Last time, I explained how to extract the long-forgotten Namco 1999 Press Kit. Now it’s time to look at the Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere stuff in there!
I later learned from the Load Word Team that they had discovered the disc earlier, but didn’t keep any records. So the disc wasn’t long-forgotten after all!
The folder Ace Combat 3/JPN version/screenshots contains some oddly-named subfolders. DragonSpikeXIII identified that they represent the game during different stages of completion:
The alpha version of Expo City (brighter, without its iconic underground airport).
Expo City is closer to the final version. A cheat mode was enabled, as no damage level is being displayed and the mission timeout is inactive.
Now with character portraits and the subtitle box.
Drawings of Dision, Erich, Fiona, and Rena in unprecedented quality (up to 1400×1800 pixels, lossless compression).
Stills from the game’s cutscenes in unprecedented quality (720×396 instead of the game’s 320×176, lossless compression).
Namco’s color design for Ace Combat 3’s menus. This was originally an Adobe Illustrator file; Ostrich was so kind to convert it to SVG for me.
In order to display the file correctly, you need to have the fonts Shin Go Bold and Shin Go Ultra installed!
Note the legacy Ace Combat 3 logo in the top-left corner.
High-resolution logos, lossless compression, with alpha channel!
The next part will revisit Ridge Racer Type 4 and Namco’s lesser-known releases. Stay tuned!