Top Gun: The Second Mission
Top Gun: The Second Mission, released in Japan as Top Gun: Dual Fighters, is the second Top Gun game produced by Konami for NES. It was released in Japan in December 15, 1989, in North America in January 1990, and in Europe and Australia in October 24, 1991.
| Top Gun: The Second Mission | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Konami |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Platform(s) | NES |
| Release | 15 December 1989 (Japan) January 1990 (North America) 24 October 1991 (PAL Region) |
| Genre(s) | Combat flight simulator |
Gameplay
The player assumes the role of Maverick in an F-14 Tomcat as he is summoned for a new operation, divided into three missions. Though not explicitly stated, there is a strong implication that the "enemy" featured in the game is the Soviet Union. Boss characters featured in the game are all highly advanced Soviet prototypes from the time. The first mission is to destroy the enemy's Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack. The second mission (which includes an obstacle course through a forest in which the player must avoid crashing into trees) is to destroy an advanced version of a Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter. The third (and final) mission (which has two obstacle courses of avoiding lightning bolts and laser beams) is to destroy an enemy "star wars space shuttle".
Aside from the mission mode, the player can also select a one-on-one dogfight mode against seven aces or another player. The 'enemy aces' have stereotypical Russian-styled names such as "Gorky", "Demitri" and even "Stalin", further implying the fact that they were pilots of the Soviet Air Force[1].
In this game, the primary weapon of the player's F-14 is its auto-cannon with unlimited ammo; one of three types of missile payloads, named after their real-life counterparts (AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-54 Phoenix) can be attached. In the first game, all missiles carried by F-14 are fictional models. In this game, "better" missiles like AIM-54s simply have a larger effective lock-on area, while in reality AA missiles are distinguished by differences in guidance method and maximum effective range. In addition, missiles can be used to lock on and destroy ground targets in-game, while in reality those models are dedicated air-to-air missiles with no air to ground capability.
Compared to the previous title, the game features greatly improved graphics, in-game music (which appears in both the Japanese Famicom version and the "Vs." arcade version of the first game), and an easier carrier landing sequence than the one in the first game.
Reception
Reviews
- ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) - Jan, 1992
- Joystick (French) - Dec, 1991
- Total!! - Jan, 1992
- Mean Machines - Nov, 1991