Classic NES: Top Gun

For The Fan Presents:

Top Gun (NES) 1987 Review

Publisher: Konami

Top Gun for the NES (8-bit) came out in 1987. It was one of those games that you had to own, no matter what. Everyone that was of age though it was based on the movie, but I wasn’t aware of the movie at the time. I didn’t start following cinema until I was much older. At the time of the release I was 4 years old, and didn’t get to start playing this one until around 3 years later. I rented it, then I bought it and to this day, I can’t land the plane.

Can you land the damn thing? (F#*@!)

Top Gun is a mix of simulation and arcade gameplay. It features a cockpit view of the action and you go around shooting enemy planes. It’s a vexing, and all too realistic game with elements that do not make sense, but it’s action packed and fun for the time. It’s fast moving, and will allow you to move around the screen shooting through large cross hairs.

You either love it or hate it.

That’s right, you are going to either love this game for all it has, or you’re going to hate it for tedium and the pressure that rises when you are trying to land your F-14 Tomcat on an aircraft carrier. There aren’t many levels here, but you’ll have a hell of a time trying to win this one, with the final level being the toughest, where you have to knock out a space shuttle before it launches and kills the world?!

Top Gun Sold 2 Million Copies

2 Million copies of this game sold. They didn’t get dumped into a gutter somewhere either, and if you find it brand new, you’ll be expected to fork over a pretty penny. All in all this game features steady gameplay, fast interactions, and a simulation style that will frustrate most newcomers, but will thrill those that remember the rush of playing this game while feeling the G’s! Turn a fan on and put it on blast in your face, while you wear headphones and play this game, then every few minutes have your friend push you off your chair, and you will get a sensation of piloting a real jet.

Top Gun lives up to the Konami standard, in my opinion, and is still very fun today. You will either love this game or you will hate this game, that’s it. There’s not much room between that, and with 2 million copies sold, you know this game has fans.

Pros: It has nothing to do with the movie, arcade action, high level of difficulty

Cons: It has nothing to do with the movie, high level of difficulty, no sign of Val Kilmer

Links:

Top Gun (NES) New / Used 

Sir Jorge is the pen name of prolific blogger Jorge Orduna. You can read his exploits on Scary Film Review, listen to him whine on Sell Out Records, and bug him about retrograming, grammar syntax, and pro wrestling by leaving a comment below. Oh, and can you land the plane in Top Gun? Seriously, it's not easy.