History VideoGame / AceCombat3Electrosphere

The world is Strangereal, a [[ConstructedWorld not-Earth]] from the previous games that was first [[WorldBuilding fleshed out]] in this installment. The year is [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2040]]. In the past few decades, the national governments of Strangereal have decayed beyond repair and were replaced by a global rule of {{Mega Corp}}s, chief among whom are [[GermanicEfficiency General Resource Limited]] and [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld Neucom Incorporated]]. Naturally, the two companies' [[CorporateWarfare competition for power is far from friendly]], and the only thing standing between them and an all-out war is the [[FictionalUnitedNations Universal Peace]] [[UnitedNationsIsASuperPower Enforcement Organization]]. Further upsetting the fragile balance of power are: the GR's latest SuperPrototype fighter jet, the Night Raven, and its groomed pilot, the [[IllGirl sickly]] Rena Hirose; the Neucom scientists' questionable experiments on the recently discovered {{Cyberspace}} and BrainUploading; an overzealous military commander's schemes; and a NebulousCriminalConspiracy lurking in the background and pulling every string.

* HappyEndingOverride: Suffering from numerous wars obviously puts a strain on Strangereal's government to the point that MegaCorps takes over. [[spoiler: In particular, the efforts of [[VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown the Lighthouse War]] are AllforNothing thanks to Nemo's existence.]]

* GoodGunsBadGuns: This is an InvertedTrope. The GreaterScopeVillain faction manufactures fighters based on American aircraft and use American-style aircraft names like the F-22C Raptor II which is obviously based on the real-world F-22 Raptor, the F-15S/MT Eagle+ which is obviously based on the real-world F-15 Eagle, and the F-16XF Gyrfalcon which is based on the real-world F-16 Fighting Falcon. These American aircraft are usually piloted by the heroes in other media, but are piloted mainly by villains in this game. Meanwhile, the terrorists and the [[spoiler:supposedly]] peacekeeping faction both buy MiGs and Sukhoi fighters which normally are piloted by villains in other media. To be fair, the peacekeeping faction also does get some aircraft that is manufactured by the GreaterScopeVillain faction as well.

[[caption-width-right:350:It's Ace Combat, but ''[[RecycledInSpace in the future]]'']]

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* TheEndingChangesEverything: The OmegaEnding, revealed by completing all the routes. [[spoiler: Simon contacts you and explains that you're an AI...and that ''all the routes you played through'' were actually a simulation he programmed into you. It turns out that he blames Dision from stealing Yoko from him, and was using you and the simulation to figure out how to erase Dision's AI-copy. Having seen every possible outcome, Simon decides that Dision's death is a ForegoneConclusion (since you do kill him on each route) and releases you into the real world to make one of the routes reality. He then deletes the simulation entirely.]]

* WithThisHerring: Double subverted. You start with a Eurofighter Typhoon, one of the coolest planes of today... however, it's the far future, and by then the Eurofighter is ''severely'' outdated; flying it is kinda like nowadays flying a World War II fighter.

* FictionalDisability: Rena Hirose suffers from the "Silverstone disease", meaning that her skins lacks any protection from UV sunlight radiation whatsoever. As a result, the only way she has to be outside during daytime is inside the fully-enclosed cockpit of her plane.

** UPEO: A PaperTiger "peacekeeping" organization [[spoiler: which is corrupt to the bone.]]

* AIIsACrapshoot: [[spoiler:In the international version of this game, the BigBad is a rogue artificial intelligence which leads Ouroboros and tricked General Resource and Neuwork into getting into a war in order to wear them out to allow the rogue A.I. to TakeOverTheWorld.]]

* MoreThanMindControl: Dision's ruthless memory manipulation of Rena made her absolutely willing to follow Dision through his visions of revolution. After the assault on UPEO's HQ though, glitches on Rena's mind flood her with her real memories, causing her to FreakOut.

* ArcWords: "Discard your flesh and transcend your limits", referring to Sublimation, an Arc Word unto itself.

* AnimalThemeNaming: Neucom's R-series planes are most often named after Latin genuses of aquatic creatures. Case in point are R-101/102/103 Delphinus (Dolphin), R-211 Orcinus (Orca/Killer Whale), R-201 Asterozoa (starfish), etc.

* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Park]]. This shouldn't come as ''too'' much of a surprise, though, considering how fishy he acts in general and the fact that [[SpoilerOpening he's playing chess of all things in the Japanese intro video]], but other than those dead giveaways, it's supposed to be revealed slowly.

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:AI!Dision's true aim is to exact revenge on the feuding corporations over the death of Yoko Inoue, even if it means killing multitudes and dragging the survivors with him into the Electrosphere.]]
** According to translations of the Secret Ending [[spoiler:Simon hates Dision for stealing Yoko from him - so much that he wants to erase Dision's AI-copy, and runs multiple simulations of a possible Corporate War just to make sure it happens.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: Cynthia, having been fed up by Dision's propaganda, abject lack of respect for her and his doting on Rena, decides to do this.

* HighAltitudeBattle: There's a special case where you fly an RF-12A2[[note]]futurized [[RealLife/CoolPlane A-12 Oxcart]][[/note]] into the stratosphere via rocket engine and shoot down bombers.

* KillSat: General Resource's satellites. In the Neucom route, you get to destroy them, and in a subroute, you need to protect a fallen one in order to capture it and prove that GR really was up to no good.

* PropagandaMachine: There are several "news" outlets. The take on these propaganda vehicles is a bit more realistic than most; the networks' bias in favor of their sponsors is apparent, but isn't over the top. GBS (General Resource's TV news network) in particular is a censored news source and makes few bones about it.

* SadisticChoice: In the aptly-named mission [[MeaningfulName Scylla and Charybdis]], you are to protect Fiona and Chairman Clarkson from GR attacks. Later on, Park order you to shoot it down on charges of treason. Shooting them down means killing your heretofore loyal friend, killing your UPEO reinforcement signals treachery to your organization. Take too long though, and [[spoiler: Rena]] will do the job for you.

* SuperPrototype: Many General Resource planes are actually born from real-life prototypes of otherwise abandoned or shelved projects. Discounting the F-15 S/MTD which appears all over the series, the RF-12A2 is not actually a variant of the SR-71, but of an earlier prototype interceptor called the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_A-12 A-12 Oxcart]]. This is the same case with the F/A-32C Erne being the finalized product of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-32 Boeing X-32]], and the XFA-36A Game derived from the otherwise proof-of-concept plane [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-36 McDonnell Douglas X-36]]. Others include the F-16XF Gyrfalcon, based on the [[http://www.f-16.net/f-16_versions_article13.html F-16 AFTI]], and F-16XA Sakerfalcon, based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16XL F-16XL Cranked Arrow]] concept.

* TomatoInTheMirror: The final ending, obtained by completing all five story paths, is this. See TheEndingChangesEverything above.

The world is Strangereal, a [[ConstructedWorld not-Earth]] from the previous games that was first [[WorldBuilding fleshed out]] in this installment. The year is [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2040]]. In the past few decades, the national governments of Strangereal have decayed beyond repair and were replaced by a global rule of {{Mega Corp}}s, chief among whom are [[GermanicEfficiency General Resource Limited]] and Neucom Incorporated. Naturally, the two companies' [[CorporateWarfare competition for power is far from friendly]], and the only thing standing between them and an all-out war is the [[FictionalUnitedNations Universal Peace]] [[UnitedNationsIsASuperPower Enforcement Organization]]. Further upsetting the fragile balance of power are: the GR's latest SuperPrototype fighter jet, the Night Raven, and its groomed pilot, the [[IllGirl sickly]] Rena Hirose; the Neucom scientists' questionable experiments on the recently discovered {{Cyberspace}} and BrainUploading; an overzealous military commander's schemes; and a NebulousCriminalConspiracy lurking in the background and pulling every string.

The world is Strangereal, a [[ConstructedWorld not-Earth]] from the previous games that was first [[WorldBuilding fleshed out]] in this installment. The year is [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2040]]. In the past few decades, the national governments of Strangereal have decayed beyond repair and were replaced by a global rule of {{Mega Corp}}s, chief among whom are [[GermanicEfficiency General Resource Limited]] and Neucom Incorporated. Naturally, the two companies' [[CorporateWarfare competition for power is far from friendly]], and the only thing standing between them and an all-out war is the [[UnitedNationsIsASuperPower Universal Peace Enforcement Organization]]. Further upsetting the fragile balance of power are: the GR's latest SuperPrototype fighter jet, the Night Raven, and its groomed pilot, the [[IllGirl sickly]] Rena Hirose; the Neucom scientists' questionable experiments on the recently discovered {{Cyberspace}} and BrainUploading; an overzealous military commander's schemes; and a NebulousCriminalConspiracy lurking in the background and pulling every string.

...unless, of course, you live in the insignificantly tiny portion of the world that is not Japan, for which the story was remade into a lone pilot working for the UPEO, trying to keep the peace between General Resource and Neuwork. {{Creator/Namco|Bandai}} currently has no plans to deliver the original ''Electrosphere'' to the outside world, but the release of [[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy a remake]] of ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' for [=N3DS=] gives us a faint glimmer of hope. Don't hold your breath, though. In the meantime, a fan-driven [[http://projectnemo.net/ Project]] [[http://useatoday.blogspot.com/ Nemo]] has released an [[http://useatoday.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/ac3-e-ie-discs-22-h-e-v-e-n-n-d-e-r-t-h.html?m=1 unofficial English translation patch]].

* AIIsACrapshoot: [[spoiler:In the international version of this game, the BigBad is an artificial intelligence that has went rogue and tricked General Resource and Neuwork into getting into a war in order to wear them out to allow it to TakeOverTheWorld.]]

...unless, of course, you live in the insignificantly tiny portion of the world that is not Japan, for which the story was remade into a lone pilot working for the UPEO, protecting the world from Neucom's increasingly desperate attacks. {{Creator/Namco|Bandai}} currently has no plans to deliver the original ''Electrosphere'' to the outside world, but the release of [[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy a remake]] of ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' for [=N3DS=] gives us a faint glimmer of hope. Don't hold your breath, though. In the meantime, a fan-driven [[http://projectnemo.net/ Project]] [[http://useatoday.blogspot.com/ Nemo]] has released an [[http://useatoday.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/ac3-e-ie-discs-22-h-e-v-e-n-n-d-e-r-t-h.html?m=1 unofficial English translation patch]].

* CuttingOffTheBranches: Subverted, as Namco never confirmed which ending (if any) was canon. After jumping from 2040 back to 2004 in ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'' (and even to 1995 in ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar''), the series took TheSlowPath back, slowly approaching the ''Electrosphere'' times... and then, just before running out of options and making a canon sequel to ''[=AC3=]'' (the [[VideoGame/AceCombatAdvance most (in-universe) recent Strangereal game]] was set in 2032), Namco instead relaunched the series on the real world - between ''Skies of Incursion'' in 2007 and the announcement of ''Ace Combat 7'' in late 2015, the only game set in Strangereal has been [[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy a remake]].

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Abyssal Dision. Shortly before her death, Yoko Inoue copied Human!Dision's consciousness into the Electrosphere, creating the self-aware AI!Dision, the first ever human to be Sublimed. Before either of them realized it, however, they were killed by a bomb and their laboratory was destroyed along with their research.]]

* NonStandardGameOver: This game has quite a few of them. Some honourable mentions include Zero Gravity, which shows your R-352 getting toasted by one of the satellite lasers if you run out of time; Guardian Angel, which shows the R-808 going down and crashing (with Cynthia's complaining included in the original version of the game); and the UI-4053 getting blown out of the sky by a submarine cruise missile.

* SpaceBattle: The only example in the entire series has you controlling Neucom's R-352 Sepia manned starfighter, killing orbital satellites. The controls of a spacecraft in zero-G feels ''entirely'' different than in atmosphere, throwing players out of the loop and forcing them to unlearn everything and adapt in one minute or else. [[DoingItForTheArt All this for one mission]].

** Conversely, if you don't take the Neucom route, you never even ''meet'' Cynthia.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Erich, assuming you do not take the UPEO route, kind of sort of disappears during the late stages of the game. If you are following the General Resource route though, you have the option of shooting him down, which does explain his absence. Otherwise...not so much.
** In fact many characters seem to vanish when not on a certain route or two. Park never comes up again even if you join him and Fiona in defecting to Neucom; conversely, if you don't go over to Neucom, you never even ''meet'' Cynthia, in battle or otherwise.

...unless, of course, you live in the insignificantly tiny portion of the world that is not Japan, for which the story was remade into a lone pilot working for the UPEO, protecting the world from Neucom's increasingly desperate attacks. {{Creator/Namco|Bandai}} currently has no plans to deliver the original ''Electrosphere'' to the outside world, but the release of [[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy a remake]] of ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' for [=N3DS=] gives us a faint glimmer of hope. Don't hold your breath, though. In the meantime, a fan-driven [[http://projectnemo.net/ Project]] [[http://useatoday.blogspot.com/ Nemo]] has released an unofficial English translation patch for Disc 1, with the finished Disc 2 translation promised at the end of 2016.

Despite the game having never been translated into English, it was the seminal installment of the series that codified its setting and most of the associated gameplay tropes (the honor that usually goes to ''VideoGame/{{Ace Combat 04|ShatteredSkies}}'' in the West). It has been said that ever since 1999, the ''AC'' series has been slowly working its way back up to ''Electrosphere'' (all following Strangereal games were technically ''{{prequel}}s'' to it), but never quite achieving the same level of expansiveness, plot intricacy, and gameplay finesse.

...unless, of course, you live in the insignificantly tiny portion of the world that is not Japan, for which the story was remade into a lone pilot working for the UPEO, protecting the world from Neucom's increasingly desperate attacks. {{Creator/Namco|Bandai}} currently has no plans to deliver the original ''Electrosphere'' to the outside world, but the release of [[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy a remake]] of ''VideoGame/AceCombat2'' for [=N3DS=] gives us a faint glimmer of hope. Don't hold your breath, though. In the meantime, a fan-driven [[http://projectnemo.net/ Project]] [[http://useatoday.blogspot.com/ Nemo]] has released an unofficial English translation patch for Disc 1, with the fate of Disc 2 translation still up in the air.

* AKA47: Justified. You're using fictional futuristic variants of real planes, which are modded and upgraded to have a BrainComputerInterface called the [[ArmoredCoffin COFFIN]] system. [[spoiler: Considering that you're actually an AI simulating all your battles, this is necessary]].

* AmbiguouslyEvil: Dision. Second mission he's featured, and he's trying to get you to join his company faction. No one knows if he's aligned fully with GR, aiding UPEO's chessmaster Park, or is all about himself. In the end, [[spoiler: it's neither; he only wants revenge for his then girlfriend Yoko]].

* BoringButPractical: Spread Bombs in the second slot is insanely powerful against ground targets and destroy many of them when clustered together.

** More than that is Dision himself. [[spoiler:Not only he tried engineering you to join GR, he's also the head of Ouroboros, assisted Park with his scheme to usurp control of UPEO, offs his own company's CEO, and basically grooming Rena to be the perfect {{Tykebomb}}.]]
** The grand winner is [[spoiler: Simon]], as revealed in the game's secret ending. [[spoiler: The events of the entire game was basically him trying to figure out a plan to kill Dision. He is happy to find out his victory is guaranteed.]]

* CorporateWarfare

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Abyssal Dision. Shortly before her death, Yoko Inoue copied Human!Dision's consciousness into the Electrosphere, creating the self-aware AI!Dision, the first ever human to be Sublimed. Before she realized it, however, she and Human!Dision were killed by a bomb and their laboratory destroyed along with their research.]]

** According to translations of the Secret Ending [[spoiler: Simon hates Dision for stealing Yoko from him - so much that he wants to erase Dision's AI-copy and runs multiple simulations just to make sure it happens.]]

* TakingYouWithMe: If the player sides with Ouroboros, [[spoiler:Keith joins you, and attacks Dision and Rena. After he takes enough damage, he gets his plane stuck between the wings of Rena's Night Raven; when you shoot him down, Rena goes down too.]]
* TheEndingChangesEverything: The OmegaEnding, revealed by completing all the routes. [[spoiler: Simon contacts you and explains that you're an AI...and that ''all the routes you played through'' were actually a simulation he programmed into you. It turns out that he blames Dision from stealing Yoko from him, and was using you and the simulation to figure out how to erase Dision's AI-copy. Having seen every possible outcome, Simon decides that Dision's death is a ForegoneConclusion (since you do kill him on each route) and releases you to the real world to make one of the routes reality. He then deletes the simulation entirely.]]

* TranshumanTreachery: This is the modus operandi and rallying cry for those who have "discarded their flesh", that is, the people who have Sublimated. Subverted with [[spoiler: Cynthia]], who is truly in it only for the sake of her curiosity, and she becomes devastated when her plans involve sacrificing her younger sister [[spoiler: Fiona]].

** In fact many characters seem to vanish when not on a certain route or two. For example, Park, or Cynthia.

* WithThisHerring: Double subverted. You start with an Eurofighter Typhoon, one of the coolest planes of today... however, it's the far future, and by then the Eurofighter is ''severely'' outdated; flying it is kinda like nowadays flying a World War II fighter.

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The eight Geopelias that just show up out of nowhere as the FinalBoss of the General Resource route after both Dision and the Night Raven have already been defeated, seemingly with no purpose but to provide another hint at the [[spoiler:true nature of the PlayerCharacter]]. Even in-story, the ending video has a reporter wonder where these new planes came from, since neither Neucom, nor the remains of Ouroboros claimed responsibility (though they are definitely of Neucom make). Amusingly, the English version's plot actually explains they were [[DragonTheirFeet programmed to go berserk if the BigBad was defeated]].

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The eight Geopelias that just show up out of nowhere as the FinalBoss of the General Resource route after both Dision and the Night Raven have already been defeated, seemingly with no purpose but to provide another hint at the [[spoiler:true nature of the PlayerCharacter]]. Even in-story, the ending video has a reporter wonder where these new planes came from, since neither Neucom, nor the remains of Ouroboros claimed responsibility (though they are definitely of Neucom make).

* TheEndingChangesEverything: The Omega ending, revealed by completing all the routes. [[spoiler: Simon contacts you and explains that you're an AI...and that ''all the routes you played through'' were actually a simulation he programmed into you. It turns out that he blames Dision from stealing Yoko from him, and was using you and the simulation to figure out how to erase Dision's AI-copy. Having seen every possible outcome, Simon decides that Dision's death is a ForegoneConclusion (since you do kill him on each route) and releases you to the real world to make one of the routes reality. He then deletes the simulation entirely.]]

* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: Your FinalBoss fight against Dision - well, one of them - takes place within the Electrosphere itself.
Specifically, both of you cut off visual input to the outside world and fight in a three-dimensional grid space within an infinite-length cybertunnel. There is a catch however: the real world outside the visual overload still exists and the altimeter reflects that; go to zero and you will "crash".

* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: Your FinalBoss fight against Dision - well, one of them - takes place within the Electrosphere itself. Specifically, both of you cut off visual input to the outside world and fight in a three-dimensional grid space within an infinite-length cybertunnel. There is a catch however: the real world outside the visual overload still exists and the altimeter reflects that; go to zero and you will "crash".

* FactionSpecificEndings: The game has three faction endings (UPEO, General Resource, and Neucom) plus two Ouroboros endings, which are both a mix of faction ending and a Lone Wolf ending.