Overview
F-16 Fighting Falcon (known as F-16 Fighter in territories other than the US and Japan) is a jet simulator originally developed by Nexa for the Japan-only MSX home computer in 1984, later ported to the Sega Mark III/Sega Master System by Sega. Despite the port being several years more recent and for much more powerful hardware, the game remains unchanged, making it one of the less visually impressive games for the system. It was, however, the first game for the system that was originally developed by a company other than Sega themselves.
Gameplay
F-16 Fighting Falcon is viewed from a first-person cockpit view, with the surrounding space mapped out via a system of grids to evoke that of the F-16's targeting computer, complete with an altimeter and speedometer and other feedback gauges. The goal is to shoot down enemy jets using a combination of the F-16's 20mm machine gun and missiles. Players need to move the targeting cross-hair over each enemy jet and shoot them down to progress.
Curiously, presumably because the MSX had far more buttons to work with, the game requires a second controller: One controller's D-pad controls the direction the jet flies in while the other increases and decreases velocity. As such, the most challenging aspect of the game is mastering the odd controls.
Log in to comment