After Burner: Black Falcon – PSP – Review

Anyone who has
ever grown up in an arcade will remember After Burner well. Unlike the
other cabinets that stood tall and flashed with inviting images, the After
Burner cabinet was designed to look like the cockpit of a fighter jet.
Practically demanding your attention, you couldn’t help but sink into the
pilot’s seat, hand on the stick and quarters ready to be sunk into its money
slot. Oh, darn that Tom Cruise and his need for speed in that one movie that
made kids my age dream about flying. After Burner wasn’t a serious flight
combat simulator but it was the closest we had to taking to the skies and
fighting enemy fighter jets. So it was a pleasant surprise that Sega has
resurrected the After Burner games with After Burner: Black Falcon
on the PSP.

Black Falcon
is a new game
in the series and it actually includes a story. Well, three different stories
but don’t expect a deep and involving tale since the game follows the same
plotline. The main plot revolves around Forge, the old leader of the elite JTF
Scramble Team who has gone rogue after a disagreement with the US government and
as a result has become a terrorist threat. Forge even managed to convince a few
members of his squad to join him and one night they raid a secret military
installation and steal a number of prototype jet fighter planes. It is now up to
the last three remaining members of Scramble Team to put a stop to Forge and his
followers.

As I mentioned
above, the game tells three stories but they’re mainly introductions that
revolve around the three available characters you can select at the beginning of
the game. There’s Billy Blaze, the “David Beckham” of Scramble team who is still
trying to get over the fact that his fellow fighter pilot and girlfriend Diamond
had joined with Forge. Then there’s Harrison “Bull” Duke who is motivated by
money and the need to rise above the ranks to be the top fighter pilot. Finally,
there’s Tomiko Rossellini, the group’s only female fighter pilot who is
determined to prove herself despite the sexism among the predominantly male Air
Force and the top brass whose old-school mentality sees her as a burden rather
than an asset. In the end, these three characters don’t have a continuing story
but the outcome of their efforts are explained at the end.

Still, After
Burner has never been about storytelling and once the action gets started it
really gets started. Like the arcade original, Black Falcon is both
fast-paced and action-packed and many of the threats that were encountered in
the original can be found here as well. You’ll still be dealing with enemy
fighter jets as well as ground threats such as enemy submarines, artillery guns,
SAMs (or Surface-to-Air Missiles) and even enemy convoys and battleships. To
make things more interesting, you’ll even have to maneuver through some
environmental dangers like narrow canyons. Luckily, the controls are handled
beautifully and while the framerate does take a dive now and then this is mostly
a smooth ride.

The game begins
with a few select licensed fighter jets to pick from such as the F-14 Tomcat, an
F/A-18 or even an F-22 Raptor but you can always unlock and purchase new planes
since points you earn in the game translate into money. You can even upgrade
your jet with better missiles and gun as well as select different skins. The
levels are pretty straightforward affairs with boss battles at the end that add
more challenge to the tough levels. You’ll quickly find out that even in the
normal difficulty setting this game shows no mercy. Expect missiles to come
flying at you from the front and back. When an enemy fighter has a lock on you,
expect to find yourself scrambling to lose the fighter that is tailing you.
Believe me when I say that you’ll be making good use of the afterburner and
barrel roll button throughout the game.

Throughout each
level you’ll be racking up combos by destroying a series of enemy fighters and
you’ll be rewarded with power-ups that come in the form of crates. The power-ups
range from repairing your jet to slowing time or adding more missiles to your
payload. You’ll earn more cash by completing a set of secondary objectives that
range from destroying an X number of satellite dishes, enemy convoys or even
ships out on sea. Overall, the levels don’t really do anything very different
from level to level. There are times with extra objective pop up such as the
time you’re asked to destroy a bridge, but other than that each level plays out
the same. Still, you would think that this makes for a repetitive and boring
experience but it doesn’t. In fact, just about the worst thing about the game is
that it is too short. Sadly, even the multiplayer mode doesn’t extend things all
that much.

Black Falcon
does look
pretty good on the PSP but it’s nothing really to write home about but then
again this game does offer different backgrounds. Each mission takes place in
different environments whether you’re flying over a desert or an icy tundra.
Even the skies look pretty good and the water effects aren’t that bad. The game
does use licensed planes (thanks to Lockheed, Boeing and Northrop Grumman) and
they do look pretty good. The explosions could have been cooler so just about
the only neat effect comes in watching your jet fall apart after being shot
down.

The game’s
soundtrack is made up of some embarrassingly cheesy rock tunes that feel a lot
like what we heard in the arcades so long ago. Still, it’s good to see that it
doesn’t get annoying and I hardly felt the need to go for the mute button. The
sound effects are not bad at all either, but like the visual effects they just
don’t sound as good as it should even on the PSP.

When it comes to
arcade-styled aerial combat for the PSP, After Burner: Black Falcon has
you feeling the need for speed and has you wanting more in the end. It’s levels
and gameplay style might not be diverse but when it comes to the quick pace and
solid high-flying action, Black Falcon more than delivers and it does so
with plenty of style fit for Sony’s handheld. Sure, it’s too short but fans of
the classic will have a blast with this one.

Review Scoring Details for After Burner: Black Falcon

Gameplay: 8.2
Black
Falcon’s
controls fit the PSP nicely and everything from barrel rolls to sending a rocket
straight into the tailpipe of a boss is handled beautifully. While the framerate
dips at certain points in the game, you’re in for a somewhat smooth and
fast-paced ride. Sadly, the game is really short and will leave you wanting
more.

Graphics: 7.5
For a flight
combat game, there’s much to see here besides blue skies and fluffy clouds. The
terrain changes for each mission and the fighter planes look pretty good on the
PSP. The explosions and missile fire could have been better, though. The comic
book-styled intros and endings are a nice touch.

Sound: 7.0
The same type
of generic rock tunes that made the arcade original so cheesy can be found here
only updated to new heights of cheesy-ness. Still, the music doesn’t get on your
nerves and the sound effects aren’t bad either.

Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
If you thought
the arcade original was challenging, this one shows you no mercy even early in
the game. There are boss battles and they’re 10 times harder than the number of
skillful henchman pilots you’ll encounter throughout the game.

Concept: 7.8
While the
missions remain the same, the story arch is different for the three pilots. The
missions offer some variety and boss battles but don’t expect the game to stray
from its formula. You can upgrade your fighter jets or purchase new ones as
well. There’s multiplayer but it’s nothing incredible.

Multiplayer:
7.0
The
competitive multiplayer aspect of the game isn’t as fun as the solid co-op that
makes many of the harder missions seem less harsh. Much like the single-player
game, though, the framerate can dip occasionally.

Overall: 8.0
Sticking close
to its arcade game roots, After Burner: Black Falcon is a short but
addictive flight combat game for the PSP. Considerably challenging yet very
straightforward, the game doesn’t offer enough variety but it still manages to
remain fast-paced and action-packed. If you like a good portable flight combat
game then this is the game for you.