Understand what you are getting into
First off I will say that "I love and own every Ace Combat game on every Playstation system", I even took the time to borrow a X-box to play Ace 6. I took the time to beat every mode in every way and always up to the highest "Ace" difficulty.
Now that being said, I love and hate this game with passions of equal measure.
We finally have a PS3 Ace Combat game, with great visuals, wonderful controls and co-op play. A new story linked back to Ace 4 and great planes to fly. You have to earn your new planes with research and earning the money to pay for your new planes and upgrades. I love all that.
Then they destroy all our fun with one word, Fuel. The games is free to download and you can play the test flight until you are blue in the face. Every mission on the other hand, costs at least one unit of fuel to fly. Doesn't sound like much, one unit, one flight. Once every 4 hours and only to a maximum of 3 units. You want to fly more you got to pay more.
This is not a free-to-play game. Not in my books. This is a free-to-own game. You got to pay-to-play no matter what they say.
I love Ace Combat and I feel sorry that it took so long for a Ace game to make it to the PS3. Then I feel cheated by Bandi/Namco when this comes out, making the play so few and so far between.