3RRGG Gloc

Top Gun -- Sega Style!

Flying along high in the clouds when suddenly your radar starts

beeping wildly and the sound of enemy fire plagues your ears. With no

ack-ack or co-pilots, you're going to have to rely on your agility, wit,

firepower, and more firepower to succeed. Such is the situation in G-

Loc Air Battle, one of the few air combat games for the Game Gear.

While it may not be as realistic or advanced as Top Gun, it is still a

worthy title if you can get it cheap.

When you flip on your Game Gear you see a choppy effort attempts to

be an intro of a fighter plane zooming overhead. You then get 3 options

of play: Beginner, Normal, and Expert. Each scenario has different

ways of scoring points, along with different difficulties.

The in game graphics are good enough to be above average for the

Game Gear. The scrolling landscape below is slightly choppy when you

stare at it, but once you start concentrating on enemy fire, it appears

as though you are moving! It's a very cool graphical trick that really

creates the illusion of flight. The sky and ground changes color as well,

depending on where you are-this adds a great deal to the variety.

Enemy planes speed by, and due to the fact that they're moving fast,

it's hard to make out the detail. They are passable, but they could've

been better. However, you also have missions where you have to

shoot/bomb tanks, warships, and even bases, and these look great and

also add to the variety of this game.

The sound does add some excitement to the game, and changes with

each level, but it gets very repetitive. However, if you turn the sound

down, it will serve as a nice accompaniment to the action.

The gameplay is the best aspect of this game. Simple and addictive,

you participate in missions where you must shoot down a certain

number of fighters, warships, tanks, or even bases. The explosions

look fantastic with the huge cloud of orange and red. After each

mission, you are awarded points based on time and difficulty. Using

these points, you can upgrade your ship to increase your butt-kicking-

ness. You can upgrade your weapons, armor, and fuel tank, or buy

missiles and fuel-it's all here.

I did find some flaws, however. Like I said, the music gets repetitive.

Also, it doesn't really seem as though you're moving on your own; it

always seems as though you are on a fixed path. The game is also very

short and very easy, which hurts the long-term replay value. But like I

said, it's not as fantastic as Top Gun, nor is it as advanced. However, it

is a fun and addictive game that serves as a great way to pass time.

Grades

Gameplay - 85%

Fun and addicting, it's a great way to pass the time. Just don't expect

it to be mind-blowingly realistic.

Graphics - 80%

Good terrain and sky effects, along with great-looking ships and tanks.

It is kind of choppy, however.

Sound - 70%

Not too bad, but it does get repetitive. Just turn it down a bit. Good

variety, though.

Presentation - 75%

Choppy intro, same basic game in each skill level. However, I did like

the customization.

Replay Value - 75%

It is somewhat short, but it takes skill to master.

Overall - 80%

The Overall rating is not an average of the preceding scores.

Review by: IronKnux