Super Hornet F/A-18F

"Fox 1.....Sparrow missile away!"

Last year, just as the Christmas shopping season was gearing up, Majesco released a few games for the Game Boy Advanced designed to appeal to a variety of different audiences. The price on these games was very low (20 dollars or less each), and the intent was to get sales based on the bargain price. One of these games is named F/A-18F Super Hornet (don't know why GameFAQ's has it listed as F-18 Super Hornet), and if you have ever played F-14 Tomcat (which was released shortly after the launch of the GBA and also made my Majesco) or the old Turn & Burn game on the SNES then you will immediately know what to expect from this title. So, with that out of the way on to the review.

Story 6/10 - With this series of games the story isn't really a big issue. It is just told through a series of briefings before each mission, and that's about it. The issue on this particular game is the recent war in Iraq. You take on the role of a Super Hornet pilot flying missions against Saddam Hussein's old Iraqi regime. You will encounter a wide variety of targets and enemies, some of which will certainly test your skill as a "pilot".

Controls 8/10 - With the limited (compared to console controllers) number of buttons on the GBA, they did remarkably well. The controls are the exact same as found in the earlier F-14 Tomcat title, and this is just fine by me. The aircraft moves as you would expect, although from time to time targeting ground targets with your internal cannon can be somewhat difficult. Nonetheless, you are able to not only fly with decent precision, but operating the weapons systems, computer screens, and other features is rather easy.

Graphics - 8/10 - For what the Game Boy Advance is capable of these graphics are pretty decent though at times rather blocky. The graphics engine is the exact same on this title as it was in F-14 Tomcat as well as Turn & Burn for the SNES, although to be honest I think F-14 and F/A-18F look better because they are generally played on smaller screens, and things don't get quite as blocky as they did in Turn & Burn. The cockpit instrument panel is well details and with the simple push of a button or two you can gain access to any of the required information you need and you will have no trouble reading any of it. The small "videos" that play each time you shoot down an enemy plane or destroy a target with a cruise missile are rather fun to watch. The graphics are nothing ground-breaking, but with the GBA being the system it is I'd say they are pretty good.

Sound 7/10 - Most flight combat games have similar elements in common when it comes to sound. You have engine noise, gun and missile firing noises, and all the other usual sounds. This game generally does a good job of making you feel like you're "there", although I will say that when an enemy fighter or ground unit launches a missile at you, you almost wish it would just hit you and you could die immediately because the launch warning sounds your airplane makes are some of the most annoying sounds in any game I've ever played. Thankfully you have the option of turning down the sound effects volume in the options menu on the main menu screen. Again, the sounds do the job, but they are nothing ground breaking.

Gameplay 7/10 - The formula is the exact same as with F-14 and Turn & Burn, so if you have played either you know what to expect. The missions consist of a variety of objectives, with air-to-air combat being the focus of some missions and destroying targets on the ground (either with AGM-86 cruise missiles or your internal gun) the focus of other missions (although even in those missions you will still have to destroy a set number of enemy fighters). Some have special airborne objectives that you can only take out with the gun as well. You have to watch out for not only enemy fighters, but submarines, tanks, and SCUD missile launchers will all launch surface-to-air missiles at you if you get too close (oddly enough none of these types of military equipment are generally equipped with SAM missiles in real life). These units can make life quite tough for you, as trying to avoid SAM's, enemy fighters, and getting to your required objectives can be quite frustrating. Avoiding enemy missiles in this game is quite odd. You can dispense countermeasures, but I've yet to determine if they have any effect. It seems sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. Additionally while the manual will tell you to go into evasive manuvers sometimes I've found that simply flying level and doing rather lazy turns while using countermeaures is sometimes more effective. If it wasn't for this being such an odd annoyance of the game I'd probably give the gameplay an 8. As it stands, this makes life a bit too frustrating in the later missions.

Replayability 6/10 - Once you've played through the game there's not a whole lot to go back through although depending on whether you beat it on novice or ace you will get a password that allows you to fight against enemy UFO's or enemy Fokker Triplanes (a World War I fighter plane that the Red Baron is famous for flying) , so this does add a slightly new feeling to the missions although probably not enough to go back through more than a few missions.

Overall 7/10 - If you have never played Turn & Burn or F-14 and you like combat flight sims then I recommend this game. If you've played either of the above then I'd recommend it if you want a slight variety in the mission types. As a flight sim buff I've played all three (actually own F-14 and F/A-18F) and enjoyed them all even if they are very similar in most respects. At the bargain price of 15 dollars I paid I feel like I got my money's worth. The 20 missions will take you a few days to complete if you're an on/off gamer like I am so it's worth your money I'd say. Seeing as you can't rent most GBA games I'd say go pick it up if you want to try something new (if u're not a plane buff like me) or if you are a plane buff and just want a fun little title to kill some time with or make a car ride that much shorter. The variety could have been a bit more different from F-14 and some of the gameplay (namely avoiding missiles) could have been tweaked a bit, but all in all I'd say not a bad game. Nothing ground breaking, but fun to play nonetheless.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/05