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Mach Storm is an arcade game developed by Bandai Namco. It utilizes assets from other Ace Combat games released near the same time, and is one of the first international arcade games to use a modified Namco System N2 "P.O.D." display. Parts of its gameplay are taken from Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield, which also used the N2 P.O.D. system.

Mach Storm was released in December 2013 in Japan, and available internationally by February 2014.[1][2]

Gameplay[]

Mach Storm uses an special cabinet called P.O.D. (Panaromic Optical Display). The player flies as the flight lead of Storm Squadron in a COFFIN-equipped CFA-44 Nosferatu while battling enemy forces in locales across the world. The P.O.D. reacts to the user's actions, activating fans when flying at high speeds or vibrating the chair if the aircraft gets damaged. The aircraft is controlled with a flight stick for motion and a throttle control for acceleration and deceleration.

One credit (price dependent on location) allows the player to select any of the five available missions. After selecting a mission, the player permanently flies in a scripted path in Dogfight Mode, engaging and destroying enemy units. Bonuses are awarded for destroying enemies in quick succession, without getting damaged, and with gunfire. Like Dogfight Mode in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, levels will include cinematic sequences like collapsing buildings and flying through cramped spaces.

If the player survives to the end of the mission, they will enter a timed boss encounter specific to the mission they're playing. If the boss is successfully destroyed, the player has the option to use another credit to play a bonus round to potentially double their score. The bonus round lasts for 60 seconds, but time can be extended by destroying certain enemies, and each kill will fill a gauge to use multi-lock missiles to gain more points.

At the end of the session, the player is ranked for their actions and placed on a local leaderboard.

Missions[]

Location Difficulty Final Boss OST
Miami Easy 2x Tu-160 Blackjacks If the Sky is Burnin' Out! (2011)
Paris Normal Ace Su-47 Berkut On the Verge
Dubai Normal Cruise missiles Surrender Me (2011)
Washington, D.C. Hard Enemy fleet Arcade Riding High
Tokyo Hard Aigaion-class heavy command cruiser Arcade Ripping Air

The optional bonus round at the end of each mission always plays the OST Arcade Do or Die, along the game have 3 original tracks(the one which plays on the Boss Battles, and the ones used for Mission Clear and Mission Failed).

Development[]

Mach Storm was initially titled Sonic Storm. Its development took place sometime in 2012, following the release of Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. It was first demoed in February 2013[3] in a Dave & Buster's[4] in Illinois,[5] followed by demos in Japan in June 2013.[4][5][6][7]

In August 2013, the game was renamed to Mach Storm, trademarked worldwide, and fully announced at a Bandai Namco public "business meeting" in Japan.[8] On November 5, Bandai Namco confirmed that Mach Storm would be among the company's other arcade games at IAAPA 2013 two weeks from then.[9] A trailer was released on November 15, but is no longer available.[10] Mach Storm received massive success at the show, and was one of the most popular games being displayed.[11]

The success of Mach Storm led to the creation of Star Wars: Battle Pod, which uses the same arcade P.O.D. system and gameplay mechanics, including Dogfight Mode (except with only laser fire and no missiles).

Ace Combat references[]

Except for the voice clips, Mach Storm is entirely made of re-used assets from other Ace Combat games, particularly Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and Ace Combat Infinity (which fully released in May 2014, five months after Mach Storm released in Japan).

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Namco Bandai Releases Super Sized Mach Storm Arcade Machine. ArcadeClassics.net. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  2. Demo of the Highly Realistic Jet Fighter Shooting Game Mach Storm. Tokyo Okatu Mode. Published on December 23, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  3. Seen on Location Test USA: Namco's Sonic Storm. Arcade Heroes. Published on February 26, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Namco's Sonic Storm Now Testing In Japan. Arcade Heroes. Published on June 22, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Newsblend Today: XCOM Arcade Cab; Gauntlet Design; New Videmption; Sonic Storm In Japan. Arcade Heroes. Published on June 9, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  6. @ExTranslation on Twitter. Published on June 9, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  7. SonicStorm のロケテストに行ってきた。 行きたいイベントがブロガー限定だったときのためのブログ. Published on June 17, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  8. Namco Holds Business Meetings in Japan, Sonic Storm Renamed to Mach Storm. Arcade Heroes. Published on August 28, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  9. Namco Announces IAAPA 2013 Line-Up: New Alpine Racer, Mario Kart Arcade & Mach Storm; Also A New Aliens Game?. Arcade Heroes. Published on November 5, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  10. New Trailer For Namco's Mach Storm. Arcade Heroes. Published on November 15, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
  11. IAAPA 2013 First Part Of Day One: Namco, Raw Thrills, Sega, Pinball. Arcade Heroes. Published on November 19, 2013. Retrieved on February 23, 2017.
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