![Falcon (Amiga disk)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Falcon_%28Amiga_disk%29.jpg)
''Falcon'' is a
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 ...
video game and the first official entry (not counting the 1984's ''
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...
'') in the ''
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
'' series of the
F-16 jet fighter's simulators by
Spectrum HoloByte. Originally developed by Sphere for
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
and
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
in 1987 and ported to several platforms between 1988 and 1992, the game earned commercial success and critical acclaim.
Gameplay and development history
The game was originally developed by Sphere, Inc. for the
Macintosh
The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...
and PC in 1987.
Rowan Software
Rowan Software was a British software company focused on the development of computer games. The company was founded by Rod Hyde in 1987 and based in Runcorn, Cheshire. Rowan was best known as a publisher of flight simulators for the PC.
The comp ...
ported ''Falcon'' for Spectrum HoloByte to the
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...
in 1988 and
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and significantly improved graphi ...
in 1989, and the version for the
CDTV
The CDTV (from Commodore Dynamic Total Vision, later treated as a backronym for Compact Disc Television) is a home multimedia entertainment and video game console – convertible into a full-fledged personal computer by the addition of optional ...
was also published by Spectrum HoloByte and
Mirrorsoft
Mirrorsoft was a British video game publisher founded by Jim Mackonochie as a division of Mirror Group Newspapers. The company was active between 1983 and 1991, and shut down completely in early 1992.
History
In the early 1980s, Jim Mackono ...
in 1992. A
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
version intended to be compatible with the unreleased TeleGenesis Modem peripheral was planned but never released.
Turbo Technologies furthermore developed a less complicated version for the
TurboGrafx-16
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC, NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth genera ...
published by Spectrum HoloByte in 1992. A canceled
Super NES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...
version was also planned for early 1993. An
Atari Jaguar
The Atari Jaguar is a home video game console developed by Atari Corporation and released in North America in November 1993. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it competed with the 16-bit Sega Genesis, the Super NES and the ...
version was also in development and planned to be published by Spectrum HoloByte in 1994 but it was never released for unknown reasons. A version for
PC-98
The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2000. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more ...
was released in 1988 titled ''F-16 Fighting Falcon 2''.
In the original ''Falcon'', the players have their choice of flying one of 12 missions - with awards for flying missions at higher skill levels. There is a choice of different ground attack and air-to-air weapons, although these are also limited by several factors. For
dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a component in every majo ...
ing,
AIM-9J missiles are not as reliable as newer
AIM-9L
The AIM-9 Sidewinder (where "AIM" stands for "Air Intercept Missile") is a short-range air-to-air missile which entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air Force in 1964. Since then the Sidewinder has prov ...
missiles - and are useless for head-on attack - but were typically the only missiles available. Because they are guided,
AGM-65 missiles are easier to use than "iron dumb bombs" like the
Mk 84, but ineffective against strengthened targets. An
ECM pod provides defense against enemy missiles, but occupies an external
hardpoint
A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the ...
that can be used for additional weapons or fuel. The enemy occupies the western areas of the game's playable map - itself a large square divided into 9 smaller squares. Enemy targets were fixed sites on the ground. For defense, the unnamed enemy was limited to
MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickna ...
interceptors, and ground-launched missiles - either the
SA-2
The S-75 (Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system, built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Following its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the most w ...
s, which are launched from identified and fixed sites on the ground, or the
SA-7s, which could be fired from portable launchers and can therefore appear anywhere.
''
Compute!
''Compute!'' (), often stylized as ''COMPUTE!'', was an American home computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994. Its origins can be traced to 1978 in Len Lindsay's ''PET Gazette'', one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET c ...
'' joked in 1989 that ''Falcon'' "seemed harder to fly than the real plane". That year Spectrum Holobyte released an update that reportedly made control and landings much easier.
The Atari ST and Amiga versions of ''Falcon'' feature a semi-dynamic campaign where the player can roam the airspace, sweep for hostile aircraft, and attack ground targets. Destroyed buildings and SAM sites remain destroyed for fixed period of time, and hostile and friendly forces engage each other on the ground back and forth. Both of these versions have two expansion sets for them, ''Falcon Operation: Counterstrike'' and ''Falcon Operation: Firefight'' (released in Europe as ''Falcon Mission Disk Volume 2'') in 1989-1990.
Reception
''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' in 1987 called ''Falcon'' as one of the most detailed and accurate flight simulators for the microcomputer market. It reported that an F-16 pilot with the
474th Tactical Fighter Wing
The 474th Tactical Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was at Nellis Air Force Base (IATA code LSV), Nevada, where it trained combat-ready aircrews and maintained a rapid-reaction capability to execute ...
"gave it good marks for accuracy".
''
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' gave the DOS version 5 out of 5 stars,
and 4 out of 5 stars for the MS-DOS version.
''Compute!'' praised ''Falcon''s graphics, realism, and documentation.
''Falcon'' won the 1987
Software Publishers Association
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association dedicated to the entertainment, consumer and business software industries. Established in 1984 as the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the SIIA took its new na ...
awards for Best Action/Strategy Program, Best Technical Achievement, and Best Simulation.
It was voted the "Best 16-bit Simulation Game of the Year" at the
Golden Joystick Awards
The Golden Joystick Awards, also known as the People's Gaming Awards, is a video game award ceremony; it awards the best video games of the year, as voted for originally by the British general public, but is now a global event that can be voted ...
1989.
''Falcon'' was ranked as the Amiga's eighth best game of all time by ''
Amiga Power
''Amiga Power'' (''AP'') was a monthly magazine about Amiga video games. It was published in the United Kingdom by Future plc, and ran for 65 issues, from May 1991 to September 1996.
Philosophy
''Amiga Power'' had several principles which com ...
'' in 1991.
The four reviewers of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' gave the TurboGrafx-16 version a 4.5 out of 10, opining that the conversion was over-ambitious, since the compromises which were made in order to fit the game into a 4 MB cartridge made it unenjoyable. They particularly criticized the awkward and difficult controls and the limited amount of action.
Reviews
*''
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)
''ACE'' (Advanced Computer Entertainment) was a multi-format computer and video game magazine first published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing and later acquired by EMAP.
History
ACE launched in October 1987, roughly the same time as ...
'' - Oct, 1988
*''Compute's Amiga Resource'' - Jun, 1989
*''
ST Action'' - Mar, 1993
*''
The Games Machine
''The Games Machine'' is a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published ''CRASH'', ''Zzap!64'', ''Amtix!'' and other magazines.
History
The magazine ran head to head with ...
'' - Feb, 1989
*''
ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)
''ACE'' (Advanced Computer Entertainment) was a multi-format computer and video game magazine first published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing and later acquired by EMAP.
History
ACE launched in October 1987, roughly the same time as ...
'' - Feb, 1988
*''Happy Computer'' - Apr, 1988
*''
Amiga User International
''Amiga User International'' (or ''AUI'') was a monthly computer magazine published in its later years by AUI Limited, it was the first dedicated Amiga magazine in Europe and in comparison to other Amiga magazines, AUI had a more serious perspec ...
'' - May, 1989
*''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' - Jun, 1992
References
External links
''Falcon''at
MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...
''Falcon''at the Hall of Light
''Falcon''at
GameFAQs
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. The site has a databa ...
''Falcon''at
Giant Bomb
''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time'' mag ...
Reviewin
Info
Info is shorthand for "information". It may also refer to:
Computing
* .info, a generic top-level domain
* info:, a URI scheme for information assets with identifiers in public namespaces
* info (Unix), a command used to view documentation produc ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon (video game)
1987 video games
Amiga games
Atari ST games
Cancelled Atari Jaguar games
Cancelled Sega Genesis games
Cancelled Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
Classic Mac OS games
Combat flight simulators
Commodore CDTV games
DOS games
Mirrorsoft games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
NEC PC-9801 games
Rowan Software games
Spectrum HoloByte games
TurboGrafx-16 games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games with expansion packs