Just a few months again, Video System’s Aero Fighters 2 ($3.99) arrived on the cell Arcade Archives. I discovered it was a great match for cell play in my evaluation, and gave it a hearty advice. At the time I famous that it most likely wouldn’t be lengthy earlier than Aero Fighters 3 ($3.99) rolled in and, properly, right here we’re. Originally launched simply over a yr after the earlier sport within the sequence, Aero Fighters 3 is definitely a extra assured sport than its predecessor, however is it higher?

The reply to that query is, sadly, principally a no. On the constructive facet of issues, you’ve acquired a wide selection of characters to select from and may choose whichever pilot you want in single-player. There are additionally fairly a number of phases, with the branching nature of development within the sport giving it an additional little bit of replay worth. Some of the characters can now cost up their primary weapon, which provides an additional fashion of play to the sport. There are a number of attention-grabbing and really amusing secrets and techniques to search out. It’s a reliable sport in most respects, and it hasn’t misplaced that weird humorousness that made the earlier sport so memorable.

The greatest failing of Aero Fighters 3 is within the brevity of its phases. Some of them barely get going earlier than the boss arrives, and so they’re all conspicuously brief. The bosses are a bit longer, with nearly all of them taking up a number of varieties till they lastly go down. The patterns run on the essential facet, and few of them have any really attention-grabbing gimmicks. An entire run will take you thru eight phases, with a number of of them being bonus rounds. So sure, not very lengthy or attention-grabbing, and also you’ll be spending nearly as a lot time combating bosses as you’ll touring by way of phases.

A intelligent scoring system can save many capturing video games in related circumstances, however whereas Aero Fighters 3 does have a bit extra to chew on in that regard in comparison with the second sport, it’s not particularly intriguing. Defeat enemies, keep away from getting killed, choose up bonus level objects after they crop up, and attempt to maintain on to your powered-up state so subsequent power-ups will simply give additional factors. You’ll additionally wish to study which routes have essentially the most potential for increased scoring and take these. It’s not nothing, however it’s additionally probably not good or distinctive sufficient to raise the sport.

What does elevate it considerably is identical factor that helped the earlier sport a lot: the humor. Your chosen character will make feedback as you progress by way of the sport, and every solo character and staff has a singular ending, most of that are ridiculous. The Russian staff of Spanky the Dolphin and the dual sisters Chaika and Pooshika, for instance, have an ending the place the women are questioning simply how a dolphin flies an airplane. It then cuts to Spanky complaining in regards to the warmth and eradicating his head, which is now clearly a dressing up, revealing a strange-looking man beneath. There’s lots of unusual jokes like this within the sport, and it makes you wish to clear the sport with everybody simply to see all of them.

The different means this follow-up loses one thing in comparison with its predecessor is much less consequential for this cell model, however it does bear mentioning. Aero Fighters 2 allowed two gamers to combine and match characters from completely different nations, however Aero Fighters 3 forces each gamers to make use of characters from the identical nation. This considerably cuts again on the variety of potential endings, which might be why the builders did it, however it additionally cuts again on the flexibleness in constructing groups. But on this cell model, you possibly can solely play with a second participant if in case you have exterior controllers anyway, so it’s not prone to be an element for a lot of of you.

While we’re right here, let’s cowl the standard guidelines of factors about Arcade Archives cell releases. You get the standard array of modes, with each worldwide and Japanese variations of the sport obtainable together with a Score Attack and Caravan Mode to play. There are on-line leaderboards so that you can examine with others on, important in this type of sport. The sport options assist for exterior controllers, although just like the earlier sport the contact controls work completely high-quality right here. You additionally get the standard array of choices, together with issue toggles, video settings, management mappings, and audio settings. Naturally, the emulation is as prime quality as ever. Hamster has NEOGEO right down to a science by now.

Aero Fighters 3 isn’t fairly the sport that Aero Fighters 2 is, however it’s nonetheless a good sufficient shoot-em-up romp to be of curiosity to style followers at this worth. The goofy humor helps it stand out from the group, and having so many various characters to make use of provides vastly to the replay worth. If the degrees had been a little bit longer and the bosses a little bit extra attention-grabbing, this might have been a greater expertise throughout. But it’s what it’s, and Hamster has achieved its sometimes high-quality job in adapting it for cell units. For the value, it’ll do.