That Namco president Takeo Takasu was bemoaning the cost of modern games late last year should offer some clue as to why the formerly Sony-exclusive Ace Combat is no longer an exclusive. When you need to shift 500,000 copies just to turn a profit, installed base is king; which makes the announcement that this - the eighth (count 'em!) game in the Ace Combat series - is coming to 360, no real surprise.
Namco was founded in 1955 and merged with Bandai in 2005. Between that long period, they have produced some of the most memorable franchises in gaming.
Namco Bandai has dominated the air combat genre with "Ace Combat" for years without much competition, but Ubisoft is taking the series head on with the Tom Clancy-branded "HAWX" in March. A Ubisoft developer told MTV Multiplayer one of the big differences between the two games is the element of realism brought to "HAWX."
IGN reports, "Leading video games developer and publisher Namco Bandai Games America Inc. announced today that the Ace Combat series has surpassed 10 million units sold worldwide, and that Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system has surpassed one million units sold in North America. Fueled by consistently entertaining and accessible gameplay as well as cutting-edge graphics, the series has remained a critical and commercial smash hit since its introduction in 1995."
Ugghm thats not much of a preview!
??? =[
When you need to shift 500,000 copies just to turn a profit, installed base is king;
which is why 360 commands this gen,hands down kids.