Polar bears

thumb|334px|rightPolar bears are a famous easter egg present in Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War . In mission 14, Demons of Razgriz, several groups of mother and cub bears are strewn across the Razgriz Straits. This easter egg is particularly famous because it is one of the few direct contacts made between Namco personnel and Namco fans. The easter egg was first found by Gamespot member "yellow26" in late 2004. Intrigued, yellow26 sent a letter to Namco concerning these polar bears. Some time latter, yellow26 recieved a letter from Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc. spokesman Masato Kanno, giving insight on the polar bears and other easter eggs in the game. Kanno's letter can be read below.

Masato Kanno's letter
"Thank you very much for your letter! It was quite curious and thus caught our attention. It is an honor for us developers to know that people are enjoying the game in many ways even now. It is also an encouragement for us to know that players are associated with each other "beyond national boundaries." Thank you once again on behalf of PROJECT ACES.

Well, let's not rush into the answer. I sure would not want to make a killjoy out of me for those who have devoted themselves to searching the Bears and those who will start searching them as of now. Please consider the following clues to be our answer.

1. The Mother and Cub Bears are in a mission where it is very cold. In that mission, the player is required to fly low.

2. The Mother and Cub Bears have a distinct shape. They are far from drawings on the ground that might look like them.

3. The Mother and Cub Bears are the size of real life bears. Thus it is quite difficult to get a visual on them from high altitude. Considering the speed of an aircraft, it is presumably difficult as well to keep them within range of vision even if you fly at low altitude.

4. There is not only one pair of the Mother and Cub Bears in a single spot. There are many pairs of them in the same mission. Many of them!

5. The Mother and Cub Bears are not along the waterside, but they are near the water.

Inspired? Got more confused?

The Mother and Cub Bears were placed as an experiment. In the early stage of the development, there was a question: Is it possible to visually confirm an object in the size of a real life human being in Ace Combat 5? In order to verify the quality of AC5's graphic level, these bears were introduced into the game. That players have been reportedly unable to see them is nice feedback to us. Your voice was heard!

There are Pacman Ghosts and even a snowman object (!) in the world of Ace Combat 5. We would like you to fly more and enjoy seeing them all. Please keep your eyes open to PROJECT ACES. Thank you!

Best Regards Namco Bandai Holdings Inc. PROJECT ACES Masato Kanno"