Ace Combat 6 lets you enjoy being a fighter pilot, minus the threat of puking and most importantly, getting blown to bits. Namco Bandai's thrilling action game plops you into the cockpits of a host of high-powered jets, then charges you with saving a fictitious country from hostile invaders. It's a short single player campaign, made more interesting thanks to unlocked planes and approaching scenarios in different ways. However, the online component greatly extends the replay value, as you and 15 other fly boys (or fly girls) take to the sky to show the world who's got the best moves and the fastest trigger fingers.

We love the single player mode for its pulse-pounding gameplay and various combat scenarios. Throughout the course of the campaign, you'll fly all sorts of aircraft, including the F-22 Raptor, Tornado and the F-15 E Strike Eagle, all of which have a never ending supply of missiles and bullets. Yeah, that's not realistic (nor is occasionally bouncing off the ground), but neither are some of the sci-fi inspired enemies you'll face. Sure, actual pilots will probably take exception to the way the jets handle and the things you can do with them, but for video games' sake, Ace Combat 6 takes liberties and runs wild, because after all, the point is to have a blast (literally) blowing up evil doers and enjoying the gorgeous scenery.

Combat works similar to previous Ace Combat games, with you completing a series of objectives and ordering wingmen to watch your ass or go off and engage the enemy. You'll perform barrel rolls to avoid incoming missiles, shred the artificial intelligence with gunfire and in a new twist, order ground troops to destroy a target. Everything feels extremely satisfying, especially watching opposing jets explode in orange fireballs.

We also enjoy being overly dramatic, by flying too close to buildings, rocketing through canyons and traveling under bridges, mostly because we look cool doing it. Ace Combat 6 looks incredible, not so much the ground, which gets ugly up close, but the sunlight off the water, buildings, explosions and of course, the jets themselves, which perfectly resemble their real life counterparts. The game doesn't look as photo realistic as Namco Bandai wants you to believe, far from it, but it's still one of the most gorgeous Xbox 360 video games, made better with the help of a sweet HDTV.

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