Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is one of my most-wanted games of the next few weeks, and with the previous game over seven years old now, Bandai Namco seems to be going all-in on making this next one a big deal. On top of the usual melodramatic aerial action, those who pre-order will get a remastered version of PS2 classic Ace Combat Zero, and AC8's multiplayer mode bears more than a passing resemblance to Ace Combat Infinity, an ambitious PS3-era online spinoff. But what I wasn't expecting was Hour Zero, a live-action prelude that they'll be airing episodically in the run-up to launch. The first episode just went live.

If this your first introduction to Ace Combat? Welcome to Strangereal. The alternate-earth setting of this long-running series, where all the continents are slightly different, as are the nations, but the biggest difference is that the planet got pummeled by meteors, spurring civilization into advanced tech, including giant anti-orbital railguns, space elevators, and other super-tech. Which means when nations clash, you're not just dogfighting with jets, but submarines with energy shields, flying fortresses with fleets of drones on board, and other fun stuff.

These games are also VERY melodramatic, with his short nailing the tone of the series so far. A nation under siege, one last aircraft carrier, every mission is do-or-die, and every pilot in the sky is a warrior poet, philosophizing as they fly. Yep, that's Ace Combat alright. I feel like I'm home. The doubling down on the drama also mirrors the new game's story framing, which puts you in first-person, walking, talking, and interacting with your crewmates. Reminds me of the old Wing Commander games, and it's not something Ace Combat has really done before, often putting the player's attention purely on the skies.

But as for the game itself and its frantic missile-lobbing combat, the part I'm weirdly excited for is the recently announced Ace Combat Online. Yes, there's battle passes and loot crates, but the game itself is PvEvP, with two main modes. One where two rival teams attempt to out-score each other in an allied score-attack rush, and a secondary mode where the teams are fighting against each other, primarily focused on NPC targets, but if a player racks up enough kills to earn the Ace rank, that puts a huge, juicy bounty on their head.

Beyond that, there are boss battles that pit one team against a squad of NPC aces, or in a set-piece battle against one of those high-tech superweapons lifted from earlier games in the series. While I know I'm going to be digging deep into the solo campaign (that drama is half the fun of Ace Combat), the multiplayer might end up where I spend most of my time, especially as dogfighting with other players looks to be fairly low down the list of priorities in a match.

Ace Combat 8 is out on October 1st for £55/$70, with people who put big money down on the Deluxe Edition getting a three-day head start. A bit rich for my tastes, though - I can wait. Plus, as ever, savvy shoppers can shave a good chunk off that price if they know where to look. This is one of the cases where I'm going to say preordering might be worth it, as it comes with the Ace Combat Zero remaster.