<s>
is	O
a	O
1997	O
air	B-Application
combat	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
by	O
Namco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
sequel	O
to	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
and	O
the	O
second	O
in	O
the	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conceived	O
by	O
Namco	O
designer	O
Masanori	O
Kato	O
,	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
created	O
out	O
of	O
Kato	O
's	O
dissatisfaction	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
,	O
feeling	O
from	O
a	O
technical	O
standpoint	O
it	O
was	O
severely	O
lacking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
,	O
selling	O
over	O
500,000	O
copies	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
May	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
commended	O
by	O
critics	O
for	O
its	O
gameplay	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
variety	O
in	O
missions	O
,	O
and	O
improvements	O
over	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
also	O
called	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	B-Device
best	I-Device
flight-sim	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remake	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
,	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
Horizon	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
combat	O
flight	O
simulation	O
game	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
presented	O
in	O
a	O
more	O
arcade-like	O
format	O
than	O
other	O
flight-sim	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
Namco	O
designer	O
Masanori	O
Kato	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
predecessor	B-Application
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
,	O
and	O
a	O
small	O
team	O
of	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
came	O
from	O
Kato	O
's	O
dissatisfaction	O
with	O
the	O
outcome	O
of	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
,	O
which	O
he	O
saw	O
as	O
incomplete	O
from	O
a	O
technical	O
point	O
of	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kato	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
follow-up	O
to	O
make	O
the	B-Device
best	I-Device
use	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
hardware	O
as	O
possible	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
emphasis	O
on	O
graphics	O
and	O
making	O
the	O
player	O
feel	O
as	O
if	O
they	O
're	O
really	O
flying	O
a	O
fightercraft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
also	O
looked	O
into	O
including	O
a	O
large	O
variety	O
of	O
missions	O
,	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
Air	B-Application
Combats	I-Application
two	O
mission	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
watched	O
several	O
films	O
on	O
air	B-Application
combat	I-Application
and	O
traveled	O
to	O
the	O
American	O
Armed	O
Force	O
airshow	O
to	O
take	O
photographs	O
of	O
the	O
planes	O
on	O
display	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
wanted	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
support	O
analogue	O
control	O
,	O
adding	O
support	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
DualShock	O
and	O
the	O
Namco	O
NeGcon	B-Device
,	O
and	O
later	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Analog	I-Device
Joystick	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
composed	O
by	O
Kohta	O
Takahashi	O
and	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
five	O
others	O
,	O
was	O
heavily	O
inspired	O
by	O
Top	B-Application
Gun	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takahashi	O
wanted	O
the	O
music	O
to	O
be	O
'	O
stimulating	O
 '	O
and	O
intense	O
,	O
but	O
made	O
sure	O
it	O
had	O
its	O
own	O
distinct	O
flare	O
to	O
prevent	O
it	O
from	O
sounding	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
Top	B-Application
Gun	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
May	O
30	O
,	O
1997	O
,	O
later	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
August	O
21	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
October	O
24	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
re-released	O
as	O
a	O
budget	O
title	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
1999	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Sony	O
's	O
The	B-Device
Best	I-Device
budget	O
label	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
2005	O
video	O
game	O
compilation	O
NamCollection	B-Application
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
alongside	O
four	O
other	O
Namco	O
PlayStation	B-Device
game	O
ports	O
,	O
in	O
celebration	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
50th	O
anniversary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
;	O
in	O
May	O
1998	O
,	O
Sony	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
the	O
"	O
Gold	O
Prize	O
"	O
award	O
for	O
selling	O
over	O
500,000	O
copies	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
"	O
keep	O
a	O
whole	O
bunch	O
of	O
weekend	O
warriors	O
strapped	O
in	O
to	O
the	O
TV	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
IGN	O
labeled	O
it	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	B-Device
best	I-Device
flight	O
simulators	O
ever	O
to	O
come	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
"	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
Namco	O
went	O
"	O
all	O
out	O
"	O
with	O
its	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
critics	O
contended	O
that	O
the	O
enemy	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
is	O
extremely	O
advanced	O
and	O
responds	O
to	O
player	O
movements	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
difficulty	O
,	O
if	O
anything	O
,	O
overly	O
high	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
publications	O
agreed	O
that	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
a	O
vast	O
improvement	O
over	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
,	O
with	O
IGN	O
,	O
Electric	O
Playground	O
and	O
GamePro	O
all	O
commending	O
Namco	O
for	O
successfully	O
updating	O
the	O
gameplay	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
much	O
more	O
action-packed	O
and	O
entertaining	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
an	O
excellent	O
follow-up	O
to	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Famitsu	O
adding	O
that	O
it	O
made	O
for	O
one	O
of	O
the	B-Device
best	I-Device
sequel	O
games	O
the	O
company	O
had	O
put	O
out	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
also	O
liked	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
controls	O
for	O
being	O
responsive	O
and	O
smooth	O
;	O
Next	O
Generation	O
credited	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Analog	I-Device
Joystick	I-Device
,	O
which	O
they	O
felt	O
made	O
the	O
game	O
even	O
more	O
realistic	O
than	O
it	O
was	O
before	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
remake	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
,	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
Horizon	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2011	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
2012	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
where	O
it	O
was	O
renamed	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
3D	I-Application
:	I-Application
Cross	I-Application
Rumble	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assault	B-Application
Horizon	I-Application
Legacy	O
features	O
a	O
complete	O
revamp	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
storyline	O
,	O
alongside	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
cutscenes	O
,	O
voice	O
acting	O
and	O
remade	O
level	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
its	O
namesake	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
very	O
little	O
in	O
common	O
with	O
its	O
predecessor	B-Application
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
Horizon	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
2015	O
update	O
called	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
:	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
Horizon	I-Application
Legacy	I-Application
+	I-Application
,	O
adding	O
amiibo	B-Device
support	O
and	O
updated	O
control	O
handling	O
for	O
the	O
New	B-Device
Nintendo	I-Device
3DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
