Unfortunately not on sale on Steam (don't know about Xbox) but if you have a PS4 it's worth getting into. It kinda got lost with all the great games released at the same time but AC7 is a must-have in your collection.
First of all, it's a great game to begin with, you will never go wrong with this one. Yes the AC games are set in the same universe but all of them are self-contained so you will hardly lose anything starting with this one.
Second of all, they're not just games where you shoot planes. A big focus of the series is to have a gripping story and narrative all throughout. These stories are not in any way in the same spirit as Call of Duty or what have you. These are stories about freedom, about the horrors of war, about fighting for peace. They are super engaging stories that will get you through the end even if you don't care about fighter jets. That's the main strength of Ace Combat
You will also get to do some super cool stuff. They added 3D environmental clouds in AC7 so now you have to deal with your jet icing up, or even thunder hitting your plane. It gives a whole new dimension of level design as it helps the enemy as much as it helps you (lowered accuracy in clouds)
Not only that but the soundtrack of Ace Combat has to be one of the most underrated soundtrack to come out of a high-budget video game series. The work of Keiki Kobayashi and other composers are pretty much unmatched in the space they occupy. Absolutely banging, bombastic tracks that makes you feel like the hero of the world, and the story doesn't miss a beat to make you feel like you're the only one left to end the war. Their work makes actual hollywood movies with five times their budget blush in comparison.
And if you're not convinced, just check trailers of this game. They're extremely well done
Ace Combat 7 has been the grand return of the series. The first numbered game in 12 years. It had a rocky situation during all these years but they actually went and did it, they made the comeback everyone wanted.
6 years ago I thought Ace Combat was just a middle-of-the-road series with Call of Duty-like aesthetics and I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation. What I can say is, try it, and you'll see that it's the furthest from that. It's a brilliant series of games that makes you want to never let go of your grip on the controller. It's that good.
