‘Aero Fighters 2 ACA NEOGEO’ Review – Don’t Underestimate the Power of Dolphin
Even though I've given up on reviewing every single SNK and Hamster Arcade Archives game that comes out every week, I will still stop by sometimes to talk about games that I really like. One of these games is Aero Fighters 2, which costs $3.99, so here we are. Aero Fighters 2 came out in the middle of the NEOGEO's most popular time on the market, which is different from many of the other games we've looked at so far. This is also a notable release because it was made by Video System, which is one of the few third parties to make games for this console.
The Aero Fighters series, which is also called Sonic Wings in some places, has an interesting history. The first game, which came out in 1992, was a shooter that moved up and down the screen vertically. It was built on dedicated arcade hardware and had the standard tate screen orientation. Shin Nakamura was the main designer of the game. He made it in the Toaplan style, and the main thing that made it stand out was that you could play as eight different characters. The game was a hit for Video System, but the company had already decided to move all of its arcade game development to SNK's NEOGEO platform. This was probably a financial decision, since it made making arcade games a little less risky.
Not everyone at the company liked this choice, though. Shin Nakamura wanted to make more games like Aero Fighters, but the NEOGEO's monitor was set up in a way that was different from how vertical shooters are usually set up. Nakamura and a few other people felt so strongly about this that they left Video System to start a new business. This company, Psikyo, would go on to make a name for itself in the shoot-em-up genre with games like Strikers 1945, Samurai Aces, Gunbird 2, and many more.
Where does that leave Aero Fighters and Video System? Even though losing these important staff members hurt, the show had to go on. With the help of other Video System employees, the Aero Fighters team members who didn't leave worked on a sequel for SNK's NEOGEO hardware. Aero Fighters 2 was a pretty good success when it came out in 1994. AeroFighters Assault for the Nintendo 64, which came out in 1999, was the last game in the series, and it was not very good. Two years after that, Video System itself would shut down.
Back to 1994, when things were better. Aero Fighters 2 is pretty safe in terms of how it works. Given the situation, this makes sense. You choose your favorite pilot again and take to the skies in ten vertically-scrolling stages. Each character has their own main weapon and special move. Power-ups can be used to improve the main weapons, and enemies can drop extra pick-ups that add to your stock of special moves. You can play this game with another person, and it's fun to find good ways to use your skills together. There are a few secrets to find, but this is mostly a simple, well-made shooter.
The game is different not because of how it works, but because of how it sounds and what it's about. There's a dolphin, a baby, and a head in a jar, just to name a few of the ridiculous characters. They all have things to say between stages, and the dialogues and endings made by each team will be different. Aero Fighters 2 is different from the other games in the series because you can pair up any two characters. This means that there are more interactions and endings in this game than in any other Aero Fighters game. Some of them were not translated well, but many of them were meant to be weird. At some point in your life, you've probably seen memes cut from this game.
Aero Fighters 2 probably won't be at the top of score attack fans' lists, but it has enough options that it's not a bad game for that. Even though there are many endings to find, the game itself isn't too long because each stage moves quickly. The level of difficulty is also pretty average for this type of game, so just about anyone can finish it and probably even try to score attack. Very basic stuff, but Aero Fighters 2 is a crowd-pleaser because it is funny and has a lot of action.
Hamster did what it always does to add this game to the Arcade Archives project. It does a good job of emulating the original game, has a lot of options, works with external controllers (which is the only way to play multiplayer), and has online leaderboards for each of its four main game modes. You can play both the Japanese and international versions of the game, as well as the High Score and Caravan modes that Hamster has always had. Both of these modes are fun to play in this game. When it comes to Hamster's part in this, it's hard to find much wrong.
Even though the NEOGEO wasn't known for having a ton of great shoot-em-ups, it did have a few very good ones. The Aero Fighters games were always the most popular and, some would say, the best. Aero Fighters 3 will probably come out sooner or later, but Aero Fighters 2 is a great game on its own. It also works well with touch controls, which makes it a good choice for mobile play. Another victory for the ACA NEOGEO mobile games.
