Eagle One: Harrier Attack

"The good, the bad, and the better..."

Gameplay: If there was only one reason to buy this game, this would be it. The gameplay is great. Being able to fly like a jet, or hover like a chopper, just can't be beat. The control is frustrating at first, once you learn the controls of both hover and jet mode, it becomes instinct. While some missions get quite frustrating also, it's just all the more fun. The mission structure is pretty good, you play through the five Hawaiian Islands, with five missions for each island. There are several different types of missions, from bombing bridges, to rescuing downed pilots, and more. The realism might not make it up there with the PC flight sims, but it's the best on the Playstation console. You have a realistic amount of fuel and weapons to manage, and you better watch your damage meter too. Be aware also... you don't just get hit until you are destroyed, even with 50% of damage, you may experience fuel leaks, radar damage, and HUD damage too, usually these aren't severe enough to sabotage your mission, they do add more realism to the game.

Storyline: Some terrorist organization has come up with an electromagnetic weapon of some sort, and have chosen to set it up on the Hawaiian Islands. This weapon renders all electronics useless. The U.S. has lost satellite communications with Hawaii, and computer systems nation-wife have shut down. The U.S.S. Armstrong is apparently cruising near the Hawaiian Islands, with a squadron of Harriers onboard, It is up to you, and the two others to get rid of the terrorist threat.

Graphics: Here is where Eagle One disappoints quite a bit. While the animations and effects are noteworthy, the ground texture could be better, this has been proved in the Ace Combat series. The ground looks more like wheat field then Hawaii. This isn't really much of a problem though, and if it weren't for games like Ace Combat 3, that prove that better graphics are possible, it wouldn't be a problem at all. Back to the animations... these are great, for example, you shoot an enemy chopper, instead of just exploding all the time, it may go spinning out of control until it hits the ground in a nice looking explosion. The aircraft, though may not be as smooth as those on Ace Combat 3, are very detailed and nice looking. I love the ripple effects on the water when you spray it with cannon fire.

Sound: Sound is very good. From your demanding and sometimes foul-mouthed drill instructor to 'Bitchin' Betty', the very familiar cockpit voice, it's all good. Although whenever you are in the heat of battle, the cockpit voice gets rather annoying, there is the option to turn it off. The sound of the jet's engines are very good also, as well as the weapons and explosions. The thunder on the rainy levels sounds a little cheesy, but it's tolerable.

Replayability: In Eagle One, your score gets counted up as you blow away the enemies. As you rack up the score, you get promoted, and also earn medals, so trying to beat your high score and earn all of the medals will keep you coming back for a while. There are also some stunt bonuses in the game, where you do a stunt around a certain area in the level and it gives you extra points, trying to find all of these will keep you interested too.

Rent or buy? Depends. If you like action games with the feel and gameplay of a flight sim, i say go buy this game. If you are just into action and graphics alone, you might want to pick up Ace Combat 3 instead.

Gameplay:9/10 | Graphics:7/10 | Sound:9/10 | Replay:8/10 |
OVERALL:8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/07/01, Updated 04/07/01