Sunday, 4 May 2025

Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator (Atari 7800 review)

Developer: Absolute Entertainment
Publisher: Absolute Entertainment
Released: 1989

Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator is an aerial combat game that was also released on the Atari 2600 (1989).

+ Good graphics with cool flight deck details, and the secondary landing / incoming missile displays add to the immersion.

+ Take-off is uncomplicated, and the animation of the deck officer waving you along is a nice presentational touch.

- Cumbersome controls aren't suited to a home console, as the game forces you to use the hardware's buttons / switches.

- Action is mind-numbingly boring and there's plenty of time to have a snooze while waiting for a bogey to appear.

- Dogfighting is the weakest part of the game, as skittish enemies can magically warp a few pixels ahead to avoid you.

- Missile lock-on should be a fun, effective part of the action, but the tracking time is very short and often unreliable.

- Landing is painfully difficult, mainly due to the minuscule 10° altitude safety range that you need to stay within.


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