Top Gun PS3
Top Gun gets its shot on the PlayStation 3 as a downloadable aerial combat game but just misses its chance for a good modern combat game with the classic movie tie in.
Ratings:
Graphics & Audio: 15/25,
Gameplay: 15/25,
Creativity 15/25,
Fun 15/25
Total: 60/100
Top Gun for the PlayStation 3 is a digital download available from the PSN store for $15 for a quick thrill ride with both a campaign and multiplayer combat. Top Gun for the PS3 has a single player campaign with 11 missions, a wave attack single player game and a multiplayer component that pits you against others online.
Top Gun starts you off with a simple story that follows the movie quite well but does not convey the emotion or thrill of the film. If you have not seen the movie don't worry as the doesn't give you any story you really need to follow but if you enjoy following a story for your game you are probably going to be disappointed with Top Gun.
The game gives you eleven missions that follow basically the same objectives, if it shoots you need to shoot back and outgun as well as outmaneuver them. You will have some in game dialogue that fits the slim story but mostly it's just quick moments between missions or in game cut scenes that lasts less than thirty seconds.
Missions are not difficult or original with objectives like hitting ground targets, aircraft and water targets with missiles and machine guns. The aircraft controls are simple, too simple and are about as simple as you could want but the controls show just how the game is going to be.
Locking onto a target means keeping it close in front of you for a given time and when lock on is registered you shoot and wait till your next target is highlighted. You keep this up until the end of the mission and variety only amounts to switching from ground to air or water targets along with the usual evasion.
When you do hit something you really don't get to see a great looking fireball or spectacular explosion, just a effect that is repeated for just about every. Even when you go up in flames all you get is the last seconds of flashing warnings of an incoming missile and then smack to the end cut scene.
Explosions and effects mirror the ground and aircraft textures and visuals with a basic but working graphics that looks like what it costs. This is no expensive AAA title and the graphics as well as the audio show it but things work alright for a quick pickup game if you just want a simple modern combat fighter game.
The game does its general warfare well enough with weapons and flares that replenish after time but when you're being attacked by numerous enemies those few seconds will be too many. You do have a fancy maneuver you can use when flares are out and you need to shake attackers but it is a difficult finger exercise to get it to work.
I found that the controls were not mapped to what I saw on the options page but with a paper I could write down what they really were on my Ps3 controller. This was a rather odd circumstance but the controls were pretty much like HAWX 2 that I recently finished reviewing.
I really did not like the fact that I could not change the controller mapping nor could I easily use a flight stick without having to remap controls on that. For an inexpensive game I thought the least I could ask for was remapping controls or to at least use a joystick without having to spend ten or fifteen minutes configuring it.
The single player campaign is short but the game also includes the tutorial that gives you at least the bare bones of flying and a few minutes behind the controls. The horde game type in single payer is one many Gears of War fans should be familiar with, it's you against wave after wave of enemies until you die.
Multiplayer is about the same with the two or more fighters dueling it out in the sky if you can find someone who is still playing. With the lack of control functionality and stripped down game play there are not many playing online so it may take some effort just to find someone.
Multiplayer gaming is three categories with deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag game types but the choice may not be very open because finding other gamers will be the hardest task. All the game types play just about like the single player except you're up against real opponents who are definitely faster in reflexes.
I find that flying against others instead of a computer is definitely more fun and challenging because a computer begins to be too predictable. Top Gun for multiplayer may be more of a challenge just finding someone to play as the lobbies seem to be mostly empty.
The game is inexpensive, dare I say cheap, but with its lower cost you get a decent enough game that does work well enough for the single player gaming but multiplayer may be a lost cause. You really could not expect much more for a game that costs just $15 and if you're looking for a few hours of fun behind the stick try Top Gun.