Examine individual changes

'{{short description|2008 video game}} {{Infobox video game | image = The Sky Crawlers Innocent Aces Cover.jpg | caption = | developer = [[Project ACES]]<br/>[[Access Games]] | publisher = [[Namco Bandai Games]]<br/>[[North America|NA]]: [[Xseed Games]] | director = Nobuo Tomita | producer = Kuniaki Kakuwa<br/>Shigeru Yoshida | designer = | programmer = Hitoshi Ueda<br/>Satoshi Suzuki | artist = Taichi Wada | writer = Yuta Hamanaka<br/>Yutaka Toyama<br/>Yosuke Kano | composer = Kazuhiro Nakamura | released = {{vgrelease|JP|October 16, 2008|NA|January 12, 2010|EU|February 26, 2010|AU|March 25, 2010}} | modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]] | genre = [[Combat flight simulation game|Air combat simulation]] | platforms = [[Wii]] }} {{nihongo foot|'''''The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces'''''|スカイ・クロラ イノセン・テイセス|Sukai Kurora: Inosen Teisesu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 2008 [[Combat flight simulation game|air combat]] [[arcade game]] for the [[Wii]] based on the [[The Sky Crawlers (film)|anime film adaptation]] of [[Hiroshi Mori (writer)|Hiroshi Mori]]’s novel series ''[[The Sky Crawlers]]'', as a tie-in [[prequel]] to the film.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=James |title=The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Review |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/20762/the-sky-crawlers-innocent-aces-wii |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=27 April 2022 |date=12 January 2010}}</ref> Developed by Project Aces in collaboration with [[Access Games]], the game was released in Japan by [[Namco Bandai Games]] on 16 October 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/860/860346p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321233344/http://wii.ign.com/articles/860/860346p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 21, 2008|title=Ace Combat Team Brings Sky Crawlers to Wii|publisher=IGN|date=2008-03-18|accessdate=2009-07-03}}</ref> [[Xseed Games]] released the game in North America on January 12, 2010.<ref name=Nintendo>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/AyF8_d15Prh0yVDUiDdNir_uKrUOZmSN|title=Nintendo Unveils its Video Game Lineup for Early 2010|publisher=Nintendo|date=2009-12-14|accessdate=2009-12-15|archive-date=2013-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719191328/http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/AyF8_d15Prh0yVDUiDdNir_uKrUOZmSN|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was also released by [[Namco Bandai Games]] in Europe on February 26, 2010 and in Australia on March 25, 2010. == Gameplay == Unlike most Wii games where the [[Wii Remote]] is held in the [[dominant hand]], ''Sky Crawlers'' is played by holding the Nunchuk with that hand instead, while the Wii Remote is held in the other hand. Using the motion detection of both controllers, movement of the Nunchuk is used to tilt, roll, pitch and yaw the player's aircraft, while the Wii Remote is used as the throttle, with players tilting it up and down to accelerate and decelerate. The game also supports the [[Classic Controller]] and [[GameCube]] controller for more traditional control.<ref name=IGN1>{{cite web|url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/921/921025p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021033217/http://wii.ign.com/articles/921/921025p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 21, 2008|title=Sky Crawlers Playtest|publisher=IGN|date=2008-10-17|accessdate=2009-07-03}}</ref> The game introduces a gameplay mechanic called the "Tactical Maneuver Command" system, in which players gain the ability to perform automatic acrobatics to better position themselves for attack by keeping in close proximity to their enemies.<ref name=IGN1/> During the game players unlock new planes, which they can customize in seven areas, such as color, weapons and armor,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=61086|title=The Sky Crawlers - more details|publisher=Go Nintendo|date=2008-10-29|accessdate=2009-07-03|archive-date=2009-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914124701/http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=61086|url-status=dead}}</ref> obtained from defeating special enemies and doing well in missions. Players can also replay previous missions that they have beaten.<ref name=IGN1/> A second player can also join in [[co-op mode]] to provide supporting fire with just an additional Wii Remote.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Puleo |first1=Nick |title=The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Co-Op Review |url=https://www.co-optimus.com/review/388/the-sky-crawlers-innocent-aces-co-op-review.html |website=Co-Optimus |access-date=2 March 2022 |date=14 January 2010}}</ref> == Plot == === Story === Set in an alternate history, the game follows the journeys and tribulations of a group of young fighter pilots involved in aerial [[dogfight]]ing using propeller-driven fighter planes. Although the world is at peace, in order to ease the tension of a populace accustomed to war and aggression, private corporations contract fighter pilots to stage combat operations against each other for show across the skies of central [[Europe]], with various place names in [[Japanese language|Japanese]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Aaron |first1=Sean |title=Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Review |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/03/sky_crawlers_innocent_aces_wii |website=[[Nintendo Life]] |access-date=15 May 2022 |date=29 March 2010}}</ref> In the game players control Lynx, a rookie pilot who joins a team of privately contracted pilots, the Sky Crawlers. The first mission, he joins the Rostock ace air force team, the Cougar Squad, which includes Captain Mutsuga Yamazaki and the hot-blooded Masami Kaida. The squad is managed by Colonel Kayaba. The first mission involves destroying enemy [[radio jamming|jamming]] aircraft in a war with rival corporation Lautern. Lynx destroys the aircraft and the group return to base. Soon after, Cougar Squad is deployed to Ubasama, to rendezvous with new additions to the Squad, revealed to be kildren. Among these new recruits are Maumi Orishina, a female kildren who later becomes obsessed with fighting Lynx, and Ko Ukumori, an [[elitism|elitist]] pilot who has strong views on the strong and the weak. Soon after this, Cougar Squad is sent to Kiriki, to defend the production site of a new flying battleship, ''Wolfram''. Several Cougar Squad pilots are killed in this operation and another mission on the Yaura River, where Captain Yamazaki sacrifices himself to defend Ukumori from an unexpected Lautern attack. After Yaura, Lynx is made Captain of Cougar Squad, renamed Cheetah Squad, by Tochika Mozume, Rostock's Deputy Chief of Intelligence, while Kayaba is reassigned to another base. Shortly after this reorganization, Mozume sets up a [[military exercise|mock battle]] between Lynx and Orishina to test a new aircraft that is interrupted by enemy forces, frustrating the latter. After several operations, including destroying unauthorized Lautern power plants previously discovered in a nearly botched [[reconaissance|recon]] mission in the Baruka Mountains and destroying Lautern's prized Glacier Fleet, an operation to destroy Fortress Shikibo goes disastrously wrong when Lautern's Amoebic Rail Cannon, which was said to be non-operational, downs several Rostock pilots, including two Cheetah squad pilots. Ukumori insults these pilots, including Captain Yamazaki, enraging Kaida into attacking him. Mozume then orders Cheetah to destroy Kaida, who harbors no ill will towards Cheetah, but Mozume bars the combat-eager Orishina from assisting Cheetah. Soon after, she goes missing, and turns out to have defected to Lautern under Mozume's suggestion, after he sees high interest in a confrontation between her and Cheetah. Not long after the squadron successfully defends the ''Wolfram'' from a desperate Lautern attack, Kayaba warns Cheetah that he has discovered Mozume carrying out a revolt against Rostock, seizing ''Wolfram'' and persuading Ukumori and two other kildren to defect to Lautern. Cheetah then shoots down the three defectors in a fierce battle over Ubasama, then proceeds to Kiriki to battle the ''Wolfram'', under Mozume's control. While aboard the battleship, an increasingly deranged Mozume reveals that he has a personal agenda to destroy both Rostock and Lautern and create his own new world, dissatisfied with the "lies" that fuel the war. Cheetah then destroys ''Wolfram'', forcing its crew to evacuate as it crashes down to earth, but they abandon Mozume to die on the ship, who then spends his last breath cursing Cheetah just as ''Wolfram'' explodes. Following the destruction of ''Wolfram'', Kayaba commands the squadron to engage in one final air battle over the Bay of Biscay, where the seemingly abandoned Lautern fortress Togakuten sits on a small island in the middle of the water. Cheetah easily shoots down many enemy planes, before they all flee to make way for new Lautern ace Orishina, whom he engages in a decisive one-on-one duel that is disrupted midway by the fortress' anti-aircraft guns unexpectedly coming online. Cheetah eventually defeats Orishina, who dies satisfied that she got a fight with him despite losing it. The final cutscene has an unnamed female Kildren, believed to be Kusanagi from the movie, arrive at the base, referring to Cheetah as Teacher.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=88137|title=XSEED Games Announces The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces for Wii - official press release|publisher=Go Nintendo|date=2009-07-03|accessdate=2009-07-03|archive-date=2009-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914124711/http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=88137|url-status=dead}}</ref> === Characters === ==== Lynx/Cheetah ==== The main character of the game. His face is never shown nor does he ever talk. It appears Lynx is his callsign, as the squad chooses to use them during missions. Lynx's name is changed to Cheetah by his squad mates after he takes over as captain. Cheetah is considered a superior and quite feared ace by the enemy, nicknamed the Black Cat because of the black cat painted on the back of the planes he rides. At the end of the game, Cheetah is called Teacher, suggesting that he is the character of the same name from the film. ==== Maumi Orishina ==== She is the only girl in the Cougar Squad, later renamed the Cheetah Squad after Lynx is made captain and renamed Cheetah. She is a Kildren, cloned children who never age to be used as soldiers, and she loves to fly more than anything else. After a mock battle to test new planes against Cheetah, Maumi becomes obsessed with fighting Cheetah to have the ultimate aerial battle she desires. She takes this to the point of even defecting to Lautern to force Cheetah to fight her in a final duel. In the end, Cheetah is forced to shoot her down, but she is seen at the end of the game. Whether she is the same Maumi or a clone of her is unknown, but she respects Cheetah as her superior and calls him Teacher, implying she could be the film character Suito Kusanagi after her death in the game. ==== Kō Ukumori ==== Ukumori is a white haired Kildren, codenamed Sprite, that believes in strength alone. He commonly looks down on the fallen, suggesting they were weak, much to the anger of others. Ukumori sees himself as the best of everyone, and commonly makes challenges to others, verbally insulting their skills as well. At the end, Ukumori defects with Mozume in the idea with Rostock's successes, victory had to be given to Lautern to balance the war. As he battles Cheetah. He shows a severe jealous streak of Cheetah, claiming all his fame and recognition should be his instead. However, he is killed when Cheetah shoots him down. It was unknown if Ukumori was recloned afterwards. ==== Masami Kaida ==== A serious and often made fun of member of the Cougar/Cheetah Squad who idolized Captain Yamazaki. He apparently shares a second in command role with Ukumori after Cheetah is promoted to captain. Kaida often is at ends with Ukumori, disliking his attitude about the fallen. Eventually, Ukumori pushes Kaida too far after two of their squadmates are killed and he insults not only them, but the fallen Captain Yamazaki once more. Kaida attacks Ukumori, intending to shoot him down, making Mozume order Cheetah to shoot him down. Cheetah is forced to shoot down his friend, but Kaida shows no hatred as he falls. He just says goodbye to his old friend with a smile before dying in the explosion. ==== Mutsuga Yamasaki ==== The serious and hard-nosed leader of the Cougar Squad. He continually tells his squadmates about their shortcomings to keep them improving, and cares about the safety of them. Yamasaki is killed when he shields Ukumori's plane from gunfire; ironically, Ukumori continues to insult Yamasaki throughout the game even though his sacrifice saved his life. After Yamasaki is killed in action, Lynx is promoted to captain and renamed Cheetah, thus renaming the squad the Cheetah Squad. ==== Tochika Mozume ==== The Deputy Chief in charge of Rostock's operations and the antagonist of the game, apparently being also one of people involved in the introduction of Kildren. He takes full command after Yamazaki's death, promoting Lynx/Cheetah to captain. Mozume acts like he cares about the well-being of his pilots, but in truth, he is a manipulative opportunist who seeks to gain power for himself. Mozume is the one who manipulates Maumi to defect, though not explaining why (it may have been he wanted her to get rid of Cheetah who he started seeing as a threat). He is also the one who makes the Kildren, aside from Hiroto and Niya, defect against Rostock, stealing Wolfram, a gigantic battleship, for Lautern. As you battle the Wolfram, Mozume reveals his true nature, declaring that he will remake a new world when he gains the power he needs. It was suggested Mozume would eventually turn on Lautern when he got what he wanted from them. In the end, Mozume's plans are brought to end by Cheetah when the ace pilot destroys Wolfram's chimneys, causing an internal fire that damages it from inside, as well as its powerful cannons. As the Wolfram is falling, Mozume's madness makes his own men abandon him to die. Mozume states that Cheetah will one day succumb to old age and that his battles will be for naught. Before the Wolfram crashes and kills its mad creator, Mozume curses the world, most likely Cheetah most of all. ==== Miscellaneous ==== *'''Colonel Kayaba''': An esteemed colonel of Rostock who manages Cougar Squadron and makes every effort to stay at Hariyu Base. He provides the briefing for the first and last several missions of the main campaign, and has expressed suspicion and concern for Mozume's agenda. After Yamasaki's death, Mozume reassigns Kayaba to another base, giving him false assurance that the squadron would manage well in his absence. After the ''Wolfram'' is secured, Kayaba warns Cheetah of Mozume's evil plan taking shape and urges him to take immediate action to stop it. == Development == The game features new [[cut scene]]s animated by [[Production I.G]], who also animated the 2008 film. The film's director [[Mamoru Oshii]] was a special consultant along with author Hiroshi Mori, and both played and tested a pre-release version of the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.famitsu.com/interview/article/1214245_1493.html|title=押井 守監督の最新劇場映画｢スカイ·クロラ The Sky Crawlers｣がWiiで登場 ｢スカイ·クロラ(仮題)｣【映像インタビューつき】|publisher=Famitsu.com|date=2008-03-21|accessdate=2008-03-21}}</ref> In designing ''Innocent Aces'', the development team incorporated various gameplay elements from its signature ''[[Ace Combat]]'' video game series,<ref name="ign">{{cite web |last1=Bozon |first1=Mark |title=The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/01/08/the-sky-crawlers-innocent-aces-review |website=IGN |access-date=27 April 2022 |date=8 January 2010}}</ref> which has never seen a release on the Wii, let alone a Nintendo home console. In [[Video game localization|localizing]] the game for North America, XSeed Games decided to directly translate the game's script from Japanese, utilizing occasional common English phrases and expressions wherever appropriate. The localization team also contemplated the possibility of leaving in an option for Japanese voices,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Balicki |first1=Lukasz |title=Xseed Brings The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces to North America |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/18981/xseed-brings-the-sky-crawlers-innocent-aces-to-north-america |website=Nintendo World Report |access-date=18 April 2022 |date=3 July 2009}}</ref> but this was removed from the final product. == Reception == British magazine [[NGamer]] gave the Japanese version of the game 88%.<ref name="NGamer Issue #39">{{Cite journal| date=September 2009| title=NGamer Directory The Wii Top 50| journal= NGamer| issue=39| page=106}}</ref> ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' gave the game a 7 out of 10.<ref>''Nintendo Power'' Volume 250</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' gave the game an 8.0.<ref name="ign"/> Hardcore Gamer Magazine awarded the game a 3.5/5 stating that players will likely enjoy the story and that "you will feel like a badass pilot as you mow down planes and bomb ground units".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregamer.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&id_rubrique=1&type=article&id_article=484|title=Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Review|last="|first=Leon The Hart"|date=28 January 2010|publisher=Hardcore Gamer Magazine|accessdate=28 January 2010}}</ref> The Australian video game talk show ''[[Good Game (television series)|Good Game]]'''s two reviewers gave the game a 3.5/10 and 4/10.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2889091.htm |title=Good Game stories - The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces| publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation| date=2010-05-03}}</ref> == Manga adaptation == A [[manga]] series based on the game and illustrated by Yūho Ueji was serialized in the monthly magazine ''[[Monthly Comic Blade]]'' from November 2008 and collected into two volumes. ==Notes== {{notelist}} == References == {{reflist}} == External links == *{{Official website|http://sky-crawlers.namco-ch.net/index.html}} (Japanese) *{{Official website|http://skycrawlersinnocentaces.com/}} (English) {{Ace Combat}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, The}} [[Category:2008 video games]] [[Category:Alternate history video games]] [[Category:Bandai Namco games]] [[Category:Combat flight simulators]] [[Category:Dieselpunk video games]] [[Category:Video games based on films]] [[Category:Video games developed in Japan]] [[Category:Video games set in Austria]] [[Category:Video games set in Europe]] [[Category:Video games set in France]] [[Category:Video games set in Germany]] [[Category:Video games set in Italy]] [[Category:Video games set in Switzerland]] [[Category:Wii games]] [[Category:Wii-only games]] [[Category:Xebec (studio)]]'