Ace Combat/Tear Jerker

• Though it was something of a Narm due to the voice acting, the death of Chopper, aka Captain Davenport in Ace Combat 5 The Unsung War made quite a few players cry after they'd grown to like the character. The exact details in the mission that lead to it don't help any, but seeing the rest of the squadron collectively snap and cut a path of destruction through the invading enemies does make the player feel a bit better.
  • It probably helps that he gets a rather tear-jerking moment in the previous mission, where you're providing ground support for a unit that include the brother of Grimm (one of your squadron's pilots).

Chopper: Hey, Grimm, do you know where your brother is down there?
Grimm: Sir, you can't play favorites during war!
Chopper: Fine! Then everyone down there is your brother!

• • And in a later mission (18, "Fortress"), you provide air support for ground troops (and bail them out from a bad situation):

Friendly Soldier 1: They're called the "Four Wings of Sand Island", but I only see three of them.
Friendly Soldier 2: Don't you know? Only good little kids get to see the fourth one.

• Ace Combat Zero also has some pretty emotional dialogue. This troper's favorite is one said by an enemy pilot after you shoot down all of his squadron mates. Rather than cursing or panicking (like just about everyone else), he gallantly says: "Ustio Mercenary, nice shooting."
  • Some others only come out if you're thinking about them. Rot's proud ace, Detlef Fleisher, not only can't understand how he could have lost, he can't even bring himself to look directly at the camera during the interview. Now that's a broken man.
    • Pretty much all of the interviews, particularly Deitrich Kellerman/Silber 1, who personally trained his squadron and, it's implied, lost them all that day. His time was over, and he never flew again.
    • Every time Cipher shows up, even if the allied forces are getting massacred by the vastly superior Belkan Air Force, everyone cheers for you and is given their second wind. After countless game's where the player never gets recognized for the ridiculous feats one's bound to do in a video game, this troper finds himself crying every time he's called 'Demon Lord Of The Round Table'.
    • The last boss fight. This troper got to respect Pixy and would even go so far as to go You can be my wingman anytime on him, and the final boss fight being the closest you can get to a joust with airplanes, it really feels like an old school duel with an ex friend.
• Plus the constant "oh by the way you're a monster" that is Ace Combat 4. The game frequently informs you that you're killing an orphan's best friends (the hardest enemies in the game as well, which means they'll make you start getting more desperate, then you realize you're getting desperate for a chance to kill said orphan's friends). However, the biggest Player Punch is when you shoot down Yellow 13, who manages to chuck the late Yellow 4's handkerchief out his window before he dies. Then, the kid writes you a letter asking about him.
  • Also, earlier in the same game: "Yellow 13 here. Did anyone see 4 get out?"
• Ace Combat 6 Fires of Liberation, the cutscenes for the game, rather than following the Player Character, follow a woman and her daughter. At first, the dialogue leads the player into thinking that the woman's husband was your co-pilot Shamrock. The truth is that she walked past the wreckage of her actual husband's plane while she was evacuating the city during the invasion of Gracemeria and didn't even realize it was him. Your wingman, Shamrock, also has his own tearjerker moment. After taking back Gracemeria, he was so thrilled to finally be reunited with his family, only to find that his wife and daughter had been killed during the operation. The happy reunion you thought would be happening is now ruined forever, and he blames himself for not being able to protect them. The game mostly downplays the significance of his family. He remains hopeful to being reunited with them, but the game doesn't shove it in your face and make the end result all that predictable to see coming, but rather keeps it subtle. It's hard to keep your composure after such a build up leading to that.

"HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN?!"