Aero Fighters Assault

Aero Fighters Assault
Developer(s)	Paradigm Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Video System
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Release date(s)	NA November 1, 1997 JP March 19, 1998 EU April 15, 1998
Genre(s)	Combat flight simulator
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: K-A

Aero Fighters Assault, known in Japan as Sonic Wings Assault (ソニックウィングス アサルト), is a 1997 combat flight simulator developed by Paradigm Entertainment and published by Video System for the Nintendo 64. It was first released in North America on November 1, 1997, then in Japan on March 19, 1998, and finally in Europe on April 15, 1998. It is the first and only game in the Aero Fighters series (known in Japan as the Sonic Wings series) with 3D computer graphics, as well as the sixth and final title of the series before Video System filed for bankruptcy sometime in 2001. It pits a group of four pilots going after a fictional world-dominating organization Phutta Morgana.

Gameplay

The game is arcade style, meaning that the object is to go through the entire game and score as many points as possible. Points are awarded for having all wingmen survive, how many defensive countermeasures and special weapons the player has remaining, and how many hits the plane has remaining when the stage ends. In many cases, earning high point values yields unlocking a bonus mission during gameplay, with a total of 4 bonus missions in all.

There are 4 aircraft to choose from at the beginning, each with a different special weapon and missile type. Two more aircraft can be unlocked; one via push-button code, and the other by successfully completing all of the missions in the game including the bonus missions.

Aero Fighters Assault contains a two-player deathmatch option in which two players face off against each other. Additional planes can also be unlocked for the multiplayer mode based on progress in the single player campaign.

The aircraft paint scheme for the four main characters is changeable by pushing the R-button in the selection screen.

Characters

Playable characters in Aero Fighters Assault:

Pilot Name	Country	Age	Aircraft	Main Weapon	Missile	Defense	Special Weapon
Hawk		17	Tomcat F-14B	20 MM Vulcan cannon	Phoenix	Chaff	Tomahawk
Glenda		30	Thunderbolt II A-10A	30 MM Gatling gun	Rockets	Chaff	FAE
Volk		30	Super Flanker SU-35	Fire Arrow	Fire Ball	Air Mines	Fire Wave
Hien		25	FS-X	Stars	Kunai Shot	Makibishi	Ninja Beam

There are also two secret characters:

Pilot Name	Plane	Main Weapon	Missile	Defense	Special Weapon
Mao Mao	F-15E Strike Eagle	20 MM Vulcan Cannon	Phoenix	Jamming Chaff	Ninja Beam
Spanky	X-29A	Beam Sabre	Phoenix	Air Mines	FAE

Unlockable aircraft in 2-Player Deathmatch, armament sets are (modified) copies of the four main character aircraft:

Aircraft	Complete level to unlock	Weapon set from
Su-25	Tokyo	A-10 (with Fire Ball instead of Rockets)
Mig-31	Pacific Ocean	A-10 (with Fire Ball and Fire Wave)
F-22	Air Battle	A-10 (with Air Mines, plus hard to lock on (Stealth))
KFIR	Desert	A-10 (with Air Mines)
EFA	Fortress	F-14
Rafale	Antarctic Ocean	FS-X (red instead of blue)

Main Game Levels

Screenshot of Level 2, "Pacific Ocean", with enemy boss "Leviathon" seen surfacing.

• Level 1 Tokyo - enemy boss "Super-X".
• Level 2 Pacific Ocean - enemy boss "Leviathon".
• Bonus Level 1 Air Docking
• Level 3 Air Battle - enemy boss "Spriggan".
• Level 4 Desert - enemy boss "Bazeel".
• Bonus Level 2 Shuttle Defense
• Level 5 Fortress - enemy boss "Fortress".
• Bonus Level 3 Goliath Defense
• Level 6 Antarctic Ocean
• Level 7 Ice Cave - enemy boss "Lar".
• Bonus Level 4 Space - enemy boss "Pandora".
• Bonus Level 6 ocean - enemy boss "Lezlite"

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	59.43%
Review scores
Publication	Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly	7/10
GameSpot	5.4/10
IGN	5/10
Archive 64	3.2/5
AntKids.com	58/100
Hot Games	3/5
Gamecenter	3/5

The game received mixed reviews from critics.

External links

• Aero Fighters Assault at GameFAQs
• Aero Fighters Assault at MobyGames