Arcade Archives 2: Air Combat 22 Switch 2 Review
44It’s easy to forget just how wild arcade games were in the mid-90s. Long before we had photorealistic cockpits or dual-analogue dogfighting, Namco’s Air Combat 22 dropped players into the pilot seat of a roaring F-14 Tomcat and told them to shoot first and fly fast. It was the kind of experience that swallowed dollar coins and fueled the imaginations of kids wanting to grow up to be fighter pilots. For me, it was Sega’s Lock On that drained most of my wallet growing up, as I never stumbled across Air Combat 22 in the wild, which is exactly why I didn’t hesitate to grab it the moment it touched down on Switch. This release marks the second title in Hamster’s “Arcade Archives 2” series, following the impressive debut of Ridge Racer. Where the original Arcade Archives catalogue brought us a treasure trove of Neo Geo classics (including the legendary Metal Slug series), this second wave is turning its attention to some of Namco’s most ambitious arcade experiments. And for Ace Combat fans, this one’s special, because it’s where one of my favourite franchises began. What’s it Like? Grab your helmet, crank up Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone, and it’s time to kick the tires and light the fires as we review Air Combat 22 on Nintendo Switch 2.