Aero Fighters Assault

Aero Fighters Assault received mostly mediocre reviews. Commentary varied considerably from critic to critic, though the more common criticisms included the music and the inane dialogue of the voice clips. A number of reviews praised the diversity of the missions, but some found that the overall formula of enemy jets, boss, enemy jets, boss to be repetitive and unengaging. Most also remarked that while the graphics are appealing in still shots, with impressive effects, the frame rate is choppy enough to hurt both the visual appeal and gameplay. The game's flight models, controls, and third person perspective during dogfights were all widely praised. Nonetheless, overall assessments were dismal, with most comparing it unfavorably to its PlayStation competitor Ace Combat 2 and/or to Paradigm's previous Nintendo 64 offering, Pilotwings 64. GamePro found the controls difficult and the overall slowness of the game frustrating. Next Generation said: "All in all, the game needs more high-intensity dogfight levels, realism instead of science fiction trappings, and less linearity. Had the gameplay matched its flight model, Aero Fighters Assault would have been a real gem. But as it is, the game's not quite a diamond in the rough". Nintendo Power found the game often interesting and impressive in single-player mode but tedious in multiplayer mode, and concluded it is overall respectable but does not outdo the flight sims available on PC as completely as might have been hoped. GameSpot and IGN both concluded that the game has some solid features but simply lacks fun, with IGN describing it as "dreadfully average and [lacking] the balance of many N64 games". Contrarily, three of Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers found the game to be fun once one gets past its flaws, though they allowed that it was not as polished as other titles, and the remaining reviewer, Shawn Smith, said the fun it offers is fleeting.