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Lovers of flight and aerial combat did not have a lot of satisfaction for the time of 3DS. Of course, Star Fox 64 3D is not a title any (even if it is the remake) and Pilotwings Resort is only admire the landscape without dogfight missiles and a half, but for lovers of action and crazy wings of speed between the clouds offer the Nintendo has so far been disappointing. This could be remedied Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy, the first title in the saga of Project Aces 3D and the third in a portable version valid after the two leaders for PSP -2006 and of 2010 .

For the landing of Japanese 3DS team opted for a much more simplified and traditional views with respect to the news recently in Ace Combat Assault Horizon for Xbox 360 and PlayStation, which are reproduced practically only the title and some gameplay. Here then is a return to a geo-political background dummy, after the attempt "realistic" on HD consoles, and the lack of helicopters and bombers, eliminated altogether in favor of the classic fighter aircraft that have made ​​the fortune of the series. Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy offers a classic single-player campaign, although in the course of twenty missions will unlock two additional modes (Free and Challenge), the lack of any multiplayer component makes itself felt in terms of longevity and fun, especially after the excellent Ace Combat Joint Assault on the PSP had sparks clashes thanks to eight players online.

Fortunately unlockable items during the campaign are many, including aircraft, upgrades, weapons and various gadgets, and so the replayability factor is not entirely absent (indeed, the completists will have a lot of satisfaction), but normal level we have completed all missions in about six hours, only to find that the higher level of difficulty is unlocked after finishing their campaign. In short, do not expect frenzied days of play. But longevity is not everything and if nothing else, the brevity of most missions in the tradition of the series is more in line with the portable nature of the game, so it does not force you to sessions even half an hour later as in the past only to complete a single mission. Compared to the HD console big brother, Ace Combat Assault Horizon Legacy, however, sees less attention to plot and characters, with a little cured scene, barely sketched characters and a narrative chain between the various missions uninteresting.

But how does the game, once you got your hands on 3DS? Essentially, as the two previous titles for PSP, which is very fluid and comfortable with the controls and gameplay almost immediately, as in the tradition of arcade series. Check the hunt is really a matter of minutes, the two back buttons to accelerate and decelerate, the analog stick to move the plane, the directional pad to change the type of missiles, the X button to select another target and little else. Y, for example, can activate a mode very similar to Ace Combat Assault Horizon, to put in the queue to the enemy and hit him with more ease, while dodging the missiles we have to resort to a kind of Quick Time Event and moving the stick increasingly pressing Y when we see an appropriate message on the display. The variations are many, in fact, another limitation of the game lies in its repetition and simplification (sometimes excessive) of the dogfight, because of a machine gun with unlimited ammo, a disproportionate number of missiles available and the aforementioned tracking system close is difficult to die, at least excluding the five / six final missions. Yet, even adding a little strong sense of speed (not to be underestimated for long time fans of the series), the gameplay captivates from the start and still managed to keep vigilant despite all the limitations just mentioned.

Even graphically you could do better, but we are still faced with a decent title. The aircraft models have a discrete detail (too bad it only quell'aliasing intrusive) and the ground is modeled with some care, although decreasing in altitude you can see very far from flawless texture. The 3D effect is not the most marked, leaving us even a little 'disappointed depth and pop-out. On the other hand, with a neutral background like the blue sky, the contrast between the two plans is lacking almost entirely, although with canyons and mountains in the background enhances the effect. The advice is to play with the view inside the plane or the one in first person. In these cases, the front cockpit and HUD provide a more three-dimensional detachment, but overall do not expect anything of that: on this side of Star Fox 64 3D showed the most valuable things. Final note for the music, always an unmistakable trademark of the series and also here in large quantity (and quality), then if my memory does not deceive us, we recognized some of the themes taken from Ace Combat 2 and Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation but even without these recoveries the soundtrack will not disappoint fans old and new series.