''F-18 Thunder Strike'' is a 2000

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

for the

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

developed by

Morning Star Multimedia Morning Star Multimedia was an American video game company founded in May 1995 by Dan Kitchen. It was acquired by the Telegen Corporation in 1996 as a wholly owned subsidiary. It was known for releasing ''Frogger'' for the Sega Genesis when Majesco ...

and published by

Majesco Entertainment Majesco Entertainment Company (formerly Majesco Sales Inc.) is an American video game publisher and distributor based in Hazlet, New Jersey. The company was founded as Majesco Sales in Edison, New Jersey in 1986, and was a privately held company ...

. The game is a simplified first-person

combat flight simulator Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and mili ...

in which the player operates a

F-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part ...

for the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, who have has confirmed reports of renewed hostile activity in the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and order an aerial assault on the region.

Gameplay

The game is a

that places players in the cockpit of an

. The interface includes control panels, a

heads up display A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any see-through display, transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a Aircraft pil ...

to target enemies and a radar and landing system. The game involves takeoff and landing, maneuvering, mid-air refueling, and dogfighting over a series of missions.

Development

The game was originally developed as an adaptation of any of

MicroProse MicroProse is an American video game publisher and video game developer, developer founded by Bill Stealey, Sid Meier, and Andy Hollis in 1982. It developed and published numerous games, including starting the ''Civilization (series), Civilizatio ...

's flight simulators, before it was adapted into an original title, which was originally released in 1999.

Reception

''F-18 Thunder Strike'' received unanimously negative reviews, with criticism of the game focused on the poor controls and slow pace of the gameplay. Craig Harris of ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' said that "the problem with this game is the overall design", levelling criticism with the controls as "extremely simplified...the controls of your plane are flat-out wrong (and) actually causes some seriously stupid problems with the dogfighting that makes it near impossible to target your opponents properly". Writing for '' Hyper'', Frank Day stated the game was "not a good idea", observing "the small screen and stiff digital controls" leads the player to "look for enemy planes for a long time before you see any action". ''Total Game Boy Color'' agreed, critiquing the "impersonal and slow" gameplay in which "nothing happens...you simply fly around for a while, shoot a plane or two if you're luck and then you turn it off".

References

External links

* {{MobyGames, id=/gameboy-color/f-18-thunder-strike, name=''F-18 Thunder Strike'' 2000 video games Combat flight simulators Game Boy Color games Game Boy Color-only games Majesco Entertainment games Morning Star Multimedia games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States

Gameplay

Development

Reception

See also

References

External links