"You thought After Burner 2 was good? Then prepare to love AIR DIVER!!!"

Do you like flight sims? Ever play classics like After Burner 1&2? Well Sega's classic shooting series is nothing compared to this under-rated gem Air Diver. I'm not crazy about flight sims but I gotta hand it to Siesmic (makers of famed shooter MUSHA) on this one-they really mastered the genre. Definatly my favorite flight sim out there and one of the best there is. Forget your shiny PS2 graphics and learn something about GAMEPLAY...

Graphics: 10/10
Fantastic! Air Diver is in a first-person perspective...you can see al the planes controls in extremely close detail. You can see rader, weapon amount, fuel, and other details. Theres even a tiny screen that shows the angle of your plane! The ground moves lightning fast and, as time passes-the colors change (time of day). The colors are gorgeous and always bright...but never a distraction. The explosions and smoke are decent too. Some of the finest graphics on the system.

Sound: 10/10
Oooh I love this stuff! Everything from the title screen has an addctive theme just as MUSHA does. The sound effects are top-notch too so you'll never be takin out of the moment. The music rally captures flight simulation too...incredible.

Gameplay: 10/10
Alas, what a good flight sims all about. Air Diver delivers a very hard challenge rate with a decent learning curve. Youll become skilled in back turns and side turns, firing missiles AND shooting to explode oncomming missiles, and ducking and raising to dodge fire. You'll have to watch your fuel and radar too. What makes Air Diver so great though, is the total immersion. You really get into chasing the pre posses around the screen while theyre locking on you. The first-person perspective helps as well and the controls are air tight. Hard to get a hang of as the final boss is a mothership (cool...) but once you do youll be in shooter heaven.

Lasting Value: 8/10
Its hard to beat levels because of the high challenge rate, so siesmic makes it easier by enabling a choice of 2 levels when you start. The music and graphics will also keep you coming back.

Overall: 10/10
The finest flight simulator on the system and a great experience for any shooter. Pic this baby up or try it out online if you cant take my word for it. Or, just look at how many people are fond of MUSHA to see what else this company can do. Its time to grab the 3 button controller and get sweaty thumbs again! I paid a mere $6 for my copy online and I suggest you do the same. Plus, it beats homework...doesnt doesnt it?

NOTE: All good kids need to do their homework. Im not responsible for bad grades, detention, fights with mom, feeding of dogs or any other action pertaining to the refusal of homework.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/13/02, Updated 01/13/02