Ace Combat 8 ​​received 88 points from critics, and players were angry about the pre-order bonus

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve was released on October 2, and critics greeted it warmly: on Metacritic, the game has 88 points from 60 reviews, with 98% of the ratings being positive.Metacritic users so far give it an 8.7 out of 10 based on 27 ratings.For a series that had been waiting seven years for a new serialized part, this is a strong start, but the launch was spoiled by the scandal surrounding the pre-order bonus.

Strengths

Reviewers agree that Project Aces did not turn the series into a flight simulator, but brought its signature air battles to a large scale.They praise the spectacular campaign with serious themes, the graphics with multi-layered clouds and lively skies, as well as the controls: you can play like an arcade action game or a more open simulator.One publication gave the game 100 out of 100, while another called it the new best part of the series.

Scandal around pre-order bonus

Ace Combat 8 pre-orders included the 2006 game Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.But owners of the Deluxe edition, who paid $90 for three days of early access, discovered that it is not a separate application on Steam: Zero runs only through Ace Combat 8, and it does not have its own cloud saves and achievements.On consoles, Zero is sold separately.The game's rating on Steam dropped to "mixed" at launch, but then recovered to "mostly positive."

Bandai Namco apologized and explained that due to licensing restrictions and platform features, Zero cannot yet be released on Steam as a separate application.The studio promises to explore options together with partners, but does not guarantee changes.

Price and problems on PC

On Russian Steam, the standard version costs 4,999 rubles.Early players of the early PC version complained of performance and control issues, and Bandai Namco apologized for them in advance and promised quick fixes.

Summary of ratings

Critics praise the campaign and dogfights, but players are most contentious about the bonus delivery and technical issues on PC.The fate of Ace Combat Zero on Steam has not yet been decided: Bandai Namco makes no guarantees.