A jet fighter game for N64.

Original N64europe Review

Overview: The first real flight simulation for the Nintendo 64 is Aerofighters Assault from Paradigm Entertainment. This first thing I discovered about the single player game is that it is very challenging. There are about 10 missions in the game, each of which may take you quite a few tries to beat. In the beginning, you chose one of four characters to fly as, the other three become your wingmen. Don't worry, they don't steal the show as you pilot through vast deserts, oceans, cities and fortresses. Each level consists of four main enemy aircraft and one boss. There are also quite a few pesky helicopters and smaller planes to watch out for. I found the single player mode to be quite difficult and very frustrating. It’s important to note that you don’t have an unlimited number of lives, so you can’t keep re-trying the later stages of the game, you’ve got to start all over again! At least you don’t need a memory card, and the game automatically saves after every level. Don’t buy this game for its multiplayer mode!! Even after my first dogfight, I felt the multiplayer mode was seriously lacking. Only two players can play at a time, and battles usually consist of trying to get the enemy on your screen. This usually leads to you and your opponent endlessly flying around in circles! That’s no fun!

Graphics: The graphics of the game looks blurry. The only exception are the aircraft and bosses which seem to stand out nicely in the game. There is also little hint of fog, and that is always a nice thing in a N64 game.

Sound: The music in the game(or lack thereof) is average at best, and the sound effects, such as when your aircraft is hit or when you launch a missile, seem out of place and two sci-fi for a realistic flight sim.

Control: All the planes in the game handle well and all game functions are easy to remember. Any plane maneuver is easy to pull off as well.

Rumble Pak: The use of the Rumble Pak is very important in this game. It’s often hard to hear when you are being hit by enemy fire, especially in the first person viewing mode, and for players who have a Rumble Pak, each hit can be determined with each jolt. However, this is about the only time when the Rumble Pak is responsive.

In a nutshell: Aerofighters Assault is a nice challenging single player game. However, people expecting an exciting multi player dogfight should look towards Star Fox 64.

- by Chris Guadagnino