Blue Lightning (Lynx)

Whoa, 1989... that's the same year that the Game Boy came out. Yeah, I'm not optimistic about this one.

Okay this is pretty damn impressive for a handheld in the 80s. Enemy planes bank and swoop by over some nice scrolling scenery, and then I blow them to pieces with my F/A-18

The plane actually tilts around on screen as I fly. I'm not sure why I have a blue plane, but whatever. Maybe the air force are trying something new.

Uh, I was just trying to get a closer look at the enemy jets. It's cool though, I'll just go get another plane and come back.

Hey look, trees! Trees with... orange shadows? Never mind, it's impressive enough that they're there and casting shadows at all.

I've got missiles too, but I'm at the mercy of the game's targeting whether I can use them are not. If the black boxes don't appear, my missiles will just fly off unguided, wasted.

Oh shit, they're firing missiles at me now? That ain't right. Fortunately they're pretty easy to avoid. I can't barrel roll though, no matter how hard I try.

This is an Afterburner style shoot 'em up, there's no dogfighting here, no turning around. Just fly forward, shoot the targets, avoid the missiles.

Awesome, automatic landing! I've always had a little bit of a problem with getting my planes back on the deck in games. Well, I usually get them down, just not in one piece.

I wish these little dudes that run up would restock my lives while they're there.

Mission two is all about shooting ground targets. Which is awkward because my guns point forward, not at the ground.

It's especially awkward when those cunning little ground targets hide behind a hill, forcing me to swoop down to hit them.

At least they just tend to sit there without firing back, and leave me alone. The way I fly I'm in enough danger from these hills.

Two more targets down! Shame I actually only I hit about four of them on the entire level, I did terrible.

Aww crap, now the helpless little ground targets are firing at me too?

Son of a bitch, that mesa came out of nowhere! I've completed 01 missions? I guess no one ever did as bad as me when they were playtesting it.


Next game.