Air Diver
From Sega Retro
| Air Diver | |||||||||||||||
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| System(s): Sega Mega Drive | |||||||||||||||
| Publisher: Asmik (Japan), Seismic Software (US) | |||||||||||||||
| Developer: Copya System | |||||||||||||||
| Genre: Shooting[1] | |||||||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | |||||||||||||||
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Air Diver (エアダイバー) is a 1990 aircraft combat game by Asmik for the Sega Mega Drive.
Contents
Story
An unknown terrorist organization, backed by extraterrestrial beings, has created a military force so strong that world powers have been unable to defeat it with their own militaries. The player must pilot the fictional F-119D Stealth Fighter and stop them.
Gameplay
This game is a combat flight simulator with a 3D perspective, played in first-person view (from inside the cockpit), similar to G-LOC. The player can select which stage to play from a map of the world. Each stage is rated on its difficulty by the "Mission Achievement" metric (with lower numbers being more difficult). The fighter is transported to each stage in the "Super Transporter." Traveling to a location costs transporter fuel depending on how far the next stage is, and the game ends if the transporter runs out of fuel. The objective of each stage is to destroy a certain number of enemies to clear the area. A radar in the cockpit shows the locations of nearby enemies. After destroying enough enemy fighters, the player battles a single elite enemy fighter followed by an enemy "Super Carrier." There are four different Super Carriers, each appearing twice.
The stealth fighter ascends with 
and descends with 
(though the vertical controls can be reversed in the options). It banks with 
and 
. It can engage its afterburners by holding 
, which increases its airspeed. The fighter has limited fuel, which is shown as a number in the cockpit and acts as a timer for each stage. Using the afterburners consumes more fuel. The fighter can perform a vertical loop by double-tapping while holding or perform a horizontal scissor maneuver by double-tapping while holding or . These maneuvers can be used to avoid enemy missiles.
The fighter is equipped with twin Vulcan cannons, fired with 
. The cannons have unlimited ammunition and always fire toward the reticle in the HUD. It is also equipped with heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles, fired with 
. These missiles have limited supply. Missiles can only be fired if a target has been "locked-on" in the HUD. Locked-on targets appear encircled.
After destroying a Super Carrier, the plane docks inside the Super Transport, where it is repaired and refueled and restocks its missiles. The player receives one of three spare items: Auto Repair, Missiles, or Fuel. The player can hold as many as two spare items at a time. The spare items are used automatically during a stage when needed: the Auto Repair repairs the fighter when it takes three hits, the Missiles item restocks the fighter with 78 missiles when it runs out of missiles, and the Fuel item refuels the aircraft if it runs out of fuel.
The stealth fighter can be damaged by enemy bullets. A diagram shows which part of the aircraft is damaged. It cannot use its afterburners if the engines are damaged and consumes more fuel if the wings are damaged. The fighter is destroyed if it takes too many hits or runs out of fuel, which costs a life. It is destroyed instantly if it is hit by an enemy missile. The radar warns "LOCKED ON" if it has been locked-on by an enemy fighter, indicating that the player must take evasive action quickly. The game ends if the player runs out of lives, but it can be continued if the player has continues remaining.
The player can select the difficulty level (Easy, Normal, or Hard) and starting lives (3, 4, or 5) from the options prior to starting the game.
Stages
| Australia | |
|---|---|
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 60% | |
| North Pacific Ocean | |
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 60% | |
| South America | |
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 50% | |
| Africa | |
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 30% | |
| Europe | |
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 20% | |
| Asia | |
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 15% | |
| Eurasia | |
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 5% | |
| North America | |
|
Mission Achievement Percentage: 5% | |
| Final Boss | |
| After completing the last stage, the Super Transport is destroyed by an enemy stealth fighter, which the player must defeat. The enemy fighter appears only intermittently on the player's radar. |
History
Legacy
The game received two successors on the Super NES, Super Air Diver (called Lock On in North America) in 1993 and Super Air Diver 2 in 1995.
Production credits
- Programming: Takion / Nari Ozzy
- Graphics: Jorge
- Music: Y.W, Ondai Yuri
- Original Concept: Gurechan
- Concept Support: Pukupuku
- Test Play: Meddle Eiji / Hokken Katuyuki
- Special Thanks: Nago
- Music Programming: Ishikawa
- System Creator: Takion
- Special Advisors: Hiroshi Okamoto, Kazuyuki Takasaki, Push Pop Masa
- Tools: Shizuka Inochi, Marpi / Takion, DMA Hirano / TRR Team
- Data Organization: Nari Ozzy / Isarius
- Story: Yoshihisa Tanaka
- Visual Sketch: Wa‑nabe, Kenta Abesawa
- Infomation Provision: Onion, Andorre Kazama / Nabesan
- Ending Theme Composition: Tatsuya Hamaki
- Music Direction: Takion / Narichan
- Graphics Direction: Kenta Abesawa / Isarius
- Program Direction: Takion / Nari Ozzy
- Coordinator: Nari Chan
- Producer: Kazuyuki Takasaki
- Support: Nanchan, Mariko Koizumi, Michiyo Sugawara, Shizuka Inochi, Gim Keiko
- Jammer: Meko Saitou, Kaeru Sakurai, Yuco Matui, Sunny Masamori, Baja Baja Kudou / Hokken Katsuyuki, Metali Kawachi / Tiger Mori, Boy Kusakai / Na‑Ka‑Ji‑
- Word Processor: Isacyan, Narichan
- Ochakumi: Johnny.B.Good.Eiji
- Executive Director: Toshiyuki Futamura
Magazine articles
- Main article: Air Diver/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Physical scans
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61 |
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| Based on 24 reviews | |
| Mega Drive, JP |
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 Cover
|
  Cart  Manual |
| Mega Drive, US |
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 Cover
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 Cart  Manual |
Technical information
- Main article: Air Diver/Technical information.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "May 1990" (JP; 1990-04-07), page 5
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video/c/O5FJZicM9QQ/m/7jqu28krxdQJ
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "June 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 66
- ↑ GamePro, "July 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 59
- ↑ File:Air Diver MD credits.pdf
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 14
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "April 1990" (JP; 1990-03-08), page 109
- ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 26
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 44
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 126
- ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 10
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "June 1990" (UK; 1990-05-16), page 104
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "May 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 20
- ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 287
- ↑ Famitsu, "" (JP; 1990-0x-xx), page 1
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 90
- ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "August 1990" (JP; 1990-07-07), page 73
- ↑ Mega, "February 1994" (UK; 1994-01-20), page 65
- ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 76
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 137
- ↑ Power Play, "7/90" (DE; 1990-06-15), page 119
- ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 52
- ↑ Sega Pro, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-xx-xx), page 18
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 64
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Review, "1" (RU; 1995-04-03), page 9
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 87
- ↑ Tilt, "Septembre 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 100
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 6
- ↑ User, "Ioúlios-Ávgoustos 1991" (GR; 1991-0x-xx), page 89
| Air Diver | |
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