* AluminumChristmasTrees: It ''is'', in fact, very possible to get a plane to "drift" in a manner similar to what's capable in OFF mode, though not nearly so tightly, not at all so controlled, and with so much sudden change in g-force that it will likely black out the pilot in seconds. It will also likely stall the plane, cause a flat-spin (exceedingly dangerous), and is more or less prohibited by any rational air force in the world. But still... possible.
* DemonicSpiders: The F/A-18s you go up against in Operation Backhand, depending on how you choose to proceed. If you prioritize your objective since it's on a timer, you are required to ignore them entirely and follow a complicated flight path to avoid heavy anti-aircraft fire, all while said F/A-18s continue chasing and firing at you. Even if you decide to take them on first it's one of the tougher dogfights in the game despite their relatively low numbers simply because they're some of the most maneuverable enemies you'll ever see.
* EventObscuringCamera:
** All damage on your vehicle causes a fuzz on your screen, even the weak anti-aircraft guns (it's pretty much the only thing keeping them from being simple annoyances). This fuzzing could cause you to crash or get hit again if you're in the middle of a heated battle.
** While OFF mode tries to avoid camera issues by keeping its camera pinned to your target and quickly transitioning between targets mid-combat, the initial transition can also be jarring at times, due to the game wanting to be "dynamic" and thus causing your camera to focus on your plane from a front angle first before ''very slowly'' panning over to your targeted enemy. This causes a delay between when you switch and when you can actually fire and ensure a hit (since even if your missiles lock on to the target while it's off-screen, you obviously can't see what angle it's flying at compared to you), which can be pretty jarring when you're trying to attack something. This also makes switching targets a bit harder, especially when the game decides, since you switched to OFF mode, [[UnwantedAssistance that means you clearly wanted to change targets]] to whatever happens to be behind you at the dynamic angle it switched to. There's also the fact that the OFF mode camera ''only'' views everything from one specific side angle - if your target is above or below you, as is a common occurrence in a flight simulator, then that's just too bad, isn't it? However, the game is smart enough to realize that if you switch in the middle of a heated battle you're ''probably'' preoccupied with something more important than bullet points on the back of the box like dynamic camera shifts, and the view will just immediately change.
* FandomRivalry: With ''VideoGame/AceCombat'', though this may be confined to a few silly Website/YouTube comments. Generally, ''H.A.W.X.'' fans disparage ''Ace Combat''[='=]s gameplay and visuals while ''Ace Combat'' fans disparage ''H.A.W.X.''[='=]s story.
* GameBreaker: You thought QAAM's were bad in Ace Combat? The All Aspect missiles here, save for lower range than even the default Joint Strike missiles, are even worse.
* {{Sequelitis}}: The second game managed to have less landmark locations and less flyable aircraft than the first, combined with almost no choice in the matter anyway, and subsequently sold much less than the first installment. Enemies are buffed compared to the first game so it's harder to [[CurbstompBattle curbstomp]] them by easily evading their missiles and getting an angle to shoot one of your own, but the effect is so pronounced that there is no longer any advantage to OFF mode and, as such, no point in using it.
** The buffing of the enemies was probably inevitable, given the unrealistic way that a single fighter could cut through entire armies in the first game. It can still happen in the second game, but the enemy planes are now smart enough to dodge some of your attacks.