfaxi and Hrímfaxi.

** Submarine aircraft carriers have actually seen development as far back as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxyk84t4Q8w WW2]], though none have seen widespread service or been as powerful as the Scinfaxi and Hrímfaxi.

** Submarine aircraft carriers have actually seen development as far back as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxyk84t4Q8w WW2]], though none have seen widespread service or been as powerful as the Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: Some players thought that the Su-32 having a toilet and a kitchen in it was a joke. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su-32#Design Well...]]

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkCMVsGy8Kk "White Bird (Part II)" plays when you're forced to shoot down the ''Arkbird'', which has been sabotaged by the Grey Men.

* SadBattleMusic: In mission 17, after [[spoiler:Chopper crashes]], the previous aggressive music abruptly stops and for a minute or so, there is no music at all. Then, just as new waves of enemies arrive, a SimpleScoreOfSadness by the name of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35y6kw7L7Ms "Into The Dusk"]] picks up and plays until the end of the mission. It's made even worse by your remaining wingmen sobbing quietly on the radio.

** InUniverse: a major part of the backstory is that Belka detonated seven nuclear warheads on their own territory (in ''Zero'', [[spoiler: you get to witness it firsthand]]). That was pretty much the point where everybody realized just how savage the Belkan War had become, and a cease fire was negotiated shortly afterward. The fact that Strangereal doesn't seem to have nuclear proliferation makes it even worse; nukes are very exotic and far more terrifying than they are to us in the real world.
** If you didn't hate the fanatical Grey Men before the mission "White Bird Part II," you definitely will when [[spoiler:the hijackers, with their plan to use the stolen ''Arkbird'' to provoke another escalation of the war foiled, instead decide to just steer the ''Arkbird'' towards the closest landmass and ''detonate their entire nuclear payload'' to take as many innocent lives along with them as they can. It makes that final ''"[[DyingCurse Damn you, Razgriz]]"'' once you foil that plan too so much more satisfying.]]

* ContrivedCoincidence: As pointed out by [=SlyCooperFan1=] in his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVY_GoHKVbM "Everything Wrong with Ace Combat 5 in 30 Minutes or Less"]] (a ''WebVideo/CinemaSins'' parody video), three out of [[spoiler:five]] ace pilots (Blaze, Chopper and [[spoiler:Grimm]]) are all conveniently on the ground the day a large group of Bartlett's nuggets are sneak-attacked and wiped out during training.