Challenge One Shelf: Air Combat

After our inauspicious start yesterday (which was basically, “err, yeah, I haven't played this for ages”), I felt I ought to at least fire this one up again before writing about it. Seems some people think that's an important part of videogame criticism. Anyway, here are my thoughts:

Urg!
PS1 games take several ice ages to load, even on a PS3.

Oh dear!
Even the pre-rendered introduction sequence looks rubbish.

Supersonic!
I miss the days when videogames had ridiculous bombastic soundtracks. Particularly when they knew how to rock, like this one clearly does.

Ha!
The Englishman doing the briefing almost certainly didn't have a practice read of his script before recording it. He says that, “six months ago, an extremely well-armed and organised terrorist force carried out a coup d'etat.” Just as I start thinking that I'd like to ask him what makes them terrorists rather than freedom fighters (I mean, could this be set in Libya?), he closes by saying, “you will receive remuneration commensurate with your position as the premier top gun in the world”. I put my metaphorical hand down.

Errr....
How do I start the first mission? Oh I press up to go sideways. And then press the circle button to confirm. How quaint. I really don't miss the menu screens from the old days.

Woah!
It just spent another 20 seconds loading, but only so I could select my jet fighter. Now there's another 30 seconds watching a loading screen before I get to fly.

Oh!
This is actually okay. The landscape might look pretty barren, and in truth I'm just moving forward, locking onto my targets and pressing circle to fire missiles at them, but somehow the lonely emptiness gives it all a sense of legitimacy. I mean, surely it would feel lonely and weird to be the sole jet fighter pilot out there shooting down evil terrorists whose motive you can't even begin to comprehend.

Yes!
Despite being forced to use the D-pad when there's a far more appropriate analogue stick within thumb's reach, I have passed the evaluation of my operational abilities.

Nnnnnnnng...
and I think that's all that needs to be said about Air Combat here.

Don't worry reader, tomorrow when we get to Animal Crossing this whole thing is totally going to spring into life. It will likely help that Animal Crossing is a game I can actually remember having played. Just you wait.