Ace Combat 5 requires Dualshock-type controllers for steering purposes, and
is by default set on 'Normal' setting. This can be switched to 'Novice' which
will dumb down the controls for franchise newcomers. Buttons not listed have
no function.
___________ _______________________________________________________________
| BUTTON | IN BATTLE |
|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| D-Pad | Issue commands to wingmen (Attack, Cover, Disperse, Sp. Weap) |
| Start | Un/pause game (in-battle menu) |
| Select | Change aircraft colors (in hangar) |
| Circle | Fire current weapon |
| Square | Zoom in/out of minimap by pressing harder/lighter |
| Triangle | Camera zoom on faraway target or on last-fired missile |
| X-Button | Fire plane machine-gun |
| L1 / R1 | Decelerate and Accelerate, respectively |
| L2 Button | Yaw left |
| R2 Button | Yaw right |
| R3 Button | Changes camera POV (third-person, cockpit, or close-up HUD) |
| L. Analog | Steer plane |
| R. Analog | Maneuvers camera around plane |
|___________|_______________________________________________________________|
Autopilot is done by holding L2 & R2, which roughly maintains current speed
but levels plane nose to keep its altitude.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
II. TIPS N' TRICKS [TPST]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This game ain't too hard once y'get the drift, but generalized tips will be
handy all the same.
• For someone who hasn't played in awhile, or for a complete newcomer, it's
always best to earn your wings on the Tutorial! Don't count it out because
you're too cocky, now.
• The most advantageous firing position is from behind the enemy while they
are in a mid-turn and at similar altitude. They'll be slowing down, and
the missiles have a higher chance of hitting because they're not working
off some huge mismatch in height. Always try to achieve this positioning.
The worst positioning, thus, would be about the exact opposite: enemy is
heading towards you from an altitude extremely different than yours, and
you're shooting from behind as you head straight up/down. Not only is
this going to waste ammo 99% of the time due to outmaneuvering, but it's
simply...stupid.
• Wingmen can be commanded after the first few missions, and can be ordered
to Attack (go for the throat), Disperse (fly in loose formation around
Blaze), Cover (stick together and avoid fighting), and Special Weapons
(use plane's special weapon when attacking, if applicable). They can bear
some of the load and cannot be destroyed during battle like the player
can, so be sure to give them orders that fit the situation!
• Out of the two control types, the most 'difficult' is the default one,
but it's also the best for maneuvering. I highly recommend you work with
that one to get the ins and outs down, 'cause you won't regret it (it's
difficulty's an overstatement, but eh...).
• Pay attention to the briefing's count of the air/ground/naval enemies and
match your arsenal accordingly. Some maps will have many ground targets,
so bring an auxiliary weapon that suits the purpose, yo.
• Always use your time wisely. Sometimes there is a mission update; other
times there isn't. But, one thing that usually happens when there is, is
all normal enemies quit registering as targets. If you're trying for a
high rank, it's important to clean out zones as fast as you can, with no
wasted ammunition. Use vulcan guns and missiles in conjunction and you'll
be a regular ace in awhile.
• Aces are special enemies that appear one per map, and usually require
out-of-the-way tactics to find them, and that can hurt your chances of
getting a good rank if it wastes time. Just remember: aces are NOT needed
to get 'S' ranking, but they do help.
• If you're having a hard time finding targets in dogfights, it could be two
reasons why: you're wasting time following one target or you're going far
too fast to get a good position. You'll have to find a balance. In maps
with highly concentrated dogfighting, it's best to switch targets every
15-20 seconds so you're not on a wild goose chase; it's also best to
decelerate when turning so you can get better aiming position. Just know
that your evasion capabilities decrease when going slower, so don't pull a
stunt like that in front of a bunch of Gun Towers or SAMs, y'dig?
• Try to pace yourself on difficulty first off. The walkthrough is written
in Normal Mode so that it's a balance, but go with easy if you have to.
When you get better, try out Expert Difficulty (beat all missions on Hard
Mode) and Ace Difficulty (beat all missions on Expert difficulty). There's
a certain rush to dogfighting, and crafts take more damage as the ante's
upped. Good luck if you play on Expert/Ace, 'cause you'll be better than I
am in a short time. :p
_________________________
___________________________________________________/ III. WALKTHROUGH [WLKT] |_
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
01) SHOREBIRDS [WK01]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 12 AIR | -- GRND | -- NAVAL | -- TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F-5E (default)
OBJECTIVES: Destroy all indicated targets
RANK BONUS: $2000 [S] / $---- [A] / $1250 [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 10:00
DIFFICULTY: 1/10
The first mission in the game is relatively simple. Captain Bartless will be
flying as the lead plane (Heartbreak One) with Edge and Chopper as wingmen;
you guard the back end. It's impossible to issue orders with the d-pad for
now, so simply follow close or prepare for chastising. After some gabbing,
the target (SR-71) will appear on the map. Fly close but keep your fingers
of the trigger; shooting it down will prematurely end the mission.
After the SR-71 ignores radio contact, four bogeys will be inbound from the
west. They'll try to draw first blood, so it's a free-for-all once Bartlett
gives the orders. These MIGs are pretty weak and fly like novices, so once
one is marked as a target, fly a bit to see if they'll turn and fire dual
missiles to take 'em out. A 2nd wave appears if Kid gets any kills, while
a 3rd wave appears if Kid gets all (8) kills! [Protip: firing at the enemy
from directly behind gives potshots, while firing at oncoming enemies at
level altitude will almost ensure they run into the missiles!]
Getting the third wave to appear can be a difficulty, considering Kid has to
have sunk all eight fighters leading up to then. Edge/Chopper will usually
tag-team a target, so make sure to kill that one for 'em to salvage the KO
record.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(Hawk) Gigantor: appears with the third wave of planes if the rest are downed
in a certain amount of time. This is pretty hard to do early on, but very
easy in 'Free Mission' mode (after beating game once), where XAAMs can be
used to easily defeat the 2nd wave en masse.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Defeating two waves of squadrons is required to get S-rank. This may seem
easy, but if the player dawdles around and doesn't try to get kills (etc.)
the mission is accomplished after only the first. Remember that the ranking
depends on the _entire squadron's_ kills!
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
02) OPEN WAR [WK02]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 16 AIR | xx GRND | 01 NAVAL | 08 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F-5E (default)
OBJECTIVES: Destroy all unmanned drones (UAVs)
RANK BONUS: $1000 [S] / $---- [A] / $---- [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
The initial objectives are to, once again, stay close to Heartbreak One and
gun down the unmanned drones (UAVs) trying to return to their aircraft
carrier. They come in pairs and only take one missile to neutralized, eight
in all. Destroying the vessel they're approaching is automatic failure, so
avoid sinking it.
When the skies are sanitized, four more bogeys approach from the west. Like
the previous mission, they start unmarked and will become targets only after
another update. They're MIG-21BIS types just like before, so they'll be
halfway familiar by now. Four MIG-29As accompany after awhile, but their
skills are comparable. [There is no ace for this mission.]
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Destroy all air targets. This is mandatory, so consider this a non-challenge.
Port St. Hewlitt is under attack now, and it's a mini-Pearl Harbor situation
where docked cruisers and battleships are now being turned into Swiss cheese.
Kid will now be the ad hoc captain since no one else wants to do it, and can
now give his subordinates (Edge, Chopper) commands: Disperse, Attack, and
Use Special Weapons. Special weapons, of course, being the auxiliary weapon
the airplane is carrying (UGB, unguided bombs in this case).
Battle here will be strictly dogfighting, but give precedence to those that
engage the Kestrel as it tries to leave port. A-6Es are the main force to
start, and are similar to previous types in terms of maneuverability (they
will take 2 missiles however, unlike UAVs). F-5Es -- the same plane types
that the nuggets used in the first mission -- come towards the end. There'll
be other ally fighters around, so if you want to conserve missiles, let them
do some of the legwork as well. If all goes well, there should be about 20
missiles left in reserve by the time harbor events conclude (after the last
wave from the western bridge vicinity). [16-17 planes total.]
_____________________________________________________
¯¯| ENEMY | 09 AIR | -- GRND | 07 NAVAL | -- TRGT |¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F-5 (default)
OBJECTIVES: Protect the carrier Kestrel as it escapes
RANK BONUS: $1200 [S] / $0900 [A] / $0750 [B] / $0600 [C]
TIME LIMIT: Whatever time was remaining in the harbor
DIFFICULTY: 1/10
The final part of this mission is escorting the Kestrel towards open water.
This level will have naval targets -- missiles work, but those unguided bombs
are expendible -- and MIR-2000s and Nimrods in the air. As you'll see, the
battleships and frigates take a lot of missile ammo to be defeated, so it's
not a bad idea to use low-flying gunning to conserve ammo which, by the way,
is whatever was left over from the harbor section. Nimrods will take three
missiles to be destroyed and can fly rather slow (like bombers), so that's
another situationg gunning works well in.
Mission ends when the blockade is destroyed/dispersed enough that the allied
fleet can safely exit. At this time, some planes will leave the battle area
so if you're a score-o-phile, make sure to wreck 'em first to preserve max
score.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(F-14D) Zipang: Spawns during the second leg of the mission from the eastern
boundary, apparently after defeating all aircraft (that's what I did anyway).
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The player will always have 3820-4080 points after finishing the harbor, with
an extra 7000ish points possible in the open waters. Around 6000-ish is C,
7000-8500's B, 8500-9500 is A, and 9500+ is S. Seem hard? It isn't if there
are enough (20-30) missiles left over from the harbor portion. Destroy all
of the planes -- Nimrods especially -- before the ships.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
04) FIRST FLIGHT [WK04]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 20 AIR | -- GRND | -- NAVAL | 06 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F-5 (default)
OBJECTIVES: Shoot down attacking aircraft and protect Grimm on the runway
RANK BONUS: $1200 [S] / $0900 [A] / $0750 [B] / $0600 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
Sand Island is involved in a surprise blitzkreig, and it starts with Kid
and his team trying to get off the runway. This part is optional though, and
there will be others like it later on in the game: refueling, landing on
carriers, etc. There's no penalty for skipping either.
Anyway, once in the air, there's a bunch 2-missile TND-GR 1s and F-4Es, but
the real targets are the slow-moving bombers (B-1Bs). The first wave shouldn't
be too much to handle; just remember to set everyone to Disperse. Eventually
Pops will take off from the runway and Kid, Nagase, and Chopper will have to
protect Grimm (Archer) as he attempts to get airborne. F-16Cs swarm through
the sky like gnats now, and they're a bit more maneuverable than the previous
foes. A few more B-1Bs show up as well. Once Grimm is airborne, he'll join in
as the 4th man to Kid's squadron and can be ordered around like the rest.
The final section involves Ford, a pilot who's out of fuel and needs to land
pronto. This triggers the third wave of B-1Bs who have MIG-29A escorts. Kill
the bombers to end the skirmish automagically.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(F-4G) Mindripper: Destroy some B-1Bs and TND-GR 1s, which should make it
spawn from the north. This is the very first part of the mission, prior to
Pops taking off.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The theoretical bare minimum one can get for this mission is 6200, which is
all six bomber targets (1000/per) and the default landing bonus; however,
allies will usually get at least two other planes at minimum, giving about
480 extra. So, with that in mind, it's basically killing all escorts or
most with a good landing bonus. F-5's missile capacity is pretty crappy, so
make sure the rest of Wardog squadron is set to 'disperse' or 'attack' so they
can assist!
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
05) RENDEZVOUS [WK05]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 23 AIR | -- GRND | -- NAVAL | -- TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F-20A, or F-4E failing that
OBJECTIVES: Protect the carrier Kestrel from invading forces
RANK BONUS: $1400 [S] / $---- [A] / $---- [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
This will be a quasi-escort mission, where the carrier Kestrel and two others
are headed for the Eaglin Straits to lick their wounds and regroup for a
counterattack. This will be the first time that planes can be bought from the
main menu, but the mission's suggestion was misleading -- there are no ground
targets here so don't bother with a balanced aircraft. [Available: A-6E,
MIG-21BIS, F-4E; F-20A if F-5E's killrate is maxed.] The F-20A is undoubtedly
the best choice here, which packs more missiles and Short-range Air-to-Air
Missile backups as well. Keep in mind that once the plane is bought, only
one pilot can use it!
---
At the start, everyone is on guard duty, heading east toward the straits.
Around this time, the Vulture will just be entering the inland sea -- there
will be 3-man teams of Harriers (I thought it said Warrier!) flying around.
Like many others, these take two missiles to be sanitized. There are four
of these groups in all, so make sure everyone's dispersed for easier access.
Actually, Swordsman's squadron will be accompanying too so this portion is
not much work. After the first twelve are done, another twelve appear in
almost the same fashion: not all at once but in sizeable groups. There's a
few F5-Cs in the mixed bag, now. Once the skies are clear "for sure," AWACS
Thunderhead gives the all-clear about no enemies being around.
...but the aftermath turns out to be a false security, as both the Vulture
and Buzzard are sunk by a mysterious fragmenting warhead, which obliterates
any craft below 5000ft. Seem familiar? This same concept was used in Ace
Combat 04, except the safe zone has been reversed. Hold steady at 5000+ feet
to avoid being turned into scrap metal (there'll be a countdown beforehand).
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Destroying all the waves is mandatory, so expect to score 10880 and secure
top rank automatically.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
06) WHITE BIRD (PART I) [WK06]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | ?? AIR | 10 GRND | -- NAVAL | 36 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F-20A (chosen aircraft from last mission carries over here)
OBJECTIVES: Protect the mass driver facility until the SSTO is launched
RANK BONUS: $---- [S] / $3000 [A] / $2500 [B] / $2000 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 4/10
This mission is all about guarding an SSTO craft that is about to be shot
into outer space to meet with a space station. Right at the start though,
there will be transport planes who will parachute tanks down to the ground
in an attempt to commandeer the facility. Destroying the transports (F-16Cs)
will blow up any tanks inside, but killing all six planes is impossible, as
far as I know. Tanks'll approach the west/central/east building clusters; if
even a single one gets in, it's game over, man! They take a few missiles to
be destroyed, but I suggest vulcan-gunning them at low altitudes to save
missiles. [Protip: trees are 'intangible' so you can fly through them without
fear of explosion. Also, shooting the tank parachutes will destroy the
tank in a freefall.]
When all tanks are destroyed, the mission update's patched in -- cruise
missiles are inbound in a last-ditch attempt to destroy the launch! They'll
come from a whole bunch of directions and only take one missile to be shot
down, so make sure everyone's dispersed for better effect. Prioritize the
missiles over the B-2As who are flying with them, or else... Check the minimap
to see which are closest. The good news is the missiles attack the same spot
on the driver -- about halfway up -- so one can use that knowledge as leeway.
The waves seem endless, but luckily the launch will start around the 14:00
mark of the refreshed timer, so bunker down to make sure the SSTO gets off
safely.
Most of the difficulty in this mission involves knowing where the tanks can
infiltrate the facility, and secondly, having enough missiles to shoot down
the long-range missiles fired from elsewhere.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(MIR-2000D) Zahrada: Destroy two F-16Cs and F-20As and it will appear from
the east with no escorts.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Counting all the targets (x36+), that's 3800 points minimum, not counting any
missiles that hit the mass driver. The carries (C-130) are 800 points a pop,
which means they're one of the easier, earlier targets that can really help
rack up the points. If you want to pad the score total, make sure to shoot
down as many planes during the tank insertion portion, not the missile part;
that's too hectic! It's very important to kill C-130s -- six is ideal, seven
would be heavenly. Scoring 10,000+ points will push one over the edge into
S-rank!
NEW UNLOCKABLE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
• F/A-18C, F-16C
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
07) FRONT LINE [WK07]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | ?? AIR | -- GRND | 32 NAVAL | 26 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F/A-18C
OBJECTIVES: Prevent the enemy fleet's eastward movement / Destroy the Scinfaxi
RANK BONUS: $2000 [S] / $1500 [A] / $---- [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
This will be a primarily ground-target mission with plenty of targets to
bloody the maritime waters. The F/A-18C is a great plane for this mission as
it has a high missile capacity (64) and some long-range air-to-surface
missiles, which will destroy any ship in one go -- goodbye destroyers! At
least put the captain in one.
---
The general mission is preventing the fleet from getting to Sand Island,
and the amphibious vehicles (AH-64 hovercrafts) have priority...technically.
Frigates and Destroyers take 3-4 missiles, respectively, while missle boats
take just one. Remember that if ships have multiple targets onboard, such as
SAMs, just attack the main portion -- when it's destroyed, so is all other
weaponry and the points are automatically included! AH-64 helicopters also
take one missile, which should be obvious by now. Mission fails if anyone
gets too far east, but this is usually a non-issue considering how slow the
fleet moves. There'll be a fragmenting missile scare about halfway through,
but don't bother flying higher -- the Arkbird will disintegrate the sucker!
However, when the submarine launches multiple ones, definitely get above
5000 feet.
After about 8:00 total has elapsed, the Arkbird will shoot the submerged
submarine Scinfaxi and force it so surface. It has a bunch of AA Guns and
SAMs as fixed defense, and can launch F-35Cs. However, if you scroll through
the targets until it just says 'Scinfaxi' and 'Launcher', these are the only
ones necessary to be destroyed. Six missiles will do the trick for each, but
LASMs will sink the junker faster than a whirling dervish. When both targets
are done, there will be a hull breach that becomes the final marked that will
need one missile to make it a mission accomplished. [NOTE: It can launch the
fragmenting warheads during its surfacing, but not after its two initial
targets are destroyed.]
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The naval targets will give the most points, but the ship score maxes out on
9999, so anything past that is essentially wasting missiles. 17,000+ gives
the top rank, which is destroying as many naval targets as possible (using
LASMs) and when the Scinfaxi surfaces, destroying as many planes as possible.
Unlike destroyers, destroying the Scinfaxi does not earn the points that its
SAMs and AA Guns have -- they have to be destroyed manually! If you need an
extra point boost towards the end, let the sub launch planes. Underwhelmingly,
the Scinfaxi's itself is only worth 500 points! [Not sure if "B" and "C"
ranks are even possible.]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
08) HANDFUL OF HOPE [WK08]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 06 AIR | 21 GRND | -- NAVAL | 12 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F/A-18C or F-16C
OBJECTIVES: Escort plane through AA field, then protect it afterwards
RANK BONUS: $8000 [S] / $---- [A] / $---- [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 5/10
As the team approaches Akerson Hill, a civilian plane will have been shot by
some AA guns and is inbound to the dense AA gun field further north, which
stretches all across the map. Edge and Blaze will have to escort it through,
lamely. Now, the AA gun fields appear as circles, and only one path, which
is like a crappy maze you'd find on the back of a cereal box:
EXIT __________ It's simple in design, but getting
______________/¯¯¯¯¯| \ the plane through can be annoying.
| ( |¯¯¯¯\______ ) Fly at a slow pace for starters as
| \ / / sharp turns are a no-no for the
| \/ _____/¯\____/ damaged plane. Keep an eye on the
| / \ radar fields and don't be afraid to
| / \ take the longer ways with a bit more
|_____________/ S T A R T ) clearance, which will be safer. The
plane can't take anymore AA gun hits
before it's destroyed, so beware of the really tiny circles. The plane trails
and mimics almost to a 't'...be careful. Flying lower can help a bit. [The
select button can zoom in ultra-fine for close encounters, but has to
recharge after a few times, so its usage is actually rather dangerous! Use
the square button instead.]
A mission update comes on the other side, which now relates to protecting the
craft from Yuktobanian fighters. Edge and Archer regather here, so set the
stunners, err, teammates to 'disperse'. The enemy crafts actually start far
away, but the transport's protection is paramount, so if you do go to meet
them, make sure to check the map in case others are pestering there. There's
about eight pairs of planes to destroy here, and they all come from the
north-central part of the coast.
The final mission update will be to destroy some windmills for an emergency
landing. There are three initially, and after a small period, two more. Be
quick about destroying these -- hopefully you're near the target when the
mission update starts -- because there's not a lot of wiggle room time-wise.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Destroy ~10 planes and the windmills for 4500 points. I don't believe it's
possible to get anything less in this mission...
This is a mission similar to the "Operation Bunker Shot" mission from AC04,
which is a beach invasion with air support helping the landing crafts. Since
targets are predominantly ground types, it'll be helpful to choose a craft
with a high capacity for normal missiles and air-to-ground weapons for the
auxiliary weapon. F/A-18C fulfills this role nicely.
Enemy ground targets include batteries, tents, radar dishes, watchtowers,
SAMs, AA guns, and bunkers. Of these, all can be permanently destroyed except
bunkers, which will turn into targets again after a set number of time. To
permanently destroy them, the ground invaders must be assaulting there first.
Take out the initial batteries along the coast, which will be assaulting the
inland roads, then assist Company A & B as they take on some bunkers. Waste
LASMs on these targets, as they take more flak than normal targets. If done
right, there should be messages the bunkers were captured. Set everyone to
'Attack' if you want to collect some air targets.
If you dilly-dally, the companies will constantly ask for air support, and
one even wants you to friendly-fire his monster of a captain (ha!). Stopping
them is as easy as helping Company A & B right away, then staying in the area
of the other companies and constantly destroying the bunkers when they come
back up.
Toward the end, there will be a small vicinity when four bunkers that needs
urgent attention, as all companies are doing a joint assault. These ones'll
constantly have to be terminated as the allied force takes its sweet time
approaching, so if you want to conserve missiles for the air squadrons and
helicopters, gun down the bunkers (they take 2 missiles/per normally). When
it's announced two bunkers remain, they're the interior ones with a few
howitzers guarding. Finish them up to finish the level! [Beware towards the
end, after the mission accomplished sign is given, as all enemy crafts will
become non-targets but can still put the player in missile locks!]
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
8000+ points are needed to reach top rank, and it can be hard on a mission
whose main targets are ground types that give very little points (seriously,
probably not even a third of the total needed). Instead, go after F-4X and
TND-GR 1 planes which give high point totals, saving missiles for them while
the ground targets get slow-flying, low-flying, vulcan-gunning goodness. [On
the flipside, "C" rank is almost assured by only doing ground targets and
crappy aircraft, like the AH helicopters). If you need extra points towards
the end but are out of missiles, let the final bunkers continuously spawn
howitzers, which are weak and give 120pts/per.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
10) BLIND SPOT [WK10]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 20 AIR | -- GRND | -- NAVAL | 12 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: MIG-31 or F-14A
OBJECTIVES: Destroy all fleeing aircraft before they can exit battle zone
RANK BONUS: $1000 [S] / $0750 [A] / $0625 [B] / $0500 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 4/10
Over the mountain region of Dresdene, the fleeing squadrons are sitting
ducks for Wardog squadron's dead-eyes...or are they? Make sure to choose a
plane with a high missile capacity and fast manuevering on that end, such as
the MIG-31 or F-14A, both of which are lop-sided towards air-to-air combat
and have 68-70 missiles. You'll need 'em!
____________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: What answer you give Chopper about having heard the "Face of the Coin"
song he talks about determines the next two missions. Answering the negative
will give probably the more intering of the two paths, in my opinion.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The reason becomes clear as the team comes up on the tail end of the crafts:
the lock-on sensors are jammed, which creates 'phantom' targets all around
the planes. They appear like invisible planes, but when shot at, the only
marks they find are empty air. There are two options to do here: (1) visually
identify the real aircrafts inside the lock-on circle and pick them off like
that (2) fly to 16,000ft. and destroy the jammer source, an E-767 which is
creating the copies. Actually, you have to do both, but the order doesn't
matter (defeating the two normal planes removes all copies, revealing the
E-767's location).
The planes will try to escape northward, so there's no time to dawdle around.
Try to kill all targets in a group before moving on, because sometimes any
stray aircraft will avoid going northward and instead go west. [Actually, if
you want to get S-rank, this may be a helpful diversion to avoid finishing
the mission prematurely.]
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(EA-6B) Dune: Annoyingly, destroy all (4) E-767 jammers and start destroying
the transport targets. Eventually, check the minimap -- Dune enters the
boundary zone from the far SE corner, which can make killing it and finishing
the mission quite rather difficult. Make sure no enemies are westbound here,
and with any luck, some will actually trail the wingmen back towards the
player's position.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Minimum point total is 10800, which is all transport targets and their E-767
jammers. About 13000 points are required for "S", which is rather easy since
it just means killing all escorts along with the planes. Just do it quickly!
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
11a) CHAIN REACTION [W11A]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 14 AIR | 16 GRND | -- NAVAL | 06 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: Whatever was used in Mission #10 carries over here
OBJECTIVES: Destroy all indicated targets (TGTs) / Protect friendly targets
RANK BONUS: $4000 [S] / $3000 [A] / $2500 [B] / $2000 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
[This mission is played if Kid answered he did hear "Flip of the Coin" in
the previous mission. Otherwise, the player fights in the 11a mission.]
There's a Yuktobanian air raid going on at Apito International Airport right
now, and the squadron starts overhead. The targets are mostly F-14Bs and
multiroles, and these are known for their speed, not durability -- they take
2 missiles to be destroyed. Be careful not to waste a bunch, because after the
first six planes are downed, the friendly planes on the runway split open to
reveal...enemy tanks! A bunch of C-5 transporters will be selected as targets
here.
These have no chance of taking off, but may or may not reveal tanks within if
destroyed. Prioritize the C-5s over the tanks, of course. There are a few
multiroles in the air that are also targets, but there's only about 8 to deal
with. The best tip here is to not focus on one plane for too long, and switch
to another in better range if possible -- this avoids wasting too much time
trying to get on the enemy's six. You may want to destroy the fighters first
as there are civilian (friendly) planes airborne as well, and they make easy
targets. If even one dies (or the airport takes too much damage), it's game
over, sucka!
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Complete the mission within 8:00! Basically, do everything as fast as humanly
possible. The initial six targets usually take approximately 2:15 to do, so
the rest of the time is just airport nonsense. LASMs help in the C-5 portion,
but since there's no switching planes here, that may not be an option. Make
sure everyone is switched to 'attack' and 'special weapons' fire! [13180pts
total.] It's hard not to get a high bonus here -- for persepective's sake,
I played for 18:23 and still got a "B".
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
11b) REPRISAL [W11b]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 08 AIR | 18 GRND | -- NAVAL | 26 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: MIR-2000 (mandatory)
OBJECTIVES: Neutralize the poison gas with special weapons / Pursue terrorists
RANK BONUS: $5000 [S] / $3750 [A] / $3500 [B] / $3250 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 15:00
DIFFICULTY: 2/10
[This mission is played if Kid answered he didn't hear "Flip of the Coin" in
the previous mission. Otherwise, the player fights in the 11a mission.]
For this mission, the team has to spread an agent to counteract the poison
gas that was let loose in the college town. There are no attack functions
on the planes (0 missiles) but there are 50 neutralizing bombs as auxiliary
weapons. There are no radar targets expectedly, so the team will have to
identify the bombdrop points by the huge plumes of mustard-gasesque smoke
plumes. If done correctly, a 'destroyed' message shows up. This isn't that
hard, so make sure everyone else is told to disperser using their special
weapons as well. Slow-flying will serve well in this urban environment full
of skyscrapers and other monuments. Remember that all targets are within
Bana, so there's no need to travel to the foothills or anythin' -- just clear
each borough instead of skipping around.
When all banks are cleared of gas, there will be an enemy terrorist vehicle
marked on the map, driving on the highway. It can't be destroyed, but by
shooting the neutralizing bombs, it counts as a 'hit'. Keep doing this as
the patrolcars give pursuit to the perps, and eventually these guerillas'll
be smoked after a bridge freeze-out. Just be careful flyin' through the urban
jungle, now. [NOTE: There's no reason to fly too close to the vehicle, so
keep above the buildings and just spectate to avoid any mishaps...]
At this point, some AH-64 whirly birds will try to aid the trapped van, so
it'll be time to get in some vulcan gun practice. This is pretty simple as
they tend not to maneuver too much, and when they do, it's in wide arcs.
Don't destroy the terrorist van! They need incarceration, not incineration.
Next up on the city cops case: finding a missing birthday party dad. I'm
sure this made their year!
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Destroy all 18 ground targets and all AH-64 helicopters (x8) for 6900 points.
The trick is doing it within 10:00, which can be difficult given how much
time the annoying car chase takes. To cut corners at the start, fly to a high
altitude, go slow, and snipe the spots from there without any industrial
architecture to get in your way -- it takes less than 2:00 in this fashion,
if you're good that is. The car chase always takes apx. 5:00, for reference.
Plane-wise, all that's needed is a dexterous craft with a high missile
payload -- the MIG-31 is the best for now. Ground weapons are optional, but
can help a bit.
Anyway, the object of this mission is to destroy ammo caches that are holed
up underground? How to destroy them? Firing a missile into targets marked as
'Tunnels'; the catch is they have to be shot from the front so they enter
inside, and will automatically miss if fired from the top or flank. They're
built into mountain walls which makes this task an annoyance. What's worse,
soldier units have shoulder-mounted SAMs and will fire up at the team if
they come below a certain altitude.
This is business as usual since there are few aerial targets and even fewer
offensive ground targets, so the tips are scarce:
• Set everyone to 'Attack' and 'Special Weapons'. They'll never get targets
here (rookies!) but may bag a couple Harriers or 'copters that take off
from landing pads. Since planes give an added oomph to the point totals
here, bagging a crapload is beyond helpful.
• There are unregistered SAMs in the jungle, and will fire upon the crafts
if they dip too low. Evading them is easy (yaw left/right) but did you know
they can be destroyed? It's a paltry sum of points, but for someone trying
for a high rank, vulcan-gun these suckers and get rid of a nuisance in a
double whammy.
• The last tunnel is always guarded by 2-3 unregistered SAMs, and they'll
fire in tandem as the player closes in. Be sure to evade or destroy them
beforehand!
Mission ends when all targets are smokin'.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
About 10,000+ points should do the trick. The best way to do this is to
search out all targets except one, having destroyed all normal non-targets en
route, and start picking off the unregistered SAMs in the jungle. These can't
be locked on but the vulcan can still destroy them if fired in the general
region. You'd be surprised how many people don't know about these extra
points! [For reference, 10000 points is destroying almost all registered map
dots, all planes and helicopters, and all targets. SAMs are generally extra.]
But anyway, this is one of the lame missions to get top rank in so stick with
it, eh?
NEWLY UNLOCKED
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
• F-15C
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
12b) FOUR HORSEMEN [W12B]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 12 AIR | 61 GRND | -- NAVAL | 61 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: MIG-31 or F-14A
OBJECTIVES: Synchronize attacks with wingmen to destroy radar installations
RANK BONUS: $5000 [S] / $3750 [A] / $3125 [B] / $2550 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
There will be a ton of weak ground targets in this level, so if you want to,
you can get a decent craft with UGBs (unguided bombs) or LASMs, although I
just stick to high missile capacities, highly maneuverable crafts, and some
vulcan-gunning skills. Your call.
Now, the object here is to remove radar sites, which if you check the main
map, appears as a white spot on the edge of a big circle -- there are four
of these. The dialogue sets up the team so that they'll have to destroy all
the the installation pieces at the exact same time. You'll notice that the
wingmen automatically disperse to the other sites that don't appear on the
map; the player is to target the "outermost" ring, also the nearest.
Nagase will count down the time to attack each time, and the player must
destroy the target when she says "Now!" -- it'll take some hyperclose-range
attack to do this, unless you have the devil's luck from afar. When one ring
is destroyed, it's onto the next, and so forth until all four are destroyed.
For reference, the gameclock times when the radar dishes are to be scrapped:
first is 17:43, second is 16:50, third is 16:16, and last is 15:29. You'll
notice the distances between the clusters shortens each time, so go slow as
a snail towards the end. Note that the mission will end if Kid tries to fly
past and into the remaining radar network, too.
When all radar dishes are smoldering piles of metal, it's time to attack the
weapons plant. The enemy will become aware once they get near and try to
launch their transport planes (C-35s), so destroy them on the runway pronto.
After that, all that's left is bombarding the assembly and chemical plants,
the chimneys, and the SAMs/AA guns inside storage. The latter parts are very
annoying since they can only be attacked from above and from the west.
OPTIONAL: This is one of the first levels with Falken parts, a five-piece
set that will create said plane. They're strewn throughout different levels
of the game, and are found by destroying certain hangars; if done right, an
AWACS message says some mysterious parts were found. If you want this, look
near the chemical plant for a lone SAM by an unmarked hangar target. Destroy
this (hangar) and the parts will be found and collected later. [This will be
a target later if you put it off, however.]
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
With about 8,000 being the bare minimum score one can get here, that means
an extra 7,000 has to be scrounged up for the 15,000 quota. To reach this,
destroy all radar dishes, and when getting to the factory, pick around the
targets to get the easy pickins, then turn to all the planes in the air (use
SAAMs if you have them). [I'm not sure what the "C" rank is, since it seems
impossible to get even with marginally restrained wingman AI.]
NEWLY UNLOCKED
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
• F-15C
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
13) DEMONS OF RAZGRIZ [WK13]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | ?? AIR | -- GRND | 14 NAVAL | 01 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: MIG-31 or F-14A
OBJECTIVES: Avoid radar detection and sink the Hrimfaxi
RANK BONUS: $20000 [S] / $15000 [A] / $12500 [B] / $10000 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 3/10 (if you have LASMs, etc.), 5/10 (no LASMs, etc.)
Finally, the mission branches reconverge to this delightful number -- this is
one of my favorite in the game! Set in the icy arctic circle, Wardog squadron
is tasked with sinking the Hrimfaxi, the Scinfaxi's sister sub which has the
same capabilities. Since all targets here are ground types, bringing a craft
with decent flight abilities and LASMs (preferred) is a good idea.
As the mission starts, everyone is inbound to the Hrimfaxi's position, which
is surrounded by a submarine blockade. This is an early detection network, so
flying within shooting range of one of the littler subs will automatically
start a minute-long (1:00) timer until the Hrimfaxi dives. This also occurs
if anyone flies above 1000ft altitude. LASMs help here if the timer springs,
but generally the timer is useless as 3 missiles on the target will cue the
next set of events. Just fly as fast as possible to do get there in time!
Since it hasn't been refueled and has taken battle damage, it is forced to
surface and will launch unmanned drones (UAVs) after awhile. It can still
fire its fragmenting burst warheads -- the kind that require altitude of over
5000 feet to evade -- but besides that, it's not that tough. Amidst the SAMs
and AA guns is the target 'Hrimfaxi,' which is required to be destroyed for
the mission to end. This would be a very quick mission if the sub didn't
continuously submerge and re-emerge, though -- this function's eventually
broken, however. That's the time is finally gets its frag warheads to work,
though. Stay frosty, and for god's sake, take out those SAMs!
And what's this? The team's been dubbed the Demons of Razgriz? Yeah, this'll
be blabbed throughout the game.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This one can take some work. Try to sink a few subs en route to the Hrimfaxi
initially, then destroy the Supply Sub near the target when close there. The
submarine barricade that's established a perimeter will eventually disappear
and try to move in closer, some of which appear as targets throughout the
battle (if you're in range on the minimap). Besides that, unmanned drones'll
be unleashed when the Hrimfaxi surfaces, so they can provide 500pts/per. They
quit being launched when the sub regains its burst-missile capacity though!
The target itself is worth only 2000, so get about 4500+ points before taking
it down to secure the "S" rank. A fat bonus is waiting...! [Using LASMs or
UGBs will severely damage nearby parts if not outright destroy them; using
plain missiles will make this battle take three times as long!]
NOTE: UAVs typically get hit by the burst missiles and disappear, robbing one
of precious points! Take out as many as possible in the first half of the
Scinfaxi battle. Also, escort submarines disappear during the 2nd half, so
really, if you screw yourself in the 1st half, it's impossible to get S-rank
in the final.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
14) ICE CAGE [WK14]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 12 AIR | 18 GRND | -- NAVAL | 30 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: MIG-31 or F-14A
OBJECTIVES: Destroy air patrols and protect the Sea Goblins during the rescue
RANK BONUS: $8000 [S] / $---- [A] / $---- [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 12:00
DIFFICULTY: 3/10
This mission entails breaking some POWs out of a snowy mountain region, and
protecting the rescue copters (callsign Sea Goblin) during the escape. But,
before all that, one has to take down the air patrols in the area that usually
come in small pairs and only appear when Wardog's in their vicinity (this is
due to the snowstorm). All take two normal missiles except the TND-53s which
require one more. The locations of the crafts are randomized, generally.
When all planes are destroyed, the POW camp appears in the SE corner. Before
the copters can safely take off, the defences must be destroyed. They're all
AA guns and SAMs, so normal missiles can take care of these suckers without
batting an eye. Make sure to clear 'em out quickly (set team to 'Attack'
with special weapons) to avoid any friendlies being fired upon. A few more
SAMs appear around the camp after the initial ground targets are smoldering,
but it's a minor inconvenience at best.
Unfortunately, Nagase gets shot down at the end...
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Score 7780 points, which is the mandatory total for all targets.
Nagase has crashed but is alive, although enemies are gradually encroaching
on her position -- time to act fast! Underneath the compass is a new device
that is used to help locate her transmitting signal. There are two things
it measures: distance and tempo. When the former's bars are closer together,
the player knows the general direction of the fallen pilot is; when the
latter's tempo & pitch grow more rapid, the closer she is. Unfortunately,
there will be an E-767 jamming craft that disrupts the search temporarily
when Blaze gets close enough.
Edge's downed plane's position's is randomized each time, for reference. When
close enough to her, she'll see Blaze and a mission update comes in where the
team has to protect the Sea Goblin crew. In this case the best defense is a
good offense -- start sanitizing the skies while the helicopter's inbound,
then protect it (DO THIS) from fighters when it's nearby, lest it be shot
down pronto.
The mission automatically ends when Sea Goblin gets to Nagase's position and
descends, not when all enemies are done (infinite numbers, actually). Once
again, Chopper will mention "Face of the Coin" and if it would be a good song
for this situation. Answering "Yes" leads to Mission 16a, "No" leads to 16b.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(X-29A) Daredevil: spawns at Blaze's fore when the E-767 jammer is scrapped.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
8000 points seems like a hard task, but the player usually can get that just
by protecting Sea Goblin. SAAMs can really help here, especially when a pack
of enemies is far away and closing in. To even the odds a bit, make sure to
spend some time killing enemies during the search for Nagase, then spend the
last 3-4 minutes looking for her. There are some ground targets in this
mission that can provide an easy pick-me-up, too.
NEWLY UNLOCKED
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
• JAS-39C, F-117A
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
16a) DESERT ARROW [W16A]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | 12 AIR | 40 GRND | -- NAVAL | 52 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: MIG-31 or F-14A
OBJECTIVES: Score at least 10000 points within time limit
RANK BONUS: $1000 [S] / $0750 [A] / $0625 [B] / $0500 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 15:00
DIFFICULTY: 6/10
Probably the most boring of the two 16 missions, this one is a huge desert
offensive. Edge is back to assist now, so pick your favorite weapons with
a good balance. I still suggest the MIG-31 for its high missile payload and
useful SAAMs, although a plane geared towards ground types would help also.
The main objective for this mission is to score 10k points within fifteen
minutes, and it's really not that hard to do on principle: save missiles for
aerial targets and gun down anything below. Most fighters are maneuverable
enough to trash missile shots, so this may not be as simple as previous
missions. When each wave of enemies is destroyed, it usually opens up a few
ground targets. Watch out for the Vulcans which take 4 normal missiles to
destroy!
When most of the air forces are destroyed -- and this can take about 11:00
counting missed shots -- the field HQ appears in the north and a facility
appears in the SW. In between the two is a hangar that contains more Falken
parts (it's sitting by itself), so make sure to destroy that as well.
Once the 15:00 timer is depleted, an enemy AWACs appears around the middle
of the map and must be destroyed. One usually doesn't have any missiles left
around this time, so make good use of that new 15:00 and set allies weapons'
to 'Special' and 'Attack.' The four targets are E-767s and KC-10s, and both
can eat 4 missiles before tanking -- harrowing news for someone with only a
handful of weapons left. =/
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(MIG-31M) Cosm: Towards the end of the mission, fly amongst the KC-10s and
E-767s and it should appear behind Blaze in pursuit.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Score about 21500 points. Destroying all the planes will give about 18500 so
that means the field HQ and the other ground cluster have to suffice for the
rest. The allies will probably have to assist for the final AWACS segment,
since missile reserves are usually bone-dry. Lean on your allies and try to
pick off any planes they've already damaged for good measure. It's a war of
attrition, almost!
NEWLY UNLOCKED
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
• F-35C, Typhoon
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
16b) DESERT THUNDER [W16B]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | ?? AIR | 88 GRND | 03 NAVAL | 89 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: MIG-34 or F-14A
OBJECTIVES: Score at least 10000 points within time limit
RANK BONUS: $1000 [S] / $0750 [A] / $0625 [B] / $0500 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 15:00
DIFFICULTY: 5/10
The flipside of the 16th battle is still in the Jilachi Desert, with a huge
amount of ground forces and few planes, making it undoubtedly the easier of
the "coinflip" outcomes. There are friendly tanks and planes that help out
here like usual, but most of the enemies are concentrated on the riverbank.
However, one thing that doesn't change from Desert Arrow is that many points
can be gotten on planes -- ground targets are crap on that end.
With about 4:00 on the clock, the refinery on the riverbank (SW) is marked
for termination. The smokestacks will give most of the points although the
oil tankers on both sides of the water are easily shot. All in all, I'd say
it's not too hard to get 17000+ points, prioritizing planes when they show
up and using the vulcan for everything else.
After the first timer is done, enemy naval reinforcements appear on the
river (new timer is 5:00). They'll launch planes from the deck, so make sure
to keep the ally planes at bay in order to get enough points before destroying
the target (killing 'Battleship' destroys all guns on deck, also).
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(EA-16G) Abelcain: when the destroyer appears on the river, this appears in
one of the waves towards the end (third?) along the western screen bounary.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
As previously said, a spry pilot who prioritizes airplanes over crappy ground
targets should be able to get 17000+ points within the first 15:00. Keep in
mind that some targets at the northern airport and refinery only show up as
targets in the final minutes (4:00) of the first fifteen, and can actually be
destroyed before then, too. When the naval reinforcements arrive, destroy the
frigate and all the destroyer's guns, then set everyone to 'Cover' and shoot
down the destroyer's launched planes until the S-rank is achieved; finally,
destroy the destroyer to finish. It'll probably cut it close, so make sure
to use all time in this mission going for targets -- gunning down ground ones
and saving missiles for airborne. My order of progression here:
Airport -> Riverbank Refinery -> Hilltop Fort -> Rest of Bases -> Naval Rein.
Hey, war isn't all blood and guts -- this time the 'Razgriz' have been booked
for a stadium halftime show, and are to fly overhead. Buy a good air-to-air
plane here and -- surprise! -- the Typhoon has just openedup, and has XLAA
missiles that are going to be the bane of many foes if used. You can still
use the MIG-34 if it's killgauge is almost leveled-up, though.
The first part of the mission, as said, is flying overhead of the stadium.
Fly in a (loose) group with the rest of the wingmen to do it correctly; fly
too far away and it's game over! November City has such a fickle audience...
However, the real show begins soon after as some aircraft kickstard a dog-
-fight for no apparent reason. Reinforcements won't arrive until 14:00 are
left, sadly.
Typhoons and SU-27s are the typical 2-shot enemies here, but there will be
some MIG-34s flying around as well, and these take three shots. They're very
dexterous so don't waste a bunch of missiles trying to shoot them from long-
-range!! Oh, and don't shoot into the sun. After awhile, F-177A bombers will
be marked targets so make sure everyone's on 'Special Weapons' and 'Attack'
for that portion.
When all targets are destroyed, the mission continues a bit so everyone can
see the sad scenes. The final mission update involves intercepting the other
enemy fighters, so continue fighting until 0'54"94 when the mission abruptly
concludes.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(FB-22) Proteus: Appears around the SE area of the mission boundary, almost
near where the team started the trek to the stadium.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
23000+ Points! To put it in perspective, I got 25620 points by destroying all
waves until the bombers were targets, then 3-4 more in the aftermath; that's
23260 with everything besides the aftermath. 'Cause it takes so much firepower
just to do this, I suggest giving everyone a Typhoon if possible, with the
player getting one for sure. There's not much leeway room here.
This is one of the more difficult missions in the game because the player's
got to baby the grounding forces more than any other assault. Bring a craft
that has a high missile capacity, the highest at the moment (F/A-22A) owns
eighty-two (82). You might want to get it anyway just because it has an
"evolution" from its killbar, and the Typhoon is probably already maxed out
if everyone's been flyin' one.
The mission starts with the ground force in a canyon approaching the fort,
which has a bunch of pillboxes and bunkers near there. Make sure to take
out all pillboxes and the control towers over the gate, then silence the
bunkers (temporarily for now) until the team requests clearance to break in.
Once they're in, there will be some tanks, AA guns, and SAMs that will roll
around, sometimes taking shelter in open-ended bunkers. Like the tunnels in
"Powder Keg," they're completely shielded until they roll out again (or a
missile is fired laterally, which is dangerous and not recommended). Top
priority at this point is silencing the bunkers fixed into the mountaintops,
which will continuously fire on the tiny tank batallion. If you have time,
shoot anything taking off on the runway. [The bunkers are destroyed after a
few 'resurrections,' usually two.]
If everything is going well, the team will get out of the fortress' other
end, into a similar canyon as before, where some tanks are waiting. Take them
and the control tower's backside out as quickly as possible, salvaing a win
hopefully!
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(F-2A) Cypher: Appears NW of fortress after destroying all current aircraft.
Spawning it can be a slight nuisance since the ground troops need babying,
so the best time to do this is when they're already inside and all bunkers
have been destroyed. Note that the runway spits out 4-5 JAS-39Cs which'll
contribute to the total aircraft amount (in case all are destroyed and it's
still not spawned or somethin').
_____________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
18+) 8492 [WK18]
_____________________________________________________
¯¯| ENEMY | ?? AIR | -- GRND | -- NAVAL | -- TRGT |¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: Whatever was used during "Fortress"
OBJECTIVES: Escape combat zone via eastern border
RANK BONUS: $---- [S] / $---- [A] / $---- [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 20:00
DIFFICULTY: 5/10
This mission has a small addendum, which involves refueling with the 8492nd
Squadron. Only as soon as the team approaches, they realize there isn't such
a squadron and are attacked! The goal here is to outrun the enemy forces and
reach the eastern end of the map, which is easier said than done! They'll
give chase, so contour to the terrain and fly low as possible to trash their
missile shots. The E-767s here're creating those phantom targets (as seen in
"Blind Spot") so once that's down, it'll be a lot less hectic.
The other option is to fight back, which can be fun in this hyperdogfight.
XAAMs are a great option for shacking multiple targets (although most will
miss), and the Belkan team will be capable opponent. In fact, expect to die
if you're not careful -- luckily this mission is restarted, not Fortress as
well. This might be the battle AC vets have been aching to play since the
game started, actually...
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(TND-ECR) Twicedead: appears in the SW corner after only a few third-wave
fighters are remaining.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
11000+ points, which is incredibly simple to get -- destroying the ground
targets alone can give this amount, so it should really be easy pickins for
someone with 80+ missiles. For "8492," 11800 points are necessary, which is
basically destroying every one of the enemy ambushers.
After the exciting scenes back at Sand Island, this has the team escaping
with their good friend Pops, who is leading them along through a mountainous
island region with four 8492ers on their tail. No Hawk has munitions so this
is essentially an evasion mission, kinda like the last one but in more dire
circumstances.
When the objective says to follow Pops, it means it -- stray too far and it's
automatic failure. He'll fly around 280 miles an hour and take the Razgriz on
a rather fantasic maneuvering "course" in an attempt to evade the pursuers,
which involves odd turns, low flying, and -- eep! -- going through caves. If
you don't enjoy soaring through enclosed spaces, you'll hate some upcoming
missions.
After the second tunnel (apx. 2:40), which beams and other things to avoid,
the tour...err, flight has an exciting finish. If you need help in this 2nd
tunnel, there's a good tip: at the path split, take the way Pops doesn't; it
is much more straightforward and easier.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Complete the mission. Easy?
Since this mission is based off the Kestrel, there's only a set number of
aircraft that are available, and some of those may not even have been bought
yet (the Rafale M doesn't even show up on the list!). The F-14A might be the
best choice given the circumstances.
We begin by approaching the castle with the Sea Goblin rescue heli nearby and
Captain Snow as the new 4th ally -- he follows orders and whatnot like the
rest, and is voiced by the great Beau Billingslea! The castle environs have
some weak defenses, mostly AA guns, to destroy at first. The nearby dock will
spit out a gunboat every now and then like clockwork (supposing there isn't
one on the water already) all throughout this mission, for reference; shoot
it occassionally as it often targets the circling heli.
With the guns suppressed initially, the rescue operation begins. This cues
some tanks, AA guns, and SAMs -- all in their own little groups -- to emerge
from the surrounding area. Disperse here but save special weapons for later,
if they're SAAMs or similar. Suppress the advances for awhile until a bunch
of tanks go up the castle's (bottleneck) gate, then switch everyone to Attack.
Mission ends if the invasion force or helicopter gets shot up, so destroy any
foe on the front lawn. It'll take a balance of aerial/ground targets to ensure
everyone's safety.
After awhile, a new target will appear on the castle's east wall overlooking
the sea: Wall. This needs to be destroyed for a makeshift escape route. Sea
Goblin will eventually make the rescue and needs to be defended from the huge
plane swarm in the skies; luckily it doesn't take too far before the mission
automatically ends. [Watch out for missile locks after the mission finished
message!]
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The goal is 14k+ points here, which is not that difficult overall -- it's all
about missile conservation, saving the heatseekers for the aerial targets and
gunning down the constantly-emerging AA guns, SAMs, and tanks during the
rescue operation. If you need extra time, don't break down the wall right
after they ask; use that time to get some SAAM kills. [I've tried many times
to get B/C ranks on this, but it just doesn't seem to gel with all the
escort fighting that needs to be done.]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
21) SOLITAIRE [WK21]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯| ENEMY | -- AIR | -- GRND | -- NAVAL | 03 TRGT |¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: F/A-22A
OBJECTIVES: Reach factory and use camera on targets
RANK BONUS: $24000 [S] / $18000 [A] / $15000 [B] / $12000 [C]
TIME LIMIT: 15:00
DIFFICULTY: 4/10
This solo mission will be carried out by Blaze, as he reconnoiters a factory
at the north end of a radar field. This is basically a mixture of the missions
"Handful of Hope" and "Final Option," where the chosen craft is stripped of
its weapons (it has ten RCAM cameras) and must get through radar on wit alone.
However, since there's no one tagging along, this shouldn't be that hard...in
theory.
The radar fields are on the riverbanks, which means the natural path to
proceed is straight upriver. The lower the altitude, the smaller the radar
'bubbles' are, so let your wings hit the proverbial water if possible. The
path is awfully straightforward -- long, but straightforward -- except at
one point where the river has some radar overlap and Blaze must fly over a
hill near a construction site. Watch the minimap intensely to avoid having
to do this boring section over. Mission obviously fails if the plane is
detected in an capacity.
Once the radarfield's penetrated, the targets will be laid bare. Pops wants
a picture of the mine entrance and transport plane in one frame, then both
of the runway's planes before they take off. All the time in the world is
given for the first, but the 2nd one has a small window so don't dally. Note
that the pictures can be from near or far; distance doesn't matter as long
as the correct targets are captured.
When satisfactorily completed said planes will take off, so ditch the fuzz
by reaching the western boundary line. Since Blaze is already detected, don't
mind those radar nets. Remember that the trees don't damage the plane, so
it should be easy to contour to the hillsides to avoid missiles.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Beat the mission in under 6:00. If you like to play missions like these
defensively like me, going as slow as possible to avoid tiny radar bubbles,
that ain't going to cut it here. Pick something with high maneuverability
and blaze a trail through; this may be easier after going through once already
to get the hang of it.
This mission takes place in the same map as "Solitaire," except now the river
is guarded by a bunch of installations and a few gunboats. Each 'station' as
the SU-47 duo leading up to the airport, which has some SAMs and flak guns on
its perimeter. Around this time, a 'Rock Bed' above the nuke tunnel will be
targeted for destruction. This target soaks up a lot of damage before giving
up the ghost, so if you want S-rank, take advantage of the long-running timer
and shoot down some SU-47s/YF-23As which should boost that point total up
with ease.
If you find your point total isn't exactly where you want it to be, know that
some clusters of ground targets around the mountain will show up on the map
only when most others are gone (some enemies, like SAMs, may reappear in
spots they were already destroyed, also). Make sure to conserve enough
missiles to destroy the rockbed, as setting allies to 'Attack' and using the
vulcan only help so much.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
17500+ points are required for this one. The general flow is gunning down the
river targets, saving missiles for aircraft that appear later around the mine
shaft tunnel. However, there is a _finite_ amount of Belkan aircraft to shoot
down here, so use missed ground targets to pick up the slack. [NOTE: the
airport hangars are never marked on the map but can be destroyed easily for
300ish points. Good pick-me-up!]
This is one of the more interesting levels, set in Payavlenia Ravine in north
Yuktobania. It's a purely air-to-air fight so bring something that rips up
the skies and has a high missile payload, such as the oft-used F/A-22A! It'll
be a fun one for sure...
Alright, the lowdown is some college students have stolen a Yuke nuke and are
trying to dismantle it in a secret canyon facility. The enemy is searching
high and low for them, so in the meantime, they request assistance in smoking
the search parties. As the player will soon find out, they're made up of
helicopters and gunboats (one-missile kills essentially) and some high-flying
Typhoons. The downside to this seemingly easy mission is that the team can't
fly higher than the canyon rim lest an automated missile system be triggered.
This can make backtracking and turning a bit of an annoyance, but in essence,
anyone who can fly through underground tunnels should be able to do this with
little trouble overall.
When all targets are destroyed -- yes, all! -- the Ofrir squadron comes in
and wants to pick a fight with the "Ghosts of Razgriz". The four of them are
aces who fly in SU-35s, so the make and model have been seen before. They'll
fly at breakneck speeds, which can pose a problem; luckily the timer improves
to 15:00! They fly in pairs, so any XAAMs can be helpful.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(MIG-21-93) Swordkill: appears in the eastern canyon near where the allies
began, after destroying a little over half the helicopters/gunboats.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Destroy all canyon targets and the Ofrir fighters (total: 13540). Note that
more points can be gained by downing the Typhoons that tail the player during
the first part, but that's optional.
Oh man, this mission gave me so much trouble when I first played. Bring a
craft that's fast-moving and has a high missile capacity, as both will be
employed here like never before! XAAMs will be very, very useful here as they
are powerful and can be double-fired!
The lowdown is that the White Bird is now being used as a nuke mule and must
be shot down before it destroys any cities on either side of the battle. The
battle starts by trailing the massive machine as it slowly arcs downward to
attack range. Of course nothing can ever be so simple!
After the scene, shoot the westbound Arkbird once to make it start launching
UAVs. Ignore the UAVs themselves and focus on skeetching the two Launchers,
using both normal missiles and XAAMs to avoid any downtime. Awhile later, the
'Laser' becomes a target on the underside. We've seen what it's capable of
in previous missions, and it's an instakill if it hits Blaze; however, it
can only fire downward or laterally so above the Arkbird is safe ground. A
purple-ish color will be seen if it's almost going to fire on the player, so
use that for evasion purposes. [In fact, continuously move in and out of
range, which should also trash any Vogel mission shots that will undoubtedly
try gun for Kid.]
Now, the important part of this battle is prioritizing! When the Laser first
appears, ignore the Launchers and focus on that, using XAAMs to hit all three
targets. When the two Engines appear, ignore the Laser (if it still exists)
and focus on them. The point is to destroy the engines as quickly as possible
since the mission automatically fails if it reaches the western boundary;
junking the engines turns it southward.
If you get to this point, pat yourself on the back! On its topside, another
laser and AAMs (anti-air missiles) will appear. Once again, destroy the laser
first and foremost before taking out the auxiliary engines. When one fails,
it'll be at a weird slant so realign to make sure no shots are trashed. When
both fail, it'll lose altitude until it reaches the ocean's surface. At this
point, one final engine appears as it tries to hold itself above water in an
slow movement... Defeat it in this sorry state to get a mission complete!
What was manmade is now man-unmade.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
While destroying the Arkbird is a task in itself (6210 points overall), but
it has to be defeated within 7:00, and with all the wasted time for scenes
and dialogue, it cuts it pretty close. Prioritizing is the most important,
so make sure to destroy its engines immediately to turn it southward. The
engines are the linchpins to the beast, and their immediate destruction will
help immensely. Toward the final descend toward the ocean, make sure to take
care of any UAVs that may still be around -- no use wasting time shadowing
the Arkbird.
This is actually a rather easy mission, as the player decides the difficulty
via the chosen paths. Bartlett starts the mission in a car and needs Razgriz
to pick the best routes for him to follow. The shortcuts will contain more
resistance but are obviously quicker; the longcuts have less resistance and
take longer to reach the airport. There are three instances the player is
asked to pick, and they actually do come into play since there is a deadline
to meet. M'self, I usually choose Long -> Long -> Short. Just make sure to
ignore enemy aircraft when checkpoints appear, as Bartlett's procession can't
stand much flak from pillboxes and the like.
Once at the airport, destroy targets until Nikanor and Bartlett can get up in
a plane. The Grabacr squadron last seen during "Ghosts of Razgriz" will once
again appear to raise hell, so let 'em and their F-15S/MTDs meet their maker.
If the wingmen aren't already set on Attack/Special Weapons, do so for this
portion. Really, the only way this last portion should be trying is if one
wasted a bunch of missiles during the road portion. Bartlett can't fight back
for this portion, so it's all up to the Razgriz!
Mission ends when the Grabacr are craters.
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(YA-10B) Distantthunder: when the Grabacr fighters appear over the airport
towards the end, this sucker spawns in the north-central portion of the map.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Finish the mission within 15 minutes. This is, obviously, easier to do by
taking the shortcut everytime Bartless asks for navigation advice.
Like all naval battles before this, using LASMs can either soften targets or
destroy them outright, rather than wasting 3-4 missiles per each destroyer.
The Kestrel only has a set number of crafts to choose from overall (F-14A,
A-6E, F/A-18C, F-35C, RAFALE M) and only the F/A-18C has said capabilities.
This massive sea battle starts off with a twist: some of the enemy's fleet
defects and needs asylum (these are marked with FRND tags). The easiest way
to protect them is to immediately start blowin' holes in carriers, which'll
be the quick fix to stopping plane launches. Some of the destroyers have two
targets to be destroyed, some have three; concentrating on 'Destroyer' or
similarly named targets can often destroy the weaker 1-missile guns without
wasting extra ammo. Halfway through the fleet's demise, another appetizer is
served: reinforcements...in a strange way. Same types of ships as the rest.
The last portion involves shooting down the previously launched planes and
the mixed-bag waves that appear. Although the planes are regular types and
commonplace by now, these b-rate planes the Kestrel has have crappy missile
capacities so it's almost imperative to conserve by using the vulcan gun on
the fleet. At the very least, shoot two missiles and finish off with the gun.
Mission ends when all airborne things are underwaterborner!
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(RAFALE B) Decoder: The easiest way to make it spawn is ignoring aircraft and
going for the naval targets; when they're all gone, it spawns in front of
Blaze. I've had it spawn at the very end as well, which probably relates to
doing the inverse strategy at the beginning (aircraft instead of ships).
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Complete the mission in 9:00. The general strategy is to destroy the carriers
first, then toss LASMs like they're hot potatoes. Don't be afraid to use the
vulcan gun for low-flyin' madness, as that can often save ammo for the final
stage: deep-sixing the annoying SU-47s & Typhoons. Set everyone to 'Attack'
and 'Special Weapons', naturally.
Technically the final mission in the game! A high missile capacity will help
for the first part, while speed is essential in the second half. As the start
a whole bunch of enemy fighter squadrons will pull a fast one and join the
ally group, inbound to a North Belkan town under nightfall. The targets here
are normal fare: tanks, gun towers (watch out for SAMesque missiles), and
pillboxes. This all regards the objective of gaining entrance to the SOLG
facility's tunnel. I suppose the mission fails if the enemy ground forces
are defeated, although for any decent pilot this is a blatant non-issue.
When the tunnel is opened -- a hole in the north-central part of the city --
following a notification, Blaze will have to fly solo inside. The tunnel's
rather straightforward at the start, so take it slow; when encountering a
larger room, yaw left/right instead of hard turning, which will help keep it
steady. Eventually an enemy pilot will also fly inside, hot on the player's
trail. Generally "he" will use vulcan gunning, but missiles are possible for
the straighter parts of the course -- put the pedal to the medal en route to
the SOLG control system, which appears as a target a little before actually
finding it.
Now, there's no auto lock-on for the control system, which itself is in a
large room. Shoot two missiles at it once lock-on is achieved, and yaw right
to the adjoining tunnel, whose door unlocks if the SOLG is trashed (if it
isn't, Blaze just hits the locked door -- oops!). From here, it's a rush to
the exit with "him" still pursuing. Bartlett will be in communication during
this part, since he's flying in the opposite direction (towards) and tells
how to avoid smashing into each other. He'll fly around middle, so I suggest
flying as close to the floor as possible to avoid a head-on collision.
Enemy pilots will be following Bartlett as well, so make sure to shoot them
down from afar while avoiding them. This can be a little hard but generally
is another non-issue if using, say, XAAMs (although not imperative). Overall,
the trip back is a little harder due to flying upwards...but also obstacles
in the path, namely a crane and some, uh, oversized hurdles towards the last
room. These hurdles (x2) are the bane of many pilots, and essentially narrow
the field of flying, so one either goes through the lower part or pulls some
tricky flying over them (to miss the upper lip of the tunnel). There will be
little time to get a visual on these hurdles, so don't fly too near the wall
for good measure. If you don't know what I'm talking about, they come almost
immediately after the 2nd wave of SU-47s (x2, or 3 with the special pilot)
############################################################################
NOTE: You may have noticed through the course of the game that downed planes
are still 'solid,' unlike helicopters which blow up entirely, and can still
destroy a target that hits them head-on. BUT, in this mission, they are KO'd
entirely so don't try maneuvers to avoid a front-end collision; can't occur!
############################################################################
Remember that all throughout the second leg of the tunnel, doors will be
closing, so with "him" hot on your heels, there's no time to slow dance out
of this sucker. Flying out the tunnel's end concludes the mission -- yay!
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(SU-37) Yellow: towards the end of the tunnel portion, there's a group of two
aircraft who approach; the ace appears in their group if enough targets were
destroyed outside, I believe. Or maybe he's always there...and I'm insane...
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Score 15000+ points in the time limit. Ground and air targets outside results
in a total of 12600 overall, which means Blaze will have to destroy some of
the targets inside the SOLG tunnel -- easy peasy! XAAMs help, as previously
stated.
_____________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
27+) THE UNSUNG WAR [WK27]
_____________________________________________________
¯¯| ENEMY | 12 AIR | -- GRND | -- NAVAL | 12 TRGT |¯¯
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
RECOMMENDS: Whatever was used in the previous mission (mandatory)
OBJECTIVES: Defeat the Grabacr squadron, then the SOLG itself
RANK BONUS: $---- [S] / $---- [A] / $---- [B] / $---- [C]
TIME LIMIT: 10:00
DIFFICULTY: 7/10
The SOLG, a.k.a. a massive space station, is now tumbling towards the Ocean
capital! The first portion involves a rendezvous with the projected point
of atmospheric reentry, the NW corner of the map. About halfway there, the
Grabacr will interfere and demand a final showdown -- time to oblige! These're
top-shelf crafts and while they're unequivocally the best enemy pilots the
game has to offer, they're not so great they should put up too much of a
challenge. The 10-minute timer continuously runs here and missiles will be
needed for the final portion as well; don't waste too many on moronic shots!
[You can actually ignore them if the SOLG has already appeared as a target,
mind you.]
Anyway, when the SOLG finally appears in the NW corner, this massive creature
has to be destroyed piecemeal. It's still in rotation which obscures some of
the targets. First things first, start missile-ing the breakaway panels on
the thing. Staying behind it is a lot easier for figuring trajectories, but
remember that destroying portions actually will fling the loose panels and
debris backwards, which instantly kills a pilot in the flightpath -- watch
out! [NOTE: Some of the loose panels are not the real targets, so feel free
to vulcan-gun those suckers out of the way.] Mission and game ends when the
SOLG targets are rubble!
SPECIAL PILOT?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
(MIG-1.44) Replicator: after the Ofnir/Grabacr team is destroyed, careens
towards the ally team from the eastern screen boundary. There must be 1:00+
left on the SOLG's timer or it won't appear at all, though -- that gives
a little under two minutes to defeat the dual squadron.
S-RANK PREREQS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Defeat all targets for 44160 points.
NEWLY UNLOCKED
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Save the clear data after the scenes to unlock 'SP New Game' which carries
all aircraft, money, and unlocked modes over from the previous cycle; and
Free Mission' which lets the player replay any mission from the previous
game, including path branches that weren't normally accessible.
_________ _______ _______ _ ______ _
\__ __/|\ /|( ____ \ ( ____ \( ( /|( __ \ ( )
) ( | ) ( || ( \/ | ( \/| \ ( || ( \ )| |
| | | (___) || (__ | (__ | \ | || | ) || |
| | | ___ || __) | __) | (\ \) || | | || |
| | | ( ) || ( | ( | | \ || | ) |(_)
| | | ) ( || (____/\ | (____/\| ) \ || (__/ ) _
)_( |/ \|(_______/ (_______/|/ )_)(______/ (_)
_______________________
_____________________________________________________/ IV. APPENDICES [APND] |_
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
ENEMY ACES [NMAC]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Enemy aces are pilots with special names and callsigns, which appear only
after certain conditions are done (usually). They take more effort to bring
down and give more points than normal planes, which is one reason to seek
them out; another is that defeating them all gives a medal for the gallery
and each unlocks a custom paintjob for their model. For instance, defeating
the SU-37 Yellow unlocks the SP for that craft when it's bought.
Planes are listed in order of appearance for convenience. Note that it's
impossible to get the medal until beating the game once and unlocking 'Free
Mission' mode, which allows the player to do any missed path branches.
___________ ________________ _____ ________________________________________
| MODEL | CALLSIGN | LVL | SPAWN CONDITIONS |
|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| Hawk | Gigantor | 01 | Appears above final wave if other two |
| | | | were defeated quickly. |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| F-14 | Zipang | 03 | Destroy all aircraft (comes from west) |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| F-4G | Mindripper | 04 | Appears in first portion (before Pops |
| | | | flies) after destroying a couple F-4s |
| | | | and B-1Bs, from the north |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| MIR-2000D | Zahrada | 06 | Spawns from the east after destroying |
| | | | a few F-16Cs and F-20As (escortless) |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| EA-6B | Dune | 10 | Destroy all E-767 jammers and a few of |
| | | | the other targets. Spawn: SE corner |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| X-29A | Daredevil | 15 | Spawn nearby after destroying an E-767 |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| MIG-31M | Cosm | 16A | Amongst final wave of KC-10s & E-767s |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| EA-6B | Abelcain | 16B | After destroyer's appeared, appear w/ |
| | | | the 3rd (?) wave of air escorts. |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| FB-22 | Proteus | 17 | Spawns alone after the "stadium crash" |
| | | | events, in the SE region of map |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| F2-A | Cypher | 18 | Appears NW of fortress after all the |
| | | | other aircraft are destroyed |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| TND-ECR | Twicedead | 18+ | When only a handful of enemies remain, |
| | | | appears around SE corner |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| MIG-21-93 | Swordkill | 23 | Appears around eastern starting point |
| | | | after apx. 50% helis/gunboats wrecked |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| YA-10B | Distantthunder | 25 | When Grabacr appear over airport, this |
| | | | spawns alone in the NW region |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| Rafale B | Decoder | 26 | Appears in front of player after all |
| | | | naval targets are destroyed |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| SU-37 | Yellow | 27 | In tunnel, appears with final pair of |
| | | | SU-37s (may have to destroy many outer |
| | | | targets to force its spawn, however). |
|-----------+----------------+-----+----------------------------------------|
| MIG-1.44 | Replicator | 27+ | Appears in east if Grabacr/Ofnir squad |
| | | | is destroyed and SOLG timer is 1:00+ |
|___________|________________|_____|________________________________________|
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
MEDALS [MDLS]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Medals have little purpose, but can be viewed in the 'Gallery' option of the
main menu. Completing certain conditions in Campaign mode will give these
little trinkets that commemorates feats of excellence.
__________________ ________________________________________________________
| MEDAL NAME | METHOD OF OBTAINING |
|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| Gold Anchor | Beat Mission 3 (Narrow Margin) |
| Lightning Hammer | Beat Mission 9 (Lit Fuse) with minimal ally casualties |
| Bronze Shooter | Defeat 5 enemies with just the vulcan machine gun |
| Silver Shooter | Defeat 15 enemies with just the vulcan machine gun |
| Gold Shooter | Defeat 50 enemies with just the vulcan machine gun |
| Desert Eagle | Beat Mission 16a or 16b with minimal ally casualties |
| Grand Falcon | Shoot down all (16) named aircraft throughout the game |
| Bronze Ace | Destroy 200 enemy targets |
| Silver Ace | Destroy 500 enemy targets |
| Gold Ace | Destroy 1000 enemy targets |
| Guardian | Kill 10 foes that have missile lock on Blaze's wingmen |
| Needle's Eye | Do all optional refuelings, takeoffs, and landings |
| Bronze Wing | Get "S" rank on all missions (Normal) |
| Silver Wing | Get "S" rank on all missions (Hard) |
| Gold Wing | Get "S" rank on all missions (Expert) |
|__________________|________________________________________________________|
For perfect refuelings and landings, Tsukikage71 theorizes that they must be
accomplished within 40 and 20 seconds, respectively. If done spot-on, there
will be a "Perfect, Blaze!" message.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
PLANE OVERVIEW [PLNV]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Planes are the heart and soul of a dogfighter game, and there's a crapload to
pick and choose from. Most are unlocked by progressing the campaign, although
some grow only by upgrading. To upgrade, pick a plane and make sure there's
more to its "family tree" than just itself; then, use that plane in battle to
destroy targets. Doing this increases the plane's killbar (or killgauge) that
will eventually let its next-best be bought from the hangar. [NOTE: Sometimes
a player can only use certain available crafts, such as on the Kestrel.] The
killbars can be filled in both Campaign and Free Mission mode, for reference.
All planes have infinite machine-gun ammo and will carry normal missile
payloads, and have only one auxiliary weapon that cannot be changed (sorry
AC04 fans!).
LEGEND
¯¯¯¯¯¯
Name: Self-explanitory, I hope
TY : Plane nomenclature (fighter, attacker, multirole)
SP : Speed
MB : Mobility
ST : Stability
DF : Defense
AA : Air-to-Air capabilities
AG : Air-to-Ground capabilities
* : Denotes upgrades that become available simultaneously
To unlock the X-02, buy at least one of every plane in the game, which will
include ugprades as well. To get the Falken, unlock 'Free Mission' mode after
beating the game and destroy the special hangars in missions: 12a, 12b, 16a,
16b, and 27.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
UNLOCKABLES [NLCK]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Completing certain feats in the game unlocks paint colors, planes, and modes
to peruse. Hopefully this is self-explanitory! ["SP" stands for special paint]
|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| Hawk SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Gigantor" in Mission #1 |
| F-14 SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Zipang" in Mission #3 |
| F-4 SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Mindripper" in Mission #4 |
| MIR-2000D SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Zahrada" in Mission #6 |
| EA-6B SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Dune" in Mission #10 |
| X-29A SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Daredevil" in Mission #15 |
| MIG-31M SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Cosm" in Mission #16a |
| EA-6B SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Abelcain" in Mission #16b |
| FB-22 SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Proteus" in Mission #17 |
| F-2A SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Cypher" in Mission #18 |
| TND-ECR SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Twicedead" in Mission #18+ |
| MIG-21-93 SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Swordkill" in Mission #23 |
| YA-10B | Shoot down enemy ace "Distantthunder" in Mission 25 |
| Rafale B SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Decoder" in Mission #26 |
| SU-37 SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Yellow" in Mission #27 |
| MIG-1.44 SP | Shoot down enemy ace "Replicator" in Mission #27+ |
| F-22A SP | Complete Arcade Mode (any branch) |
| X-02 SP | Get "S" ranks on all missions in Hard difficulty |
| Falken SP | Get "S" ranks on all missions in Expert difficulty |
|_____________________|_____________________________________________________|
|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯|
| Expert Mode | Beat the game (any difficulty) |
| Ace Mode | Beat the game (any difficulty) |
| Free Mission Mode | Beat the game (any difficulty) |
| Gallery Scene Viewr | Beat the game (any difficulty) |
| X-02 Wyvern | Buy one of all planes and their upgrades |
| Falken | Wreck special hangars in missions 11a/b, 16a/b, 27 |
| F-22A | Complete Arcade Mode (any branch) or Mission 17 |
| Any Plane in Arcade | Complete Arcade Mode (any branch) |
|_____________________|_____________________________________________________|
NOTE: When it comes to getting certain paintjobs, make sure to have bought
the target craft, not just unlocked it! This can evade some glitches.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
V. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [FAQZ]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
[Q] - How do I pick which path branch I want?
[A] - The mission right before the path branch (there are two of them), that
joker Chopper will ask Blaze if he listened to "Face of the Coin". Pick
the affirmative to take the "##a" path, and the negative for the "##b"
path. Paths not chosen can be played during Free Mission mode, unlocked
after beating the game.
[Q] - Can I fight aces in Campaign?
[A] - Yes, although some have annoying spawn conditions so it's recommended to
fight some of them in 'Free Mission' mode.
[Q] - Why do some guides tell different things, plane names, etc.?
[A] - The PAL (overseas) and NTSC (North American) versions differ on some
ends, such as naming the Rafale aircraft family and the F/A-22A, which
is synonymous with the F-22A.
[Q] - How do I unlock the ________?
[A] - F-22A: complete campaign mode on any difficulty
X-02: obtain all aircraft excluding the Falken
Falken: destroy hangars during missions 12a, 12b, 16a, 16b, and 27
Note that the Falken parts are hidden within hangars during said levels,
and since they take place on path branches, it can only be assembled
after beating the game once and unlocking 'Free Mission' mode.
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
VI. UPDATES & CONTRIBUTIONS [UPDT]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
11-20-08 ----------+ Started walkthrough
12-07-08 ----------+ Finished walkthrough
12-09-08 ----------+ Updated (thanks to Tsukikage71)
NOTES TO SELF
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
• What's mission six's S-rank bonus? I forgot to put it in.
• Mission #25's B & C ranks
THANKS TO...
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
• Sailor/Ceej, for hosting my junk all this time
• The AC5 messageboard for chewing the fat with me
• g_max_, for clarifying some name confusion
• Tsukikage71, for clarifying some medal prerequisites among other things
• The readers -- it's all for you, babies!
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
VII. LEGALITY [LGLT]
_______________________________________________________________________________
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
This document is intended for private home use ONLY, and may not be reproduced
through electronic or commercial means without the expressed consent of the
author (Patrick Summers). It cannot be hosted, edited, or distributed for
profit, and may not be given away as an add-in/gift to bought items. All rights
are reserved to respective parties, even those not explicitly stated herein.
Those who find thos document on sites not listed below should e-mail the
author (Shotgunnova). Thanks for reading, and thanks for respectin' FAQers.
