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| Highway to the Danger Zone! |
By Rich Shivener
If you play Top Gun for PSN, there is no need to see the movie.
Sure, you might miss the latter's sexy moments and Tom Cruise, but the video game puts a spin on the movie's cool action sequences - blowing up copious Soviet Union aircraft, dissing Iceman and most importantly, graduating from Top Gun Academy. What more do you need, other than perhaps a little Righteous Brothers?
Players step into the role of Maverick, a mute pilot assisted by Radar Intercept Officers and wingmen such as Goose and Merlin. Despite the action-packed nature of the game, it stalls in some areas, one of which, yes, has to do with the speechless main character and the choppy dialogue surrounding him. It soars, though, when the explosions and RIO one-liners ("you are a freakin' bloodhound!") run high. Plus, the developers included "Danger Zone" and other anthemic rock ballads. You know you love it.
Even opting for "Normal" difficulty, players, like me, may find that the game is a breeze until the later Indian Ocean missions. Short and semi-unnecessary, the prologue shows us why Maverick enrolls in Top Gun Academy, allowing us to take on a few enemies as we realize we have no idea how to play the game. The real fun begins in Top Gun Academy, where vets such as Viper and Jester command you to fly through (again, breezy) missions with your classmates. Simply put, when you grasp missile locking and Jammer destroying, it's time to graduate, even if you lose a RIO and Iceman gets the one up.
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The game's true challenges kick in when Maverick and company take on Soviets. The Indian Ocean levels require seemingly perfect maneuvering, missile dodging (flares!), missile locking and Jammer destroying in brief time limits. Suck at one, and "these guys will eat our lunch," or roast your ass in the sky. It doesn't matter if you opt to finish levels via the classic F-14 Tomcat or perhaps the lightning-like F-16 Falcon; either way you will burn up several times. Of your responsibilities as Maverick, maneuverability could cause the most problems. Flying upside down? The wrong way? Get over it.
Just move on to the Horde or Multiplayer modes if those levels get annoying. Horde pits Maverick and his RIO against waves of Soviet fighters for lots of easy, blow-'em-up fun. But Online Multiplayer mode is more addictive, as it covers scenarios such as Team Deathmatch and Top Gun, in which you can team up on enemies. In fact, this is the most noteworthy mode, in part because it offers controls of aircraft on the Navy and Soviet sides.
In any case, watch your six.
The Official Verdict: 3.5 out of 5
This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher.
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