Preview Top Gun IPhone: Bringing Back The Cold War
Remember when Russians were the staple bad guy of good films? If not, you may be too young to own an iPhone.
Top Gun for the iPhone remembers the glory days of the Cold War – a time when men wore leather jackets, women (apparently) didn’t wear bras and the B2 Spirit was next-gen. Developed by Freeverse – same guys who did Days of Thunder for the iPhone – the game harkens back both to the 80s hit film and to old school arcade shooters that we used to feed quarters to. But even if you can’t remember who said the famous line, “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you,” Top Gun iPhone might still take your breath away.
What Is It?
Top Gun for the iPhone is flight simulator/3D shooter. Players control both the plane and the targeting reticule with the accelerometer while two onscreen buttons control the Vulcan cannon and the missile launcher. The plot of the game takes place after the film – Maverick and Iceman are now teachers of your generic sassy character at the Navy Fighter Weapons School.
What We Saw
I spent 15 minutes with the game in a hotel room where publisher Paramount was also showing Star Trek to other journalists. It was kind of hard to hear the audio as a result and because I had a limited time with the game, I didn’t get to soak up the story cut scenes.
How Far Along Is It?
The game is pretty much done and due out in May, but an exact date and price haven’t been set yet.
What Needs Improvement?
Cluttered Screen: The scoring system in Top Gun makes for a messy display. Besides the buttons, the health meter and other heads-up display icons, you’ve also have to look at “danger zone” boxes that pop up on screen in a 3×3 grid. Danger zones usually indicate an incoming missle or a building you’re about to fly into – the longer you stay in a danger zone, the more points you rack up. The box starts out flashing yellow and then turns red when impact is imminent. It’s a helpful visual indicator of impending doom, I suppose, but when you’ve got all nine danger zones flashing at once, it stops being useful and starts being cluttered.
Auto-Calibration: Unlike Days of Thunder, in Top Gun you can change the calibration of the motion controls at any point in any level. However, at the beginning of each mission, the game auto-calibrates based on how it thinks you’re holding the phone. For me, this resulted in a totally screwed up calibration that had to be reset right at the beginning of the mission, which totally slowed down the action.
No multiplayer: Boo.
What Should Stay The Same?
Effective Calibration: As many times as I had to recalibrate, I was always amazed at how perceptive and effective the calibration system was. All you have to do is pause, press one button, title how you want the phone to be when your aircraft is in a neutral position, then press a button and off you go. It’s effective, if a little tedious to have to redo it at the start of each mission.
Replay Possibilities: The game awards achievements and medals for satisfying certain conditions on missions. I applaud this game extension tactic in lieu of anything like iPhone Achievements comparable to Xbox Live.
Plays Decently: The developer is keenly aware that this is meant to be a portable experience and they’ve gone the extra mile to make you enjoy whatever brief amount of time you get to play the game. You’ve got infinite ammo, simple instructions and uncomplicated menu options that are easily accessible – so you can pick this game up and put it down without ever feeling lost, confused or frustrated with the enemy AI.
Pretty Visuals Overall: The mountain levels looked a little bland, but the planes looked decent, the cut scenes had a mature cartoon style that appealed to me and the water was very pretty.
Final Thoughts
Two things bother me about this game. The first is wondering if Top Gun is going to fall victim to the price wars that currently rage on the iPhone App store. Given how short the missions were and how limited the scope of combat, I could see paying up to $US1.50 for this game. If Paramount asks for $US5, no way.
The second thing that’s bugging me is the age gap. I heart Top Gun, but then I was just old enough to catch the tail end of 80s pop culture. Anyone younger than me that owns an iPhone just might not get this game; and they will be totally confused by the joke in my second paragraph, having never danced to “Take My Breath Away” at prom.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Wow.
No Danger Zone reference-FAIL
No Beach Volleyball reference-FAIL
No "Man, you can ride my tail, anytime!" reference-FAIL
endaround
Was it silly of me to think the Top Gun iphone game was going to be one of those Tom Cruise sound boards?
Wow.
No Danger Zone reference-FAIL
No Beach Volleyball reference-FAIL
No "Man, you can ride my tail, anytime!" reference-FAIL
endaround
nice graphics..
@endaround:
I'm going to go ahead and request someone take me to the Danger Zone pronto, kthxbai.
@endaround:
The first screenshot has your danger zone reference. YOU'RE IN IT, BITCHES!
@endaround: I don't know what kind of freaky ass version of Top Gun that you saw but I can tell you for certain that the version I saw never had a line like "Man, you can ride my tail, anytime!". Was your version produced by Vivid Video or something??
I didn't know they had F-22s in Top Gun...
As long as it isnt as bad as the dismal NES version, Im down
lousansano
After Days of Thunder got an iPhone game, this was inevetable...
Worthless without Kenny Loggins.
@khronos27: I didnt know they had F-15s either....
Though I will say I am not 100% sure its a F-22 in the game either, it looks like a mashup of a F-22 and a F-35.
Least one of those is a navy plane......
Jim Topoleski
@khronos27: I didnt know they had F-15s either....
Though I will say I am not 100% sure its a F-22 in the game either, it looks like a mashup of a F-22 and a F-35.
Least one of those is a navy plane......
Jim Topoleski
@khronos27: I didnt know they had F-15s either....
Though I will say I am not 100% sure its a F-22 in the game either, it looks like a mashup of a F-22 and a F-35.
Least one of those is a navy plane......
Jim Topoleski
With all of these iPhone game previews/reviews it looks like the iPhone is shaping up to be a legitimate gaming platform. OH NOES?
Spaceboy
With all of these iPhone game previews/reviews it looks like the iPhone is shaping up to be a legitimate gaming platform. OH NOES?
Spaceboy
OK
The title picture shows a F-15.
The game plane looks like a mashup of the F-22 and F-35.
AND TOP GUN HAD FUCKING F-14s!!!!
Seriously unless its a Tomcat, it AINT the real Top Gun.
Jim Topoleski
OK
The title picture shows a F-15.
The game plane looks like a mashup of the F-22 and F-35.
AND TOP GUN HAD FUCKING F-14s!!!!
Seriously unless its a Tomcat, it AINT the real Top Gun.
Jim Topoleski
@endaround: Who is top gun here? I am. Good. Now it is time for Beach Volleyball.
onikuwagata
Top Gun was an F-14 centric movie. So what do you do when you make a game of it? Not include F-14s.
@endaround: It's "You can be my wingman anytime."
Then "Bullshit, you can be mine."
If you're gonna bash on my favorite movie ever, get it right.
@Mr.SithNinja: well duh, the movie is produced by vivid video, with 20 percent of proceeds going towards scientology.
@RedRaptor:
Some people are sorely lacking in cultural awareness:
+ Watch video
endaround
@RedRaptor:
Some people are sorely lacking in cultural awareness:
+ Watch video
endaround
@Jim Topoleski: Nah, no mashup, that's an F-22, or to be precise, an F/A-22 Raptor. And I totally agree with you, if it's not a Tomcat, it's just not Top-Gun.
KesMonkey
@KesMonkey: 100% agree with both of you. I shed a little tear when i saw the screen shots
N1tch
@endaround: Playing with the boys!
@lousansano: And here I was looking forward to a game where you fly for a few minutes, then die miserably by crashing into the back of the carrier.
@lousansano: And here I was looking forward to a game where you fly for a few minutes, then die miserably by crashing into the back of the carrier.
@Turambar: B> Selvaria Body Pillow: Of course. And when you want to make a movie about Street Fighter, you make it star Van Damme.
@KesMonkey: Nope its not or if it is the designer needs to be shot. F-22s have angular vector thrust nozzles as opposed to circular ones which this one has. Plus they have no bumps that rounded on the rear of the plane where the engines are flowing through, its two flatish bumps right to the nozzles.
The F-35 on the other hand does have a round outlet and a more rounded exhaust port flowing from the two air intakes, except its a single engine design. But the more important aspect, the F-35 is a Navy fighter, while the F-22 is not its airforce only.
[www.aerospaceweb.org]
Jim Topoleski
do you have to land on the air craft carrier after a mission or refuel mid flight? that was crazy hard with a D-pad, and I could only imagine how difficult it would be with motion controls
@Pessimipposaurus: You beat me to a "playing with the boys reference"! Back when Tom was still hot and happy to wander around in his pants...yum.
robinthakur
@Pessimipposaurus: You beat me to a "playing with the boys reference"! Back when Tom was still hot and happy to wander around in his pants...yum.
robinthakur
@Jim Topoleski: Well spotted! I wasn't looking at the screenshots, only the 'boxart'. It seems to be an F/A-22 with the thrust vector nozzles missing. Actually, the more I look at it the more of the F-35 I see!
The US Airforce will have it's own version of the F-35 though (should it really be the A-35?). There are three models in development, the conventional 'A' model for the Airforce, the "JumpJet" 'B' model for the Marines Corps to replace the Harrier II, and then the 'C' model for the Navy which will have larger wings and landing gear.
But as you say, the F/A-22, like the F-15, is Air Force only, and as we both know, Top Gun is a Navy school.
But, I think we're being pedantic at this stage. :)
KesMonkey
@SSgtTEX:
That first sentance should read 98% of Air Force fighter aircraft.
Because heavies are labled with a "C" for Cargo.
@KesMonkey:
98% of Air Force aircraft have an "F" not an "A."
The Air Force is not giving up its great attack aircraft (A-10) anytime soon. The F-35 is suppose to be replacing the F-16 mainly. While the F-22 is replacing the F-15.
But I will agree, it won't be true Top Gun with out F-14s, A-4s, and F-5s. Need to keep with the F-5 being used as a MiG-28.
OH FUCK YEAH! I must buy this. It will complement my ringtone so well. Highway to the danger zone! Ride into the danger zone!
Terminus
Negative ghost rider the pattern is full
DataScream