The Let's Play Archive

Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies

by nine-gear crow

Part 4: Mission 4 – Operation Hunting Hawk, November 7th, 2004

Blockade

Mission 4: Operation Hunting Hawk – November 7th, 2004


Overview: With the Erusean Aegir Fleet massing at Comberth Harbour in preparation for a naval invasion of North Point, ISAF deploys Mobius 1 to disrupt the Erusean air supply corridor into Comberth in order to delay the fleet's deployment.



Guest Commentator: I am joined once again by Skippy Granola for this video. Shattered Skies was also Skippy's first Ace Combat game, as it was for many people when they first experienced the series, I would imagine. So it holds as special a place in his heart as it does in mine.






I AIN'T GOT SHIT FOR YOU PEOPLE SUCK MY DIIIIIIIIIII—

While both Comberth Harbor and the Aegir Fleet get namedropped in this mission, it's kind of pointless to talk about them here, seeing as how they'll be much more relevant in a rather short while. This is also the part of the game where things level off somewhat briefly in terms of overt lore. Don't worry, we'll be back in full swing with our next update.

All told, Blockade is actually the last of the disguised tutorial mission of Ace Combat 04. Sitting Duck teaches you the basics of 04's engine, Imminent Threat teaches you air to ground combat, The Northern Eye rams the Return Line down your throat, and Blockade teaches you direct air to air combat. Lifeline, coming up next, is going to be our first "normal" mission in 04.

Beyond that the only other thing to talk about for this mission is the track that plays over it, which is also called "Blockade". As a mission track goes, this is hands down my favorite track for an Ace Combat mission, which is saying something because these games have a lot of good music. It's not my favorite AC song over all, that honor goes to "Zero," which will never be surmounted, even if Ace Combat 7's soundtrack features a track where Keiki Kobayashi physically emerges from my television and hands me $1,000 just for listening to it. Others in the thread have pointed it out, but the track was "remixed" in that "I'm not sure you understand what the term 'remix' is there, guys" style, in the track "First Flight" from the Ace Combat 5 soundtrack. I'll be sure to mention it when we get to First Flight itself in 5.

Personally, I always felt that "Rendezvous", which was one track up from "First Flight" on the AC5 soundtrack, catured more of the spirit of "Blockade" than "First Flight" ever did. :shrug:

And that's it for this update, see you all in Lifeline!






Kadorhal posted:

Ace Number Four is Rigaux. Named for Fernand Rigaux, born 1905. Belgian astronomer who primarily worked from the Royal Observatory at Uccle, Belgium. Discovered seven asteroids in the 1930's, including 1292 Luce, 3280 Gretry, and 4908 Ward in September 1933, 1378 Leonce in February 1936, and 7000 Curie in November 1939. He also, with his colleague Sylvain Arend, co-discovered the comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux in 1951. Died 1962, at 56 or 57.






Tracks featured in Mission4:

DISC 1