''AeroWings'', known in Japan as , is a

flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

for Sega's

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...

. The player can train with squads, learn the ropes of handling the aircraft, and doing tricks after mastering the different stunts. The difference between the Japanese and other versions outside the country was, as the Japanese version was only licensed by

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warf ...

's Blue Impulse aerobatic display team, it featured liveries that of the team.

Gameplay

''AeroWings'' is focused on the formation flight and aerobatic, and the player is a flight team leader. The game is considered as the first true attempt of combat flight simulation on console. On the contrary of the arcade-oriented ''

Ace Combat is an arcade-style combat flight simulation video game franchise published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. Debuting in 1995 with '' Air Combat'' for the PlayStation, the series includes eight mainline installments, multiple sp ...

'', ''AeroWings'' series provides fairly accurate flight physics, 3D cockpits views, real weapons loads, possibilities to take off, land on airbase or carrier, refueling and a replay video system which is able to record the entire flight and offering the possibility to create own movie with more than 30 different cameras (including the popular "shaky cam").

Reception

The game received above-average reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website GameRankings. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...

'' gave it a score of 30 out of 40.

Sequels

Aero Wings 2: Airstrike / Aero Dancing F

The second game in the series is ''AeroWings 2: Airstrike'', or ''AeroWings 2: Strike Force'' in UK. Unlike its predecessor, it features aerial combat simulation. It was released for the Dreamcast and Windows.

Aero Dancing I

The third game, ''Aero Dancing i'', was only released in Japan, for the Dreamcast and Windows. The "i" stands for

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

, as it was the first title of the series with an online mode. It was also the first in the series to offer air-to-ground missions. On release, ''

'' magazine scored the game a 31 out of 40.''ドリームキャスト - エアロダンシングi''. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.53. 30 June 2006.

Aero Elite / Aero Dancing 4

The fourth game in the series is ''Aero Elite: Combat Academy''. It was only released for the PlayStation 2. The last sequel of the series was also considered the best: quality graphics, very detailed and animated 3D plane models, over 60 planes to fly (including Mig 29, SU27, Mirage2000, Harrier, A10, Tornado, etc.), challenging missions and new original features like the "scramble" mode - a random interception mission where a player must take off, intercept an unknown intruder plane, take pictures to identify it, then return to the base and land to finish the mission.

Notes

References

External links

Official Japanese website
* 1999 video games Crave Entertainment games Dreamcast games Dreamcast-only games Flight simulation video games Japan Self-Defense Forces in fiction Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in Japan {{flightsim-videogame-stub