F/A-18 Interceptor | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Intellisoft |
Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
Director(s) | Steven E. Hayes (technical) |
Producer(s) | Richard Hilleman |
Designer(s) | Bob Dinnerman |
Programmer(s) | Bob Dinnerman |
Artist(s) | Greg Johnson |
Composer(s) | David Warhol |
Platform(s) | Amiga [1] |
Release | 1988 |
Genre(s) | Air combat simulation |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
F/A-18 Interceptor is a combat flight simulator developed by Intellisoft and published by Electronic Arts for the Amiga in 1988. The player mainly flies the F/A-18 Hornet, but the F-16 Fighting Falcon is also available for aerobatics, free flight and the first mission. Contrary to the title of the game, the real F/A-18 is not a true interceptor aircraft, having been designed instead as a multirole anti-ship strike fighter.
The game is set in the San Francisco Bay Area. Notable landmarks include the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and Alcatraz Island. The Electronic Arts headquarters in San Mateo are also depicted. [2] The player can also take off and land from the following airfields: San Francisco International Airport, Oakland International Airport, Moffett Federal Airfield, and USS Enterprise, anchored approximately 20 miles offshore. Finally, when selecting a location to start a free flight, pressing the [0] key starts the player on uninhabited ground far away from the main game area. This is in fact supposed to be Edwards Air Force Base, a location that was not actually implemented in the final game.
Only air-to-air weapons are available, and are limited to AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, and the M61 Vulcan Gatling gun (500 rounds). Chaff and flares are available for defense against enemy missiles.
There are six missions, enemies being referred as "terrorists". The first takes place on September 1, 1994. The player must complete a successful carrier landing in order to qualify for the missions:
This final mission has become the subject of debate among gamers. It was widely believed that it was impossible to sink the enemy carrier sub, and therefore complete the mission. The game's designer/programmer Robert "Bob" Dinnerman states that it is possible, but that the carrier does not actually blow up if it is deemed destroyed. It is generally accepted that the mission objectives are incorrect, and that it is only necessary to destroy the patrolling enemy aircraft to complete the mission. [3] [4]
Although the missions can each be completed, the game does not feature an ending sequence, or any other indication that it is completed. After completion of the Carrier Sub Mission, the user simply returns to the menu screen, and the Next Active Advanced mission simply loops back to the first mission.
If the user's Amiga has more than 512KB RAM installed, a theme song resembling the "Top Gun Anthem" can be heard. This was at the request of Dinnerman, who asked sound effects engineer Dave Warhol to convey the atmosphere of that particular song from the film Top Gun . [2] There are also bugs left in the game where one can land (and re-take off) on water [5] or upside down on a carrier. [2]
Dragon gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. [6] The game was given a positive review in Computer Gaming World . [7] In 1996, Computer Gaming World ranked it as the 87th best game of all time, calling it a jet combat sim that set the state-of-the-art for its era. [8]
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