'Ace Combat 8' is released this October.Bandai NamcoThe upcoming Ace Combat 8 will finally be released this October and will get some genuinely great pre-order bonuses.The first big reveal is that Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War is being bundled as a pre-order bonus. This is one of the best Ace Combat games ever made and also covers crucial story points about the country Belka, and how it ends up influencing future plot points in later games.The fact that this game is bundled with Ace Combat 8 also makes me think that Belkan elements will pop up in the game. Not to mention the fact that the ADFX-02 Morgan is part of the Premium Ace Pass, which is another Belkan-produced plane featured in Ace Combat Zero, it is clear that the two games are linked in some way.In addition to all that, we also have a new launch trailer (shown below) that reveals more about the game and who the “Wings of Theve” actually is.We also see a suitably insane land battleship that looks like something straight out of V Gundam.There are also elements like the Orbital Elevator and Arsenal Bird being shown, so it will be interesting to see how all of this connects back to Ace Combat 7.We also see a glimpse of Princess Cossette from Ace Combat 7, and that is also something I am very curious about.The other major takeaway from the new trailers is that a lot of the story will be more character-driven in a direct way. Previously, you just had cutscenes and then in-game chatter, along with character portraits.This shows a lot more in-world and cockpit views for each of the characters, so I am really curious how this will all play out in the final game.Graphically, at least, everything also looks like a major step up from Ace Combat 7, which is actually pretty impressive considering how visually stunning that game still is.The other big part of all this is what sounds like a standalone multiplayer setup called Ace Combat Online, which is being jokingly referred to by fans online as Ace Combat Infinity 2.Either way, Ace Combat 8 is shaping up to be a really special game. I just wish that we could get a hold of Ace Combat 6 again on Xbox.Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is released on October 2 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently writing regular columns in Japanese about mecha games and mecha anime for both Game*Spark and Automaton.