Rating of
2/5
One Generation Too Soon
dbarry_22 - wrote on 07/22/12
Pilotwings for the SNES flies high in a few areas, but the overall appearance and frustrations created by the 16 bit system leaves it a bit short from being a good game.
This game gives you the chance to fly an airplane, skydive, hang glide, and even put on a jet powered backpack. The point of the game is to accumulate points by flying through rings or other similar goals and then to have a successful landing on a predetermined object. The faster and more accurate you pass these goals, the better the score.
When you're in the air, things are pretty good. Controlling the airplane and getting it through rings isn't particularly hard, it even though the SNES doesn't do 3D very well, it does have the feel of flying. The same is for the rest of ways of flight, but after that, the game falters.
To say the environment is simplistic would be an understatement. It's basically a small island that has a runway, a couple landing areas, and poor graphics. It's definitely not a beautiful or artistic game, it has you feeling like you're in a simulator.
Then there's the most frustrating part of the game...landing. I know that landing is probably the most difficult part of flying, but this makes the game frustrating. Landing the airplane is way too difficult mainly because of the play control. You have a hard time telling if you're properly level or if you're going the right speed before it's too late, and then when you crash you have to start the test all over. The same goes for skydiving and hang gliding, the only thing I could land on a consistent basis without getting mad was the rocket backpack.
Overall, this simple game caused more frustration and less having fun. I feel the limits of the SNES are mainly to blame, meaning that this game came one generation too soon.
2/5
