Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve - Worth the $70 or Wait for a Patch? Let's Talk Performance

So, I pulled the trigger on Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve on launch day – $70 lighter and ready to chase some missiles. And honestly, when the dogfights kick in, it's glorious. The jet engines roar through my headphones, explosions light up the sky, and the squad banter actually makes me care. But here's the thing: those later missions with endless waves started to stutter my enjoyment, and some of those ground textures look like they were ripped straight from a 2010 military sim. I'm running a RTX 3070 at 1440p, and I'm still getting occasional frame pacing jitters, especially in canyon runs.

What's your experience? Have you found the magic settings combo to smooth things out? Any tricks for Steam Deck compatibility – is it playable at a locked 40 FPS? And the big one: is this worth the full $70 for the campaign alone, or should I have waited for a sale? I know the arcade feel might push hardcore sim fans away, but for us action junkies, is the story and squad system enough to overlook the rough edges? Also, anyone tried multiplayer yet? Leave your settings and salty takes below.