User:AWACS SkyEye
«AWACS here. Callsign SkyEye. Do you read?»
Introduction
Hello, fellow Ace Combat fans! It's great to finally be a part of the online fan community! The Ace Combat series has held a special place in my heart ever since Ace Combat 04, which was the first title I owned for Playstation 2.
As an admittedly casual gamer, I'd never before experienced such amazing storytelling and emotional attachment to the characters as I did with this game: I teared up seeing Yellow 4's handkerchief floating down from the sky following Yellow 13's demise. Never had I mourned the death of a "boss" as much as I did Yellow 13, and to this day, Shattered Skies still holds up as one of my favorite video games of all time.
For every birthday and Christmas thereafter, the latest Ace Combat title was always on my wishlist. Ace Combat 5 continued my love affair with Bandai Namco's storytelling, and Ace Combat Zero exceeded my expectations yet again.
When Ace Combat 6 was released as an Xbox-exclusive title, I bought an Xbox 360 simply to play it. And finally, Ace Combat Infinity (despite its pay-to-play status) satiated my need for more flight simulator adventures, may it rest in peace. Now as I await Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown's forthcoming release, I can barely contain my excitement!
As an unabashed nerd, I've always enjoyed reading backstories and world-expanding tidbits about my favorite pop culture series (predominantly Star Wars). Reading through Acepedia's articles has proven quite entertaining. I hope to contribute to the Acepedia community and, like many of you, share my love of Ace Combat with the world. Let's make this the best fan Wikia on the web!
Thoughts on Ace Combat's Aces
It's hard to choose which of the Ace Combat aces is my personal favorite. Each one is responsible for destroying several superweapons and accomplished tremendous feats on the battlefield.
Galm 1 ("Cipher" / "Demon Lord of the Round Table")
As leader of Galm Team, Cipher was responsible for turning the tide of the Belkan War in the Allies' favor. His dogfighting abilities alone struck fear into the hearts of Belka's pilots; however, I felt the Demon Lord's legend inflated him into an almost godlike figure, which detracted from the humanity of Cipher's character. Considering how feared Cipher's presence becomes, I've always felt that players should adhere to the Mercenary tract and earn that reputation by portraying Cipher as a merciless hunter without honor or pity.
Sure, he was also responsible for the destruction of Excalibur, the XB-0 Hresvelgr, and the Avalon Dam Facility, but let's face it: Excalibur (as awesome a weapon as any massive laser cannon can be) was a weaker version of Stonehenge; the XB-0 was a baby compared to the Aigaion command cruiser; and the Avalon Dam was a less intimidating Megalith. (But that isn't to say I didn't love confronting any of them!)
Considering the number of ace pilots and elite squadrons Cipher bagged during the war, however, I can say that Galm 1 definitely earns the title of "Dogfigher Ace" from the Ace Combat series.
Wardog / Razgriz 1 ("Blaze")
It's difficult for me to evaluate Blaze in my Aces ranking because, unlike Mobius 1 or Cipher, he always had the support of his fellow Wardog/Razgriz pilots. Again, unlike Mobius 1 and Cipher, credit for destroying the Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi submersibles, the Arkbird, and the SOLG cannot solely go to Blaze; I considered every victory a joint effort, despite your wingmen's A.I. limitations.
As a leader though, I believe Blaze is unmatched: Blaze stepped up and assumed the mantel of flight lead following Bartlett's disappearance, and saw his wingmen through fighting in the Circum-Pacific War, being branded and hunted as traitors, rescuing the Osean president, and saving Oured from total annihilation. Although Chopper was lost under his command, it was a result of Chopper's sacrifice and not Blaze's negligence.
Because of all this, I give Blaze the "Flight Leader Ace" title for not only his leadership qualities, but also the loyalty and confidence he inspired in his fellow pilots.
Mobius 1 ("The Ribbon" / "The Grim Reaper")
In my opinion, Mobius 1 is the Ace of Aces. First, Mobius 1 has a certain mystique surrounding him unlike Blaze or Cipher: he has no other callsigns and is the only member of the ISAF's 118th Tactical Fighter Wing at the onset of the Continental War. Whether that was due to his piloting skills or the ISAF's shortage of pilots is only speculation; however, we do know that the actions of Mobius 1 single-handedly turned the tide of the war in the ISAF's favor, and caused the destruction of the Stonehenge Turret Network and Megalith facilities. Although Mobius 1 did not destroy as many superweapons as Blaze and Cipher, we must consider the fact that Mobius 1 often took on these weapons alone and survived.
Another aspect of Mobius 1, which I love, is the confidence and morale boost he was to the ISAF forces. Cipher and Blaze are treated as nearly supernatural entities (i.e. "Demon Lord", "Ghosts of Razgriz") by their adversaries; Mobius 1 is portrayed as a mortal man, performing extraordinary feats of skill and bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. Add in his spectacular defeat of Yellow 13 and the rest of Yellow Squadron, and it's easy to see why Mobius 1 possesses the "mission execution capability ... of an entire ISAF squadron".
Mobius 1 is unparalleled in terms of his skills, bravery, and combat efficiency. Therefore, I can confidently say that Mobius 1 earns the "Ace of Aces" title and is arguably the greatest pilot of the Ace Combat series.
Acepedia Writing, Formatting, and Style Guidelines
Revision goals by conflict
My goal is to edit and revise the pages associated with these topics, which correspond to the Ace Combat titles I'm most familiar with.
- Completed: Continental War
- Current: Circum-Pacific War
- Current: Belkan War
- Future: Emmeria-Estovakia War
Who knows—Infinity may join that list one day, too. But considering the amount of work the other topics alone are going to require, I think I'll have enough proofreading to keep me occupied for quite some time.
UPDATE: So what began as revisions to only Circum-Pacific War topics has evolved into both the "Belkan Conflict" as well as the Belkan War. I'm also sporadically adding articles to fix broken links and expand our wiki.