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The game's main controls are simplified as part of the series' design as an arcade flight game, with players given access to not only a wide variety of licensed fighter jets, but also access to a variety of weapons - alongside a vulcan cannon and missiles, planes can be equipped with one of several special weapons for use in engagements, including radar guided missiles, bombs, and rocket launchers, amongst others. As with other games in the series, Ace Combat 6 places players in the role of a fighter pilot, tasked with destroying foes both in the air and on the ground. The game received generally favourable reviews upon release. New elements include the majority of single-player missions featuring a multitude of objectives to complete, in which players need only achieve a certain quota of these to progress to the later stages of a mission, and the ability to call in support from allied units during a mission. While gameplay elements from previous titles persist in Ace Combat 6the game's main campaign features more extensively detailed missions. Unlike other games in the series in which the events are narrated from a single perceptive, the story's events are interlaced with a series of side-stories told by various figures, describing their personal struggles and opinions regarding the ongoing conflict as it progresses. The game's main campaign focuses on the sudden invasion of a nation by its neighbours, and the subsequent efforts by its armed forces to retake back their country and its capitol, with players taking command of the pilot of a two-plane squadron that assists in this effort. While the game encompasses a variety of licensed, real-world fighter jets and aircraft, the game's story takes place within Strangereal, the fictional world setting of the series. Like other titles in Namco 's Ace Combat series, Ace Combat 6 features standard gameplay from the series that mixes arcade flight with authentic flight simulation.
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