Top Gun

Overview

Top Gun is an air combat game for the NES produced by Konami that was released in 1987. It is very loosely based on the the 1986 Tom Cruise movie of the same name. The game later received a sequel in Top Gun: The Second Mission.

Gameplay

Basics

Air combat in Top Gun takes place from a first-person cockpit perspective. The player has access to a standard Vulcan cannon machine gun as well as an armament of missiles. The player must take out targets by lining them up with the on-screen cross hair. Missiles also have the capability of locking on to targets.

Single-Player

Top Gun is comprised of four missions. Each mission consists of objectives such as destroying enemy bases and shooting down enemy fighters. The player must also remain aware of their plane's fuel level and will at times have to refuel in midair by docking with a refueling aircraft. Each mission ends with the act of landing the plane on an aircraft carrier.

Intentional or not, the act of landing the plane at the end of a mission is among the most challenging aspects of the game. The player must maintain a very specific altitude and speed during the landing sequence, or else the plane will crash and the mission will end in failure.

Multiplayer

Top Gun can be played in a two-player split-screen competitive mode in which the sole objective is to shoot the other player out of the sky. Refueling and landing are not a part of this mode.

Critical Reception

When the GameBoy version was released Electronic Gaming Monthly issued the following scores, 4,5,4,5 adding, "...This type of game shouldn't have been attempted [on the GameBoy]. While the basics of the game's engine are impressive, overall this game just doesn't stack up. It tries to be something that is next to impossible due to the limitations of the hardware".