Okay students, settle down. Today we are going to be looking at video game marketing, namely the marketing that appears on box art. Our focus item is the cover of the recently released Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, the seventh entry in this particular series. Our aim in this case study is to test how true the statements on the rear of the cover actually are. We will also be determining if these claims, supposing they are true, are beneficial to the game or simply a superfluous add on used in an attempt to increase sales.

Statement 1: Story by NY times Best-Selling Military author Jim DeFelice

This comment is without a doubt true, but in the end it means very little. What we find is the story department’s effort within this game is minimal at best. Tired Russian vs American clichés that haven’t been seen since the cold war are trotted out in an attempt to create a plot that the player will actually care about. As we can see, the writers have failed miserably. This is not helped by some abysmal voice acting and poorly inserted cut scenes. This of course forces us to give the statement a mark of “True but not a selling point”.

Statement 2: New Aircraft – fighters, helicopters, bombers, gunships and more!

Well it seems the marketing guys got this statement correct. There is a large variety of aircraft to take charge of. Along with the many different types of fighter jets, there are missions that force the player into an Apache attack chopper, an AC 130 gunship and a nice selection of stealth bombers. These aircraft are all fun to fly and encourage the player to experiment with each of their individual abilities. Handling the different aircraft, while unique, is easy to do and engaging in firefights is, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the game. The statement mark is therefore “True and a selling point.”

Statement 3: Take to the Skies Online – co-op play, 16 player multiplayer, aircraft customisation and more.

Perhaps this statement should have read “Take to the Skies Online with great difficulty” as that is what faces any prospective player when attempting to connect. Waiting for a match, whether due to a lack of players or poor net code, is a trying task taking up to 15 minutes. Once the player is in the game they are greeted by excessive lag, poor matchmaking and some horribly implemented game types. Players get a chance to compete in some basic match types seen in countless other online games such as Deathmatch and Domination. As there is no real way to add variety to the maps (sky is sky, after all) adversarial multiplayer loses its appeal quickly. Co-op fairs a little better assuming you can get a stable and lag free connection with which to play. Missions unlocked in single player can be replayed in co-op and this can be entertaining, especially if the other player is of equal skill and has a headset. Overall, though, once again we are forced to give the statement a grade of “True, but not a selling point”.

Statement 4: New Close-Range Assault System – delivers epic in-your-face combat.

A game based around dogfighting needs to get combat right and fortunately Ace Combat does just that. The new close range system the marketers refer to is activated by simply pressing both shoulder buttons when in range of an enemy. This allows the game to take over flying the plane and the player to concentrate on lining up the crosshairs on the enemy’s tail, enabling a missile lock-on. This system is almost essential for all but the most basic of enemies and it really adds some excitement to the game. Trailing the enemy while he dodges through ravines and skyscrapers while trying to fill his plane with lead from your machine guns is an exhilarating experience and it is without a doubt the game’s largest strength. Statement mark is “True and a major selling point”

So class, we have examined what the marketers have said on the back of the cover. Now we will briefly look at things that they didn’t say and perhaps should have. Firstly is the audio. Apart from the previously mentioned voice acting, it is excellent, especially with a surround sound set up. The game truly comes alive in 5.1 with planes, missiles and machinegun fire all whistling past your ears at a great rate. The plane design is also a massive positive for the game, and each aircraft seems to have been lovingly recreated. The planes are by far the outstanding component in an otherwise average graphical effort.

Now we have reached the end of our case study and what conclusions have we come to? Firstly the game is at its best when you are dogfighting multiple enemies in a large scale battle. The game is at its worst when the player is forced to watch poorly implemented cut scenes with atrocious voice acting. We can therefore safely say that the marketing team should have focused on the combat, aircraft and sound design and perhaps forgotten about the story and online component all together. In all, it’s a solid experience but not the one promised on the back of the box. Next week we will focus on the use of “slow walking” and “elevator rides” to hide loading screens, so makes sure you study and don’t forget to bring your copy of Mass Effect. Thank you class and see you next lesson.