The Let's Play Archive

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere

by Lunethex

Part 11: Episode 39 - Power for Life (Post)

Update 09 - Power for Life: NEUCOM


-Episode 39 - Power for Life [TRANSLATION]
The Power of Neucom
-Episode 40 - Guardian Angel [TRANSLATION]
Shuttle Return
-Episode 41 - Zero Gravity [TRANSLATION]
Leaving the Atmosphere
-Episode 42 - The Prize [TRANSLATION]
Satellite Recovery Operation
-Episode 43 - Utopian Dreams [TRANSLATION]
Dreams and Reality

We get to go to FUCKING SPACE! That is awesome! Also you should definitely listen to the music in higher detail. All the audio coming from the game is lower quality so getting all the extra bits out of the OST is big imo. I love the sister behavior between Cynthia and Fiona too, when it starts out I am immediately endeared by the high spirits. Sadly it goes south real quick

Two updates remain: the second Ouroboros route with Cynthia which is only 4 missions, then the second Neucom update that leads us to our epilogue. It's sad that Neucom is very underrepresented by the missions but I get the feeling they were running out of time/budget by this point. Still, really like Cynthia. And as I was also mentioning in the videos, if the gun mechanic was not so bad in this game, I can imagine Neucom's planes relying entirely on energy weapons. I read a while ago people were never happy with the fictional and unrealistic planes in this game but if they remade this game nowadays I'm positive they'd do great with them. I really love all of the planes in this game, but I know from the technical & gameplay standpoint they all had to behave similarly. If anyone here can understand Japanese I need your help. The epilogue is not translated, and there is also some unwritten dialogue following it.

I'm also going to post writeups on the Aurora and other non-playable aircraft in the last update. I can actually unlock and pilot the Aurora so I might as well do it for that. It's not a terribly spectacular plane though and has similar maneuverability to the XFA-36A Game.

Finally: anyone want to chime in on the veracity of the Sepia and its weaponry? I'd love to hear some talk on that. It's so fucking cool to me.




A recently formed private army utilized by Neucom Inc. True to their namesake, they were designated escort for all Neucom wings until mobilizing with newer R-numbers as a stronger fighting force. Currently, the only known Ace is Cynthia Fitzgerald, the Chief Consulting Pilot.




The daughter of a wealthy Usean family, Cynthia was raised in a conservative background along with her sister Fiona, adopting an elitist and professional view of life, compared to the carefree attitude of her sibling. In 2033, she earned a master's degree in Genetic Engineering at the Chopinbrook University, then joined General Resource for the next four years. She then transferred to Neucom as a scientist, becoming Chief Consultant Pilot in the Neucom Emergency Unit and one of the leading researchers of the R-series of aircraft, operating under the TAC name "Priest."




The R-311 Remora was first built as a Neucom counterpart to the General Resource-built RF-12A2 Blackbird II. The Remora's task was to escort R-531 Mobura transports at stratosphere altitudes. The Remora's low weight allowed it to be carried by Mobura (thus making the Remora a parasite aircraft). In order to stay airborne in the stratosphere, Remora have been forced to reduce maneuverability in lieu of speed.

I would also like to just say I think the Mobura is pretty cool. It's a stratospheric aircraft carrier and attack craft that nobody can reach. It's built to an imposing scale and it carries these fast moving little knife-shaped planes to defend itself.


The R-102 Delphinus #2 was an evolved model of the R-101 Delphinus #1, developed by Neucom to build on the success of the original version. It used a similar yet enlarged design, and used a single jet engine with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio as a powerplant, making it highly agile in combat. haha no. It was introduced in early 2040, being deployed during the Usean Corporate War along with the Delphinus #1. The R-102 was the first mass-production jet in existence to use energy weapons as part of its main arsenal, having a pulse laser serving the role of a conventional machine gun.


A spaceborne combat vehicle, the R-352 Sepia is the second space vehicle produced by Neucom, after the R-808 Phoca space shuttle. Using technology from the shuttle, the Sepia marks a major development in spacefaring vehicles by making use of Neucom-developed energy weapons, the first "star fighter" in history.

The Neutron Beam is the gun-weapon on the Sepia. This particular weapon is the result of Neucom research on space technology. Being an energy-based weapon, the Neutrom Beam does not suffer the problems of standard aircraft ordnance caused by space vacuum. The energy fired by this weapon is composed of superheated neutrons found in atoms-- it is the neutrons' high temperature that cause damage, instead of kinetic energy.

The Plasma Beam is the missile-type weapon used on the Sepia. Like the Neutron Beam, the Plasma Beam is a space-based weapon made by Neucom, and it is an energy weapon that consists of homing shots of plasma. It uses heat-based damage as opposed to kinetic-based damage.


The final expression of Neucom's famous R-10X aircraft line, the R-103 Delphinus 3 fuses the latest aviation technologies, such as energy weaponry and the COFFIN system, while including substantial upgrades over the previous models, such as a multi-wing airframe that greatly increases its maneuverability and state-of-the-art engines which give it an unprecedented advantage in terms of performance over other aircraft of its age. In the year 2040, the R-103 passed its test phases and mass-production was started. The plane saw action during the Usean Corporate War, and proved to be superior to other high-end aircraft of its era in some areas, like the F-22C Raptor II.

I really love the look of this plane, but its agility is still crap. What it does have going for it is acceleration and top speed, but in my opinion what wins any engagement is superior mobility.