Game Description

Namco's signature flight combat series returns to PlayStation 2 in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. Set 15 years before the events found in 2005's Ace Combat 5, the game has players slipping into the flight suit of a mercenary pilot working for the fictitious country of Ustio. Ustio is engaged in a bitter war with its neighbor, Belka, with the conflict being decided in the air. New to the series is the addition of skilled rivals and their specially decorated planes. These squadron leaders will employ new tactics in dogfights, requiring more skill to shoot down than typical enemies.

Ace Combat Zero also features a number of gameplay tweaks from its predecessor. Players can now assign weapon payloads for their computer-controlled wingmen, and a gallery option shows exactly what requirements are needed to unlock an assortment of bonus features. The main game mode follows a multi-mission campaign that offers a documentary film approach to the cinematic cut-scenes. After taking out enemy structures and planes in the single-player game, pilots can challenge a friend in split-screen versus play in a choice of modes, from straightforward dogfights to more elaborate capture-the-flag variants. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Producer: Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi

Director: Naoto Maeda

Lead Game Designer: Ryosuke Waki

Lead Level Designer: Satoshi Kawase

Level Designer: Kouji Inokuchi, Takeshi Inoue, Nobuyasu Mabuchi, Tadahiro Katsuta, Takahiro Nozawa, Toshiyuki Ishii, Sanshiro Hidaka

Lead Radio Script Editor: Takeshi Oi

Radio Script Editor: Sachie Yamaguchi, Kenichi Fujiwara

Radio Script Writer: Kazuma Nishiwaki

Interface Management: Toshiyuki Ishii

Level Editor Management: Kikuo Shinomiya

World Setting Advisor: Natsuki Isaki

Process Manager: Atsushi Ogata

Lead Programmer: Hiroki Odagaki, Yoichi Murakoshi

Programmer: Takahiro Fukuda, Yasuhiro Shimono, Masaki Iwabuchi, Tsuyoshi Okui, Tadashi Katayangi, Satoshi Suzuki

2D Library Engineer: Kazuki Sakamoto

Tools & Technical Support: Yoshimi Kurihara, Masanori Shima

Nu Sound Library Sound Engineer: Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Shogo Nakamura, Narumi Aoyama, Tsuyoshi Fukutomi

Art Director: Kosuke Itomi

Map Director & Lead Designer: Hiroki Nagaoka

Map Designer & Management: Chigusa Hosoda

Map Designer & Technical Support: Eiji Senke

Map Designer: Yasuhiro Kawai, Ayako Noguchi, Mariko Yoshino, Kaori Namikoshi, Akiko Matsunaga

Original Weapon Designer: Hiroki Nagaoka

Technical Support & Advisor: Masato Kanno

Aircraft Modeling Director: Isshin Yabuki

Lead Cockpit Artist: Masanori Ninomiya

Cockpit Artist: Shinya Koyama

Lead Aircraft Modeling Artist: Takaharu Tanaka

Aircraft Modeling Artist: Masatoshi Ohno

Lead Aircraft Texture Artist: Takanori Ikezawa

Aircraft Texture Artist: Yuichi Nakamura, Osamu Koumura

Original Aircraft Designer: Isshin Yabuki, Masato Kanno

Cinematics Director: Keiko Harada

Technical Supervisor & Lead Background Artist: Tatsuya Ikarashi

Lead Background Artist: Natsuko Shimizu

Background Artist: Yuri Hakozaki, Takashi Kamiyasuhira, Masako Nakanishi, Akiko Matsue

Aircraft Camera Animation: Tatsuya Ikarashi

Animal Modeling & Animation: Isao Kato

Color Setting & 2D Compositor: Keiko Harada, Tatsuya Ikarashi

Motion Graphics Designer: Kosuke Itomi

3D VFX Artist: Keichi Fujii

Editor: Keiko Harada

Technical Support & Advisor: Kosuke Itomi, Hiroyasu Hosoya

Live Action Cinematics: Imagica Corp.

Producer: Kiyoshi Inoue

Production Director: Tetsuaki Yachi

Director of Photography: Akio Nomura

Photography Assistant: Hironari Yamazaki

Video Engineer: Nobuyuki Kato

Editor: Hirohumi Nagayoshi

Interpreter: Hisashi Nakano

Studio Crew: Ryuzo Chuda

Lighting: Morimasa Onda

Lighting Assistant: Hisami Kawai, Mitsuyo Watanabe

Production Assistant: Masaru Oi

Casting Management: Takako Haraki

Make-Up Artist: Yoshiko Yamato

Stylist: Mami Kawakami

Choreographer: Mitsue Yasuda

Director of Photography: Koki Nishida

Support: Koichi Miura, Hiyori Miura

Studio Cooperation: Yasutaka Ueno

Cinematics Director & Lead Animator: Naoki Kawata

Lead Animator & Management: Koki Nishida

Aircraft & Camera Animator: Kazuhiro Takimoto

Real-Time VFX Artist: Takafumi Sagata

Lead Visual Effects Artist: Keichii Fuji

Visual Effects Artist: Takafumi Sagata

Lead GUI Designer: Shji Inamura

GUI Designer: Masayoshi Yoshimoto

Graphic Designer: Shoji Imamura, Masayoshi Yoshimoto, Kasuke Itomi, Kazutoki Kono

Hi-Res Image Artist: Kaori Namakoshi, Natsuko Shimizu, Yuri Hakozaki, Masako Nakanishi

Aircraft Rendering Staff: Osamu Koumura, Takanori Ikezawa

"JAS-39C" Aircraft Modeling Team: Masatoshi Ohno, Yuichi Nakamura, Takanori Ikezawa

"F-15C" Aircraft Modeling Team: Digital Frontier Inc.

CG Producer: Yusaku Toyoshima

Production Manager: Naomi Ikoma

CG Director: Hideaki Maegawa

Chief Designer: Genichi Honma

Designer: Kazuki Kuno, Takahiro Matsui

Trailer Production Unit Director & Editor: Kosuke Itomi

Sound Director: Tetsukazu Nakanishi

Composer: Keiki Kobayashi

Sound Effects: Ryo Watanabe

Mixing: Ryuichi Takada

Demo Player: Naoki Kawata, Koki Nishida, Hiroyasu Hosoya, Ryuji Kamakura, Kei Okumura, Sanshiro Hidaka, Mitsunori Nagashima

"Aces Web" Designer: Kei Okumura

Sound Director: Tetsukazu Nakanishi

Assistant Sound Director: Keiki Kobayashi

Composer: Keiki Kobayashi, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Hiroshi Okubo, Junichi Nakatsuru

Sound Effects: Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Ryuichi Takada, Ryo Watanabe

Voice Effects: Ryuchi Takada, Ryo Watanabe

Chorus Recording Coordination: Faith Inc.

English VO Produced By: ZRO Limit Productions

ADR Director: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Recording Facility: Magnitude 8 Post

Sound Engineer: Collin McQueen

Script Translation By: Translat4me Inc.

Localization Producer: Michael Murray

Localization Specialist: James Vance

Marketing Management: Markerow Kawaguchi, Jun Omata, Jun Imamiya

Publicity Manager: Masahiro Onda

Senior Manager International Marketing Support: Shinsuke Mori

Product Manager: Tatsuya Kubota

Satallite Imagery Provided By: Hitachi Software Engineering Co. Ltd., DigitalGlobe Inc.

Japan Space Imaging Corporation: Space Imaging LLC

Artwork Cooperation: SmartNet ICB

Fonts Provided By: Fontworks International Limited, Bitstream Inc.

Licensing Manager: Hiroaki Ochiai

Project Aces Support: Wakako Onoda

Project Aces Planning Committee: Hiroyuki Ichiyanagi, Mackerow Kawaguchi

Product Group Director: Yoshi Niki

Localization Manager: Hiroshi Tanaka

Localization Producer: Taiki Homma

Localization Staff: Minako Takahashi, Junko A. Nakamura, John Kenzo Hickey

Marketing Director: Yoko Nakao

Associate Product Marketing Manager: Wayne Shiu

Marketing Translator: Thomas Huston

Public Relations Manager: Melody Pfeiffer, Kristin Calcagno

Director of Product Services: Glen A. Cureton

Quality Assurance Manager: Chuck McFadden

Quality Assurance Supervisor: Daryle Tumacder

Lead Tester: Gene Bang

QA Tester: Gene Duenas, Alex Freeman, Alex Gannaway, Mario Gonzalez, Scott Hartz, Sang Lee, David Miller, Scott Pendleton, Y Pham, Todd Shimizu, Michael Stevens, Mark Walker

National Sales Manager: Brian Schorr

Channel Marketing Manager: Jae Chang ~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide