Ace Combat 8 Steam reviewers are steaming mad about its pre-order bonus not being a standalone app. The freebie promise for Ace Combat Zero, a 2006 entry in the series that had never appeared on PC, turned into something far more cumbersome than anyone expected. And now the reviews are filling up with complaints.
Here is what actually happened, and why the backlash is getting louder.
The Pre-Order Promise
Anyone who pre-orders the $70 standard edition of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve gets Ace Combat Zero as a bonus. That is a rare treat for longtime fans of the series. But the packaging of that bonus has changed since the game went on sale.
The store page once described Zero as a standalone application. Now it is listed as a DLC executable launched separately from the base game. Reviewer Akion captured the shift perfectly:
“Before I bought the game the description said this about the Belkan War DLC Half the reason I got the game was because that is my all time fav. The integrity of this should matter to you.”
“‘*ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR is a standalone application separate from the ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE full game.'”
“And now it says this:”
“*ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR (Steam Version) is available as a DLC executable launched separately from the base game.”
The 140GB Problem
The packaging change is not the only complaint. The size of the installation is staggering. Another reviewer noted that “You need to install 140gb of data to play a 3gb 20 years old game.” That is not hyperbole.
Ace Combat 8 is currently using up 140.24 gigs on a reviewer’s SSD, with the Zero DLC making up only 3.2GB of that total. The rest is bulk that comes with the main game’s purchase, and players are not happy about it.
What Players Are Complaining About
The negative reviews cover several issues, but the most common complaint is that the bonus was sold as a separate app and delivered as DLC instead. Other gripes include:
- Performance problems
- Multiplayer connectivity issues
- Heavier flight physics
- Lack of HOTAS support
The console version of Zero comes with its own achievements and trophies list, plus separate cloud saves. The Steam version has neither. For players who want to run Zero on the Steam Deck, where it should perform well given its age, that absence stings.
The Licensing Question
Bandai Namco has faced pushback over the packaging decision. Some players argue that the company could not release Zero as its own package because of the licensing terms for the planes in the game. There is evidence of this: a livestream featuring the developers on September 28 said the licenses only permit giving the game away for free.
That explanation does not fully satisfy everyone. The console versions package Zero separately without selling it, so a similar arrangement on Steam seems possible. Hitman 3 offers a model: it still has a listing page, even though it cannot be purchased on its own. Instead, it appears as downloadable content for Hitman World of Assassination.
“Notice: At the request of the publisher, HITMAN 3 Access Pass: HITMAN 1 Complete First Season is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search,” reads a warning message at the top of the store page.
Why This Matters
The principle of the thing is the sticking point. The store page said Zero would be a separate app, and then it was not. That gap between promise and delivery has driven the negative reviews, and the numbers are mounting fast.
The game is still new, and the non-pre-order crowd has not yet filtered into PC Gamer’s review pool. The criticism will show up in a smaller portion of Ace Combat 8’s reviews as those players begin to post. For now, the pre-order bonus is not the clean publicity win it otherwise could have been.
The Verdict on the Backlash
The reaction is understandable. A 3GB game should not require 140GB of installation space, and a bonus that was advertised as a separate app should not arrive as DLC. Bandai Namco has a fixable problem here, and it would be smart to address it sooner rather than later.
The complaints are real, but they are about the packaging, not the flying. The size of the installation is the final straw. Players have spoken, and the message is loud and clear.
The takeaway is simple: promises matter. When a publisher tells you a bonus is a standalone app, and it arrives as DLC, the disappointment is real.
Source material: “Ace Combat 8 Steam reviewers are steaming mad about its pre-order bonus not being a standalone app,” PC Gamer.
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