So every once in a while I get a title and I think "Ahh….man…maybe I should send this to somebody else to handle." and that thought went through my head with Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.  The reason was simple – I didn't particularly enjoy Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation.

When you build on a series, there's only one way to go: higher, faster, more.

Beautiful surroundings; huge selection of craft to fly

Generic story

Luckily, folks of all skill levels are welcome. Nearly every aircraft in the game's extensive library includes a cockpit view, and experienced jockeys may opt for expert-level controls, but Assault Horizon is hardly a gauge-obsessed flight sim.

+ Emphasizes rousing close-range gunning over tiny targeting boxes; detailed ground scenery, + Lots of different aircraft, including jets, multi-role fighters, helicopters, and bombers

? Why doesn't the game include local split-screen co-op

Sometimes, it is hard for me to believe that the Ace Combat series has been around since the launch of the original PlayStation. Air combat holds a special place in my gaming past as I have really lost...

+ Great mission diversity; + Action is intense; + Online modes are fun; + Series feels fresh again

Missions are sometimes too long; Frustrating objectives; Story is forgettable

There was time a few generations back when I loved flight sims, I was at home in the cockpit of an F18 or F16, whipping under the Golden Gate Bridge or taking out SAM sites in some god forsaken plain brown wilderness. Of course that was on an Amiga1200, C64 and various PCs.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is the best air combat game of this generation. Project Aces nail the art of aerial action, with intense gameplay, sublime presentation and excellent solo and multiplayer modes.

Flying games are few and far between on major consoles today, with only IL2: Sturmovik, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. and Ace Combat flying the flag for this genre of game. And it's not hard to see why, as aviation and gaming...

The Call of Duty syndrome has spread to a whole bunch of games. What started off as being a tribute to Michael Bay has now turned into an epidemic. It has inevitably found its way into all sorts of genres, with Ace Combat: Assault Horizon being the latest victim.

This is not truly an Ace Combat game, and fans of the series will probably be disappointed. Everyone else will find this to be an entertaining blend of two genres and should find plenty to like even if they're normally unfamiliar with 'mission-based flight combat' titles.

I guess it should go without saying that if you have any issues with any kind of motion sickness in gaming, you should probably steer clear of this. Or do as I did and focus on the arrow. Don't look down. For God's sake just don't! Anyway…