Top Gun
Posted June 21, 2006
Tom Cruise is all the rage these days; the kids really love him. So why not recreate a portable video game based on a movie that he starred in way back in the 1980s? It's sure to be a hit. Oh, and let's remove one huge aspect of the title that is essential, the sense of speed!
While in theory games that put players in charge of fast flying death machines can be good (see old school Afterburner and Ace Combat for example), it takes a little bit of effort to make the game right. Simply slapping a name on a title and tossing in a midi mix of the theme song from the movie doesn't won't make a game a hit. Let's explore what makes Top Gun tick, and determine if it's worth your hard earned Hamiltons.
Gameplay:
When the game starts up you can choose from one of four characters from Top Gun; Iceman, Slider, Jester and of course Maverick. As anyone who's seen the movie knows, each character has a unique skill he brings to the air, however for the case of Top Gun DS they all play exactly the same with only the text in their bio making a difference.
The opening levels are simple training levels to help you get the hang of flying either the F-14, F-16 or the F/A-18. Which each plane type has a distinct graphical makeup; they call control exactly the same and carry the same weapon payload. After the variety of the training levels, you move into real missions taking down bogies, sinking ships, protecting aircraft carriers and blasting all other sorts of bad guys' equipment. Each level, while different in theory, is essentially the same. Fly around the level checking your radar, then lock onto the bad guy and let your guided missiles do their thing. Even though the game packs in eleven missions, the lack of variety really takes a toll and makes the game a chore to play rather than one you'd pick up for enjoyment.
Controls are one decent part of the title, controlling the various aircraft is fairly well done with the control pad, while firing various weapons takes up the shoulder buttons as well as a couple face buttons. Your speed is also controlled by the face buttons. Unfortunately the bottom screen of the DS was mainly reserved for status, but in all honesty I never found myself looking at it as the main screen showed all the information I wanted as well.
Graphics:
Top Gun plays as a three dimensional title, allowing you to fly anywhere your heart desires. But don't expect to be wowed by great 3D graphics. Most enemies you encounter tend to look like grey blobs by the time you get to them; regardless of the fact that they are ship, plane or tank. The texturing in the title is very poor and uninspired, for example in the second training level you as you fly at the speed of a sloth through a brownish blur of a canyon everything looks the same. No effort was put into varying the lighting or even the look of the canyon walls. You even move so slowly through them at top speed that you'll have plenty of chances to stop and enjoy the sites.
For a game that relies on shooting down and otherwise destroying things, the explosion animations in the title are beyond weak. Instead of a guided missile blowing the hell out of a target, they disappear in a wisp of smoke then evaporate into thin air.
Audio:
Aside from the Top Gun theme playing on the title screen, the music and sound effects in the game are downright atrocious. I remember hearing better tracks when I played Hyper Lode Runner on my original Gameboy, back in its monochrome glory. To fully utilize the power of the DS, the developers put in some equally horrible voice acting, but sadly only a couple lines were recorded and on the cart; prepare to be lulled to sleep from repetition. Even things that can potentially sound decent with the small portable speakers don't here; explosions are as weak sounding as they are looking. Thank your stars the DS has a good volume control option.
Conclusion:
Other than the Top Gun theme and some decent controls, this game doesn't really offer the player anything of redeeming value. The levels are extremely repetitive, the graphics all at once bland, muddy and blurry, and the sound war below par. I found myself wanting to purposely buzz the tower to get the game to kick me out of the military with no such luck. Save your cash and avoid this title, even when it's in the bulk bin. Skip it.
While in theory games that put players in charge of fast flying death machines can be good (see old school Afterburner and Ace Combat for example), it takes a little bit of effort to make the game right. Simply slapping a name on a title and tossing in a midi mix of the theme song from the movie doesn't won't make a game a hit. Let's explore what makes Top Gun tick, and determine if it's worth your hard earned Hamiltons.
Gameplay:
When the game starts up you can choose from one of four characters from Top Gun; Iceman, Slider, Jester and of course Maverick. As anyone who's seen the movie knows, each character has a unique skill he brings to the air, however for the case of Top Gun DS they all play exactly the same with only the text in their bio making a difference.
The opening levels are simple training levels to help you get the hang of flying either the F-14, F-16 or the F/A-18. Which each plane type has a distinct graphical makeup; they call control exactly the same and carry the same weapon payload. After the variety of the training levels, you move into real missions taking down bogies, sinking ships, protecting aircraft carriers and blasting all other sorts of bad guys' equipment. Each level, while different in theory, is essentially the same. Fly around the level checking your radar, then lock onto the bad guy and let your guided missiles do their thing. Even though the game packs in eleven missions, the lack of variety really takes a toll and makes the game a chore to play rather than one you'd pick up for enjoyment.
Controls are one decent part of the title, controlling the various aircraft is fairly well done with the control pad, while firing various weapons takes up the shoulder buttons as well as a couple face buttons. Your speed is also controlled by the face buttons. Unfortunately the bottom screen of the DS was mainly reserved for status, but in all honesty I never found myself looking at it as the main screen showed all the information I wanted as well.
Graphics:
Top Gun plays as a three dimensional title, allowing you to fly anywhere your heart desires. But don't expect to be wowed by great 3D graphics. Most enemies you encounter tend to look like grey blobs by the time you get to them; regardless of the fact that they are ship, plane or tank. The texturing in the title is very poor and uninspired, for example in the second training level you as you fly at the speed of a sloth through a brownish blur of a canyon everything looks the same. No effort was put into varying the lighting or even the look of the canyon walls. You even move so slowly through them at top speed that you'll have plenty of chances to stop and enjoy the sites.
For a game that relies on shooting down and otherwise destroying things, the explosion animations in the title are beyond weak. Instead of a guided missile blowing the hell out of a target, they disappear in a wisp of smoke then evaporate into thin air.
Audio:
Aside from the Top Gun theme playing on the title screen, the music and sound effects in the game are downright atrocious. I remember hearing better tracks when I played Hyper Lode Runner on my original Gameboy, back in its monochrome glory. To fully utilize the power of the DS, the developers put in some equally horrible voice acting, but sadly only a couple lines were recorded and on the cart; prepare to be lulled to sleep from repetition. Even things that can potentially sound decent with the small portable speakers don't here; explosions are as weak sounding as they are looking. Thank your stars the DS has a good volume control option.
Conclusion:
Other than the Top Gun theme and some decent controls, this game doesn't really offer the player anything of redeeming value. The levels are extremely repetitive, the graphics all at once bland, muddy and blurry, and the sound war below par. I found myself wanting to purposely buzz the tower to get the game to kick me out of the military with no such luck. Save your cash and avoid this title, even when it's in the bulk bin. Skip it.