Aero Fighters 2 (NEO4ALL) Review

Original release:

1994

Game details:

Standard controller

1-2 players

VGA box

The following game was not officially released for Sega Dreamcast. It is emulated using NEO4ALL beta 4 developed by chui. This is an evaluation of the emulation of the game as well as the game itself.

Using Team RDC's release you can play this game as though it is a commercial game with only a brief loading screen.

Emulation

Absolutely perfect. The game plays flawlessly. I encountered slowdown twice when there was really heavy action on screen, but I can't imagine that the actual hardware handled those times without slowdown.

Gameplay

I have to get this off my chest right away. I fucking love this game. Why? Because you can be a fucking dolphin. Nothing I had heard about this game prepared me for that. I always assumed it was a completely standard shmup (which it is), but you can be a dolphin. You don't see the dolphin; he's in the cockpit, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a dolphin. I'm also not going to lie in that I usually play the game through with several characters for a review. Not here. I saw the dolphin, I played the dolphin, and my review is based on the dolphin. If you play this game with any other character, you're doing it wrong. Shame on all of us as gamers for not holding this game in the highest regard throughout history. This was developed by mad geniuses.

I love the game so much because it's a totally normal shmup. There's nothing bizarre about it. If you came up to it in the arcade you wouldn't expect anything different in tone from 1942. But once you insert your coin and go to choose your character…there's a dolphin. Between missions, he jokes about how absurd it is. And when you get to the final boss… it's one of those monkey toys that claps the cymbals together, like this. I don't care if that's a spoiler. There's nothing good to say about this game except for how absurd it is. It is absolutely your average shmup. I don't know if this insanity persists for other pilots you can choose but it doesn't matter, like I said, if you're not the dolphin, you're doing it wrong.

While playing the game, you'll do missions in various real life cities. One of those cities is New York. This is based on the actual New York of course, and the Twin Towers are present. I was blindly shooting and found out you can blow them up. I cringed for a minute… but then I realized I was a dolphin flying a jet.

Storyline

YOU'RE A FUCKING DOLPHIN, FLYING A JET! GET TO IT!

Graphics

Very average. The dolphin is drawn adorably in the cut scenes between missions, though.

Sound

Also average. A disappointing lack of dolphin sounds should be noted.

Conclusion

Everyone should play this game. I had a blast with it for no real reason other than the absurdity that I was a dolphin. If you didn't pick up on that by now, you can be a dolphin and I love it. This is a great example of how a sense of humor and the developers having some fun can turn an average game into something great.

8.0/10