“There’s no excuse for anyone with an Xbox Live account not to have tried this demo by now, and hopefully the sheer numbers of people already taking to the skies will encourage those still in the hangar to taxi onto the runway and light ‘em up,” said Mathieu Piau, Product Manager, Atari Europe. “The demo provides a tantalizing taste of the full-throttle experience gamers will be able to enjoy once the title launches in Europe this November complete with full online multiplayer dogfights.”

Worldwide online domination is only the beginning in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation as the next-gen processing power of the Xbox 360 allows players to witness high definition, photo-realistic landscapes scream past their cockpits as they issue commands with split-second precision to land, sea and air vehicles for an all out triple-attack on the enemy in the “The Allied Support System”. In this new feature, players will be able to fight alongside fighter planes, gun ships, attack helicopters, tanks, naval fleets, heavy bombers, and electronic warfare vessels in the ultimate Ace Combat showdown.

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation takes air combat warfare to new heights as it boasts the new “Dynamic Operation System” where massive battles unfold on a “living battlefield,” as up to six independent land, sea or air conflicts can break out at any time at multiple locations as allies and enemies clash in real-time. Players can experience the realism of war when battlefields come alive with engagingly authentic audio and visual effects: thundering explosions, dense vapor trails of air to air missiles, piercing machine gun fire, booming anti-aircraft artillery fire, mid-air explosions, gigantic columns of black smoke and more.

In Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, players can prove their supremacy on a global scale as they pilot highly detailed, authentic aircraft such as the F-15 E Strike Eagle and the F-22 Raptor online via Xbox Live. For an all out worldwide battle for the sky, players can choose from a variety of different online modes including the death match and team death match style game modes. Or they can team up with friends to play in co-op, where players combine strategy and skill to work together to take on computer-controlled adversaries. Online rankings are calculated globally with high-ranking players being granted honorable titles on a global scale, adding fuel to the fires of furious competition.

Whether playing with friends or against players from around the world, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation offers up a robust online experience, whether taking part in Battle Royale or Team Battle modes, just two of the several online multiplayer modes that Namco Bandai has so far unveiled.

It's every fighter for themselves in Battle Royale, which has pilots facing off in a free-for-all in the sky, all while trying to avoid deadly anti-aircraft fire that relentlessly fills the battlefield. Strategy takes on a whole new level in Team Battle, where pilots not only need to be proficient at dogfights, but also need to be able to coordinate the timing of attacks and defenses precisely as a group when faced with squadrons of opposing players. Using voice-chat with teammates and building strategies prior to and during online battles are essential tools for winning, climbing the global leaderboards, and a chance of attaining the highly coveted title of the number one Ace Combat player in the world.

Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation ships exclusively for the Xbox 360 on Oct. 23, 2007 for a suggested retail price of $59.99. Launching on the same day, the limited edition Ace Combat 6 ACE-EDGE Flightstick Bundle carries a retail price of $149.99.