--------------------------------------------------
A c e C o m b a t 2
--------------------------------------------------
--- Mini-FAQ Version 0.3 (Jan. 23, 1998)
--- by Cecil-X
--- for the Sony PlayStation
"Ace Combat 2" is (c) Namco Ltd.
"PlayStation" is (c) Sony Entertainment of America.
All other copyrights and trademarks are also acknowledged.
This FAQ is for private and personal use only. It is not to be used for
profitable or promotional purposes. This FAQ is not to be altered in any way so
that the title, my name, copyright section, and this disclaimer is missing.
This FAQ is the property of me, Cecil-X. Please give credit where it is due.
UPDATES
=================================================
Version 0.3 (Jan. 23, 1998)
...I'm sure some of you may have gotten the wrong impression that I'm actually
saying things like: "E-Mail me or you will never see another update again!!"
That is absolutely ridunous, and completely untrue. First and foremost, I wrote
this FAQ for people who needed help with the game. If you have questions, it
will be my pleasure to help you. If you have any suggestions for my FAQ, I can
guarantee that you have my undivided attention. If you have any contributions,
(for example, I really need some help with "The Codes" section) then that is
even better!! I have no problem with putting your name and/or E-Mail address
under a "Thank You For Contributing" section. Any first-time players out there?
If you discover any mistakes I have made, or discover something new that I'm not
aware of, then I'm also in your debt. No matter what you say in your E-Mails, I
will always reply to it and thank YOU for taking the time to drop me a word.
...This update is for the 3 people who actually E-Mailed me. Yes, that's right,
only THREE. I may not sound like it, but I'm highly disappointed. (Is "Ace
Combat 2" really ranked as the #5 most requested FAQ for the PlayStation?!?)
The rest of you, if there are other people reading this FAQ, must be as busy as
I am...which is VERY busy. To be perfectly honest, I'm finding it hard to
continue writing if I have nothing in return to look forward to... Besides
helping 3 people (who probably don't really need my help anything), just what am
I doing this for? *SIGH*
Version 0.2 (Jan. 17, 1998)
...Nobody except two people have seen this FAQ, but already, version 0.1 is
gone. ^_^ Oh, well. Nothing had changed much except for the spacing of the
text (which caused some problems, and is the main reason for this update), the
moving & creation of a "spoiler" section, and the fixing of a few typing
mistakes. However, I will be waiting rather patiently for some encouragement to
come (via E-Mail) before I update my FAQ any further.
Version 0.1 (Jan. 11, 1998)
...Started working on this Mini-FAQ.
PART #1 -- INTRODUCTION
=================================================
First of all, welcome to my very first FAQ!!!!! Feel free to E-Mail me any
questions, suggestions, contributions, comments or corrections. (Please read
the "UPDATES" section -- "Version 0.3" first.) I plan to add in some more
information, but whether I will actually do that or not depends on you. After
all that time I spent writing this, if no one cares to take a couple of minutes
to E-Mail me, then I will assume this: that sadly, nobody is reading what I
wrote. Thus, I might as well say: "forget it." I won't bother with updating
this FAQ anymore, and it shall remain as a "Mini-FAQ" forever. Once again, you
can reach me at: But besides all that, I sincerely hope
that this FAQ will help you with the game.
Namco has done is again. "Ace Combat 2" blows its predecessor, "Air Combat",
out of the air. It is quite possibly THE best flight simulation game of 1997
for the PlayStation. I'm talking about the great music, 3D polygon graphics,
excellent control, story and style that, all in all, makes the game undeniably
fun. There are 30 missions in all, although you only need to accomplish less
than 21 of them to beat the game. However, the computer possess enough tricks
up its sleeve to make you sweat through it all. With hidden planes, hidden
missions, and hidden options, this is a game that's truly worth finishing
twice...
PART #2 -- THE MISSIONS
=================================================
All the missions have a "code name" that will used through out this FAQ.
Here's a list of all the missions:
Mission 1: Gambit
Mission 2: Easy Money
**Mission 3: City On Fire**
Mission 4-1: Tin Castle Mission 4-2: Opera House
**Mission 5: Greased Lightning**
Mission 6-1: Midnight Assassin Mission 6-2: Bear Tracks
**Mission 7: Sledgehammer**
Mission 8-1: Rising High Mission 8-2: Cuckoo's Nest
Mission 9: Swordsmith
Mission 10: Toy Box
Mission 11: Seagull
Mission 12: One Night Stand
Mission 13: Power Play
>>>BRANCHING POINT<<<
(Pick to play the missions in Operation "A", or in Operation "B")
[OPERATION "A"LPHAVILLE]
Mission 14: El Dorado
**Mission 15: St. Elmo's Fire**
Mission 16-1: Visiting Hours Mission 16-2: Juggernaut
Mission 17: Sentinel
[OPERATION "B"ELLISIMA]
Mission 14: Dark Star
**Mission 15: Dead End**
Mission 16-1: Calvary Mission 16-2: Electric Dreams
Mission 17: Final Countdown
>>>END OF BRANCHING POINT<<<
Mission 18: Jewel Box
**Mission 19: Kingpin**
**Mission 20: Last Resort**
Mission 21: Fighter's Honor
NOTES: Hidden missions appears after you satisfied certain conditions. The
missions that are important to the flow of the game are marked with two
asterisks around them. For the maximum enjoyment, do NOT read the section
below!!
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
1) Destroying the two transport ships in Mission 3 will gain you the chance to
play the hidden Mission 4-2: Opera House.
2) Destroying the enemy transport plane (the C-5) in Mission 5 will gain you
the chance to play the hidden Mission 6-2: Bear Tracks.
3) Destroying the two transport ships in Mission 7 will gain you the chance to
play the hidden Mission 8-2: Cuckoo's Nest.
4) [OPERATION "A" ONLY] After you have successfully defended all three allied
ships (2 battleships and 1 aircraft carrier) in Mission 15, you will get the
chance to play the hidden Mission 16-2: Juggernaut.
5) [OPERATION "B" ONLY] After you destroy the two stealth bombers (B-2) that
are on the ground of the base in Mission 15, you will get the chance to play the
hidden Mission 16-2: Electric Dreams.
6) In Mission 19, you will be able to see the "Normal Ending" if you did NOT
shoot down the skilled enemy pilot Z.O.E.
7) Mission 20: Last Resort is only available after you shoot down the Z.O.E. in
Mission 19. In this mission, you will be able to see the "Bad Ending" if you
did NOT shoot down the cruise missile.
8) Mission 21: Fighter's Honor is only available after you shoot down the
cruise missile in Mission 20. In this mission, simply destroy the enemy base to
see the "Bonus Ending".
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
PART #3 -- HOW SHOULD I TACKLE THE GAME?
=================================================
This part is also a bit of a spoiler...yet, if I say that, then I might as well
call this whole FAQ a spoiler!! OK, OK, enough about that. Here's what I
recommend first-time players to do. Put in a memory card, and go into the
Options menu. Center the screen, and get use to the functions of the buttons on
your PlayStation pad. (I recommend keeping the "Caption" ON, "Advice" ON,
"Target View" to PER MISSION, and using the "Novice Key Mode".) Now, start a
new game under "Normal" difficulty. (Yes, forget about playing this great game
on "Easy". The "Normal" mode it's not THAT hard, and if first you don't
succeed, try, try again!!) Play through the game without regard for hidden
missions (congratulate yourself if you find them, even though that's not hard),
your rank, and money. (Do NOT use this FAQ...if possible.) Just have fun!!
*****HOWEVER...be 100% sure that you HAVE shot down ALL of the planes marked as
'DANGER' on the Briefing Screen. It doesn't matter which mission you pick the
first time you play, but if those skilled enemy pilots are in the Briefing
Screen, find them, and blow them out of the sky!! (You will get a cool medal on
the Debriefing Screen afterwards. Then the medal will be a part of your
collection in the Statistics Screen!)
*****ALSO...do try to shoot down some enemy planes, blow up some anti-aircraft
machines guns, and missile launchers...although they are only secondary targets.
(Doing so will almost guarantee the appearance of the "New Aircraft Available"
sign on the Debriefing Screen; provided that there IS a new plane for the
completion of that particular mission. Plus, those guys will constantly open
fire at your unprotected rear end...making them both annoying and dangerous to
your health.)
*****AND...make sure you either see the Normal Ending, or the Bonus Ending.
(Don't give in to the computer if you only saw the Bad Ending!!!)
OK...? So you have beaten the game once, right? (Save the ending data.) On the
Title Screen, if you were to select "Start Game"...then to select "NEW
GAME"...you should see that after selecting "DIFFICULTY", a new option called
"AIRCRAFT" will appear!! You can pick from "NORMAL" (where you get to buy and
use planes like the F-14, Su-35, F/A-18E), or the new option "EXTRA", which
enables new planes (like the MiG-31, F-15S, EF-2000, and the [insanely
powerful!!] XFA-27) to be given out at the end of certain missions. I strongly
suggest that you DO play the game again, this time with the difficulty on
"HARD", and using this "EXTRA" Aircraft Mode. Now...EVERYTHING you do matters!!
Here's some goals you should set for yourself. If you accomplish some of them,
some cool options will become available in the Options Screen! (Refer to PART
#4 for more details.)
1) Complete the game with a rank higher than First Lieutenant.
How to do this?!? Simple...for me to tell you, that is. [A] Destroy
as much of the enemy forces as you can. (All the white icons, both ground &
air, that appears on your radar. Often, enemy planes are easy to miss. I
suggest that you mark down the ones listed in the Briefing Screen, and keep a
record of WHAT you have shot down.) [B] Complete the mission as fast as
possible. (This, however, is not as important as destroying the enemy. Just
keep your fingers on the accelerate and decelerate buttons!) [C] I'm not sure
about this one, but a successful landing (after certain missions), probably WILL
help increase your rank. It's probably just my gut feeling, but ranks SEEMS to
raise faster on the Hard difficulty level.
2) Complete your collection of medals. (By finding and picking the missions
you didn't play. For example, if you picked OPERATION "A" the first time you
played the game, pick OPERATION "B" the second time. Find these skilled enemy
pilots and shoot them down!!)
You might as well play the last few missions a couple of times just to see the
other two endings you might have missed. Even the "Bad" Ending is quite well
made (in terms of cool graphics), and definitely worth watching!! Enjoy both
the music and the game a second time, and remember to have fun!!
PART #4 -- YOUR OBJECTIVES
=================================================
Here, the missions will be analyzed in detail. (And yes, it is not completed
yet.)
MISSION 1 - GAMBIT
There are no skilled enemy pilots here. Basically, this is a beginner's
mission: no anti-aircraft fire, and very little chance that you will be hit at
all by your air-borne enemies. (Gun fire and missiles) Simply get used to the
controls, and the fact that you can only fire 2 missiles in succession. (You
will have to wait for them to hit or miss their targets before your missiles are
"reloaded".)
The 'KF-C7' plane will be available after you finish this mission. If you
are playing the game using the "Extra Aircraft Mode", however, you will get the
'X-29' plane instead.
**HINT: Although you may lock on to the enemy when you are 1000 meters or so
away, your chances of hitting the enemy increases as you fly even closer. I
will stop here. Discover just what distance is the best, on your own!!
MISSION 2 - EASY MONEY
PROCESSING..
**HINT: If you have no idea where you targets are, simply press the Square
button to trigger the "Ground Map Display". (It is also a good idea to pause
the game first.)
MISSION 3 - CITY ON FIRE
PROCESSING..
---------------------------------------------------------------
MISSION 21 - FIGHTER'S HONOR
A possible spoiler here, so I will pick my words carefully. In case you are
stuck here (I once was), here's a quick tip... After seeing the "Clear To
Engage" message, follow the arrow (the arrow appears in Easy and Normal
difficulty modes only) and fly at a low attitude. Study the, hmmmm... 'enemy
structure' closely and you will notice a section that looks like a black
rectangle. You should be able to figure out the rest. If not, you are welcomed
to E-Mail me!!
**...MORE IN NEXT UPDATE...IF THERE _is_ A NEXT UPDATE...**
PART #5 -- THE CODES
=================================================
EXTRA AIRCRAFT MODE (after the "Start Game" option & "NEW GAME")
Allows some new (but some are the enemy's) aircraft, like the XFA-27, F-
15S, TND-F3, MiG-31, to be available for sale after finishing certain missions.
Simply finish the game and seeing the Normal or Bonus Ending.
FREE MISSION MODE (after the "Start Game" option on the Title Screen)
Play any mission you have found any time you want. Simply finish the game
using the "EXTRA" aircraft option, and seeing the Normal or Bonus Ending.
MUSIC PLAYER (appears inside the Options Screen)
Complete the game with a rank higher than First Lieutenant.
VIEW ALL AIRCRAFT (appears inside the Options Screen)
Complete your collection of medals. (Simply shoot down skilled enemy
pilots, and you will be rewarded with a medal on your Statistics Screen.) If
you manage this, then you can see ALL the planes you have encountered (yours &
the enemy's) in 3D!!
LOCK REPLAY VIEW
Hold the Square button during a replay to lock the camera.
ALTERNATE MISSION MAP
Highlight the "Mission" option on the Mission Selection Screen. Press
SELECT. You can now see the map from 3 angles.
DISPLAY REAR VIEW OF THE SONY ANALOG CONTROLLER
Press SELECT at the Control Configuration Screen.
**IMPORTANT!!**
***Completing the game with a rank of General... Does this give you anything?
Can anyone help me on this?!?!?!? Also, I think there are some Game Shark (c)
codes out there... Anyone care to send me some???***
PART #6 -- THINGS YOU CAN PERSUADE ME TO ADD IN
=================================================
Come on people, E-Mail me!! You can't expect me to believe that I only have
THREE readers in a place as big as the WWW. Is this FAQ really that bad?!? Is
all this work done in vain...useful to only three people?!? As long as there
are SEVERAL people (10+ readers, at the very least!!) out there who appreciate
my work, I'm willing to do my best to make this "Ace Combat 2 Mini-FAQ" the best
one there is. (And perhaps even take out that "Mini" part, if this FAQ ever
grows big enough.)
THINGS YOU CAN PERSUADE ME TO ADD IN:
- A list of all the ranks. (I need help for this one!! Any first-time
players???)
- A list of all the planes you can get. (And where to get them.)
- Detailed descriptions of each mission. (Such as what enemies are in them.)
- Hints on difficult missions. (Like the last one...)
- Tips as to how to become a better pilot. (Dog-fighting, missile usage, etc.)
"...That is all." (c) 1998 Cecil-X, of
