New Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception PSP details land

Tabloids may claim air rage is a relatively recent phenomenon, but we'd point out that it's something that has surely been around from the moment aircraft combat began. In other words, sometime around World War I.

Granted, trying to gun down your opponents can't have been too exciting in a flimsy biplane, which is probably one of the reasons why Skies of Deception features modern examples such as the realistically modeled F-14D or Tornado F3.

Other real-world aeroplanes are also included, as well as original models that can be upgraded with parts unlocked during the Campaign mode to improve the performance of their flying characteristics.

The Campaign game sees you defending the country of Aurelia suddenly under invasion from Leasath – and you face the added responsibility of each decision taken during missions having an effect on subsequent outings.

The missions are still likely to revolve around traditional dogfighting and search-and-destroy bombing sorties (there's a limit to what you can do with a fighter jet, obviously) but objectives changing as a result of your actions is an interesting concept, provided it's implemented correctly and isn't simply used as a marketing gimmick.

Ever the optimists, we're keen to see how the increase in strategic content will suit the traditionally action-packed world of previous Ace Combat console games. And should it disappoint, we suspect the promised two- to four-player ad hoc combat competitions will make up some of the shortfall – if nothing else, it will enable us to demonstrate the real meaning of air rage.