<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1995	O
combat	O
flight	O
simulator	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
by	O
Namco	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Missions	O
award	O
money	O
that	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
purchase	O
new	O
jet	B-Application
fighter	I-Application
,	O
each	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
unique	O
weapons	O
and	O
strengths	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
is	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
1993	B-Application
arcade	I-Application
game	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
same	I-Application
name	I-Application
that	O
ran	O
on	O
the	O
Namco	B-Application
System	I-Application
21	I-Application
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Company	O
employees	O
Masanori	O
Kato	O
and	O
Kazumi	O
Mizuno	O
were	O
tasked	O
with	O
bringing	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
the	O
then-new	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
but	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
from	O
scratch	O
after	O
realizing	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
hardware	O
was	O
not	O
powerful	O
enough	O
to	O
properly	O
render	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
's	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
shipped	O
2.23million	O
copies	O
worldwide	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
reprinted	O
under	O
Sony	O
's	O
The	B-Device
Best	I-Device
budget	O
title	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
spawned	O
the	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
franchise	O
with	O
several	O
sequels	O
,	O
spin-offs	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
is	O
a	O
combat	O
flight	O
simulation	O
game	O
presented	O
in	O
an	O
arcade-like	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
a	O
terrorist	O
organization	O
launches	O
an	O
insurrection	B-Operating_System
against	O
allied	O
nations	O
,	O
specifically	O
the	O
Skully	O
Islands	O
in	O
the	O
fictional	O
country	O
of	O
Usea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
response	O
to	O
attacks	O
made	O
across	O
the	O
globe	O
,	O
a	O
mercenary	B-Application
air	O
force	O
is	O
assembled	O
to	O
prevent	O
the	O
terrorist	O
organization	O
from	O
seizing	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
Namco	O
designer	O
Masanori	O
Kato	O
and	O
producer	O
Kazumi	O
Mizuno	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
were	O
commissioned	O
by	O
company	O
executives	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
home	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
arcade	O
game	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
for	O
the	O
then-new	O
PlayStation	B-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	O
game	O
was	O
published	O
in	O
1993	O
for	O
Namco	O
's	O
polygon-powered	O
System	B-Application
21	I-Application
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
noteworthy	O
for	O
its	O
3D	O
graphics	O
and	O
technological	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Problems	O
arose	O
early	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
the	O
home	O
port	O
,	O
as	O
staff	O
did	O
not	O
believe	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
hardware	O
was	O
powerful	O
enough	O
to	O
properly	O
render	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
's	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Namco	O
primarily	O
focused	O
on	O
developing	O
ports	O
of	O
arcade	O
games	O
like	O
Ridge	B-Application
Racer	I-Application
and	O
Cyber	B-Application
Sled	I-Application
,	O
which	O
often	O
contained	O
content	O
exclusive	O
to	O
their	O
PlayStation	B-Device
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
planner	O
,	O
Asahi	O
Higashiyama	O
,	O
believed	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
superior	O
hardware	O
could	O
allow	O
for	O
more	O
potential	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
room	O
for	O
expansion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
1995	O
,	O
as	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
9	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
re-released	O
in	O
Japan	O
under	O
Sony	O
's	O
The	B-Device
Best	I-Device
budget	O
title	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
proved	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2008	O
the	O
game	O
shipped	O
2.23million	O
copies	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
second	O
best-selling	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
franchise	O
behind	O
Ace	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
04	I-Application
:	I-Application
Shattered	I-Application
Skies	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Writers	O
from	O
IGN	O
,	O
who	O
compared	O
it	O
favorably	O
to	O
Warhawk	B-Device
,	O
praised	O
its	O
action-packed	O
gameplay	O
,	O
as	O
did	O
AllGames	O
Michael	O
House	O
and	O
a	O
reviewer	O
from	O
Coming	O
Soon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Famitsus	O
four	O
reviewers	O
thought	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
was	O
fun	O
and	O
had	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
variety	O
and	O
action	O
,	O
but	O
could	O
have	O
benefited	O
from	O
additional	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
was	O
also	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
cinematic	O
cutscenes	O
,	O
realistic	O
sound	O
effects	O
,	O
and	O
amount	O
of	O
unlockables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	O
and	O
presentation	O
of	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
were	O
seen	O
as	O
being	O
below-average	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
House	O
showed	O
confusion	O
towards	O
this	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
Namco	O
's	O
other	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
from	O
the	O
time	O
having	O
high-resolution	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
IGN	O
,	O
Famitsu	O
also	O
stated	O
the	O
graphics	O
were	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
low	O
point	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
its	O
arcade	O
predecessor	O
Air	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
22	I-Application
had	O
much	O
better	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
