(DC) Aerowings 2: Air Strike NTSC-U (609Mb)

[Tzun Tzen]

(from the jap version but its an US, don't worry)

Dogfights, nice graphics, interesting for not computer players
(selfboot nrg, tested with NullDC, mount it on daemon tool and use the znullGD plugins, works at 99%, i have noticed a bug in the training who freeze the game but its ok in the reals missions)


IGN review:

Those of you who read my hands-on from E3 know that unlike my fellow IGN'er Colin Williamson (see his review of the import here), I'm no expert at flight simulators. For some reason or another, I just never touched the things. Upon finally getting to sit down and play the game, however, my frustration from E3 quickly melted into pure enjoyment. AeroWings 2: Air Strike somehow manages to be both deep and challenging while being tremendously accommodating to the beginner.



Those who played the original AeroWings found a fun, realistic, but overall passive approach to the flight sim. While it offered some complicated tricks and a variety of things to do, the most common complaint was about the action. Specifically, the total lack of it. This has not only been addressed in the sequel, it has become the focus. This major addition to the gameplay should create a lot more appeal with the masses.



First, it must be said: Like most flight sims, this game is very complicated. There are a lot of techniques to learn to be functional in the cockpit, and even more if you want to be an expert pilot. This would probably turn off novice jet jockeys if not for the excellent tutorials and training exercises holding your hand the whole way through. Starting with teaching the basic controls in the training mode and then moving on to landing, rolls, loops, and complicated tactics like the Split-S in the fighter pilot missions, the game's lessons are both thorough and helpful. The only knock on this thorough training is that only the initial basic training can be skipped. For those familiar with the genre, some of this stuff will be familiar ground, and they'll be itching to move on to tougher fare. Unfortunately, you must complete these missions sequentially, so the later (and more interesting) fighter pilot missions are only available once the more basic stuff is done.



Your other option is to play the tactical challenges, which have you flying around trying to shoot targets within a time limit in different areas. Some of these are stationary balloons, while some of them are of the varieties that shoot back. Although I don't recommend playing these until you learn the techniques in the fighter pilot missions, more seasoned pilots can hop right in and strut their stuff. The enemy pilots are pretty good though, I warn you, so you'd best learn some good evasion techniques.



If you just want a quick fight, or even just want to soar around through the clouds, you can play in the free flight mode. In free flight, you can fly around by yourself in any of the levels, or place a number of enemies to do some slick dogfighting. One thing about this game is that there aren't too many initially selectable planes to choose from, but you can unlock many, many more planes as you complete the missions.

For some real fun, look no further than the two-player dogfight mode, which enables you and a friend to have a one on one fight over the ocean. This option is pretty sweet, but it often degenerates down to who gets the first lock on with a missile in the beginning. Once both players are a bit better at the game, this is a heck of a good time and a source of a ton of replay.



Figure out what's what is a key part of enjoying the experience. Although the controls seem daunting at first, they eventually become intuitive. How CRI has managed to shift the complex controls of a plane onto the Dreamcast controller while maintaining the depth of a grown-up PC sim, I'll never know, but they did it. Even the most complex of tricks completely makes sense.

This game doesn't disappoint with the visuals, either. Although the ground is not really scaled realistically and is largely flat and barren, the planes themselves look great, the horizon stretches far, and there isn't a stitch of slowdown or frameyness. This is particularly evident in the excellent replay mode, where you can adjust the camera angles, and even jump into the action anytime throughout to fix your own mistakes. You can save the replay to the VMU and use it to show off your supreme skills to your friends later.

The sounds of the jet engines are cool, and when you let a missile fly, it sounds pretty good, but what's up with the machineguns? They don't sound anywhere near real. The music is pretty lame, too. While it's evident that a Top Gun vibe was attempted to be reached, it must be noted that Top Gun was an 80's movie. What we get is some chintzy 80's guitar music that is more deserving of the mute button than any game I've played recently.



AeroWings 2: Air Strike turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than I expected. With it's newbie-friendly approach, surprising depth, and great two player game, this game is not only better than it's predecessor, it's a great game overall. While it's not a must-own for everyone, anyone with even a minor interest in jet fighting will want to check this out.
-- Shaun Musgrave, Contributor

Links:

Part1:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WU2UH0I0
Part2:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T9512W5Q

Password:

http://www.emulatorworld.com