Retro Wildlands #51 - Top Gun

[00:00:00] Greetings fellow travelers of Vagrant's Explorers, Wildlanders, and welcome to episode 51

[00:00:27] of The Retro Wildlands.

[00:00:30] My name is Nomad and this is my gaming podcast, or I like to share my thoughts and experiences

[00:00:34] with a video game that I have discovered or re-discovered while roaming the gaming wildlands.

[00:00:41] Thank you very much for tuning into the show today.

[00:00:44] Whether this is your first time into the Wildlands with us, your 51st time or your somewhere

[00:00:49] in between, I am glad you decided to meander over to the campfire with us and take a load

[00:00:54] off before we head into the gaming wilderness for another adventure.

[00:00:59] D.D.R. Canine Expedition Leader will be around to help you get settled in.

[00:01:04] Just be sure to stand still and make no sudden movements as he gives your leg the obligatory

[00:01:09] sniffing.

[00:01:10] It's just part of his process and I have no idea what it is that he's actually sniffing

[00:01:15] for, but once he's done and you are checked in, be sure to grab yourself a drink and get

[00:01:20] comfy.

[00:01:22] The texture, our old man, Joava has been coming out of his little blanket for it a little

[00:01:26] more than usual lately so watch where you step.

[00:01:30] He can get pretty feisty in his old age but if you think too, give him a good scratch

[00:01:35] behind the ears, it'll absolutely make his day.

[00:01:38] D.D.R. are both creatures that enjoy the simple things and it doesn't take much to make

[00:01:42] them happy and get their tail wagging a mile a minute.

[00:01:46] It actually made me think of some of the things in my own life that just make me happy

[00:01:50] and put me in a good mood without very much effort.

[00:01:54] Video gaming as a whole is certainly one of those things but I'm thinking about more

[00:01:58] of the simpler things.

[00:02:00] I love drinking a hot cup of coffee in the morning on my porch if the weather is agreeable.

[00:02:06] I enjoy a good cigar paired with the perfect bourbon.

[00:02:10] I enjoy the smell of pine and just that general outdoorsy smell.

[00:02:15] I enjoy sniffing the pages of a brand new book or a game's instruction manual and probably

[00:02:21] right behind video games for me.

[00:02:24] I love a good movie.

[00:02:28] When it comes to movies, I think we all have that one, right?

[00:02:32] That one movie that always grabs our attention.

[00:02:36] The kind of movie that if you just happen to see it while you're flipping through the

[00:02:40] channels or you're on when you're streaming services, you'll sit with it and watch

[00:02:44] it no matter what it is that you're doing.

[00:02:48] The kind of movie that makes us feel like a kid again and the sort of film that takes us

[00:02:53] back to simpler times.

[00:02:56] We all have that one and when I had a chance to watch my personal favorite recently,

[00:03:01] it made me think about the game tie-in that I've always wanted to go back to and see

[00:03:06] if it was as bad as I remember.

[00:03:09] Or maybe it won't be so bad and there's actually something there worth talking about.

[00:03:16] On today's episode, we're checking out a video game that I've always had a soft spot

[00:03:21] in my heart for, especially since it's tied to my favorite movie of all time.

[00:03:26] It's a game that I don't really hear many retro gamers talk about other than when they

[00:03:31] would share stories of how this game is nothing more than a quote-unquote crash into the

[00:03:36] ocean simulator and how there are far better licensed titles out there.

[00:03:42] But as I got older, I refused to think that that's all this game was.

[00:03:47] From what I can tell it was one of the earliest flight simulation type games available

[00:03:52] and after playing through it last week, I can confidently say there is a little more

[00:03:56] here than people would lead you to believe.

[00:04:00] And just like any good guilty pleasure movie, there doesn't need to be anything super complicated

[00:04:06] about it to enjoy it.

[00:04:07] So, today on the Retral Wildlands we are going to be checking out Top Gun for the Nintendo

[00:04:14] Entertainment System.

[00:04:17] I have to be honest with you all, I have been wanting to do an episode on Top Gun since

[00:04:22] I started this podcast.

[00:04:24] The original Top Gun movie released back in 1986 when I was just two years old is my absolute

[00:04:31] favorite movie of all time.

[00:04:34] And the reasons for that are very simple, but they're also kind of complicated.

[00:04:39] It's my favorite movie for a lot of the same reasons that Final Fantasy VII will always

[00:04:44] be my favorite video game of all time.

[00:04:48] Is FF7 the best Final Fantasy game?

[00:04:51] I can argue that it definitely is not.

[00:04:54] But it will always be the best in my eyes and it has a lot to do with a bunch of memories

[00:04:59] I made, not just playing the game but how I saved up my own money to buy it and how

[00:05:05] my friends all slowly played it and we all bonded over it.

[00:05:10] Things like that are what make things our favorites and that's why Top Gun will always be

[00:05:15] my favorite film.

[00:05:17] I have vague memories of playing Top Gun on the NES over at my aunt's house and while

[00:05:22] I didn't put a ton of time into it, it seared itself into my memories.

[00:05:27] From the opening seconds where we see an F14 Tomcat preparing for takeoff to flying in

[00:05:33] the clouds looking for enemies to shoot down, to the landing or attempting to land on

[00:05:38] the aircraft carrier at the end of the mission.

[00:05:42] It all stuck with me to the point that even seeing this game today it gives me the nostalgic

[00:05:48] tingles.

[00:05:50] But now that I'm on this journey of playing old retro games that I missed out on growing

[00:05:55] up, I found myself thinking about Top Gun again.

[00:05:59] Was it a good game or was it just another licensed movie tie-in looking to cash in on

[00:06:04] the movie's success?

[00:06:06] Is it possible that there was more to the gameplay and level design or did Top Gun the

[00:06:12] video game truly crash and burn?

[00:06:16] Well my friends today I want to dive in and answer those questions as well as share

[00:06:21] some of my favorite memories from my favorite film.

[00:06:25] Now if you're new to the podcast I like to kick things off by chatting it up with

[00:06:30] you all a little bit and giving you all a peek behind the scenes here in the retro wildlands

[00:06:35] before getting into the episode itself.

[00:06:38] Depending on what's on my mind, I like to talk about what's going on with the podcast

[00:06:42] itself, what games I'm playing, what's going on in my personal life, any projects

[00:06:47] I might be working on and whatever else comes to mind.

[00:06:51] I'll also read and respond to any comments I received about Top Gun when I put a call

[00:06:57] out for them on our social media pages.

[00:07:00] Now if none of this interests you and you just came here for my thoughts on Top Gun,

[00:07:05] no worries you can just skip ahead about let's say about 12-15 minutes and you should

[00:07:11] get into the game talk.

[00:07:13] I'll also have loaded timestamps into the show's description so if you want to know exactly

[00:07:18] where you need to go, you can use those instead of fumbling around with your podcast app.

[00:07:25] But certainly consider sticking around, we're going to settle in with a little gaming

[00:07:29] talk and you'll get to hear your fellow wildlanders sound off with their thoughts and their

[00:07:34] memories around Top Gun.

[00:07:37] So without further ado, scooch in a little closer to fire my friends, let's get into our

[00:07:43] opening segment that I like to call Campfire Ketchup.

[00:08:04] So things in my neck of the woods remain busy as usual.

[00:08:08] The beginning of the year is usually pretty busy at my adult job and this year is absolutely

[00:08:13] no different.

[00:08:15] Every year around the February March time frame, I'm usually flown out to our company's

[00:08:19] annual Expo where we have the whole company together for a big conference and a huge sales

[00:08:24] event.

[00:08:26] For me it usually spans an entire week where I'll fly out on a Friday morning and not return

[00:08:31] home until the following Thursday.

[00:08:35] Preparations leading up to it can be pretty intense so lately the work stress has been climbing

[00:08:39] up a bit.

[00:08:41] But it's all coming to a head and in just a week or two depending on when this episode

[00:08:45] goes live, I'll be out in Orlando, Florida hopefully enjoying some decent weather.

[00:08:52] Since I've gotten into game collecting though, I've been excited to spend some of my

[00:08:55] off hours hunting for retro games whenever I'm off on work trips.

[00:09:01] One year my wife came to Las Vegas with me and one of my favorite memories with her was

[00:09:06] how we tracked down a retro game store just outside the city and took a bus to get there

[00:09:12] only to get off at the wrong stop and then we walked on foot for about two miles across

[00:09:18] construction zones and open areas before we found the shopping plaza that had our final

[00:09:24] destination.

[00:09:26] I cannot remember for the life of me the name of the store but it was absolutely worth

[00:09:31] the trip and I hauled a hefty bounty back to the hotel room.

[00:09:36] One game that I really enjoyed out of the pile that I brought back was a game called

[00:09:40] Black, an underrated first person shooter on the PlayStation 2.

[00:09:47] Developed by Criterion and published by EA, Black's presentation and sound design

[00:09:52] were what really stuck out for me.

[00:09:55] If you happen to catch our last podcast episode on Metal Gear Solid, I call it out that I have

[00:10:00] a real world appreciation for firearms.

[00:10:04] While I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination, I have a decent

[00:10:09] understanding of how a gun works and I have shot plenty.

[00:10:13] Black's presentation really focused on making the weapons in this game as realistic sounding

[00:10:18] and looking as possible for the time.

[00:10:21] While modern first person shooters have really ramped up the realism when it comes to weaponry,

[00:10:26] Black was one of the earliest that I could remember that had genuine reload animations

[00:10:31] and other gun behaviors like the character pulling out a magazine to check if it's loaded,

[00:10:37] using your thumb to pull back the hammer or just having general inspection animations.

[00:10:43] The developers of this game even used movies for some of their sound design inspiration.

[00:10:49] I read that the MP5 sub-machine gun and the OOZ machine pistol sounded a lot like

[00:10:54] the MP5 John McLean used in Die Hard and the OOZ used in the movie True Lies with Arnold

[00:11:00] Swartz and Ager and Jamie Lee Curtis.

[00:11:03] Either way, Black is an awesome game that you should try if you're at all into shooters.

[00:11:09] I also picked up an M-classic when I was in Vegas which is a small graphics enhancer designed

[00:11:16] to upscale game graphics a little bit.

[00:11:19] It does some cool stuff for retro and modern games alike.

[00:11:23] The game store we found had this little puppy used for about 40 bucks when it normally

[00:11:28] retails for about 100.

[00:11:30] The older I get, I seem to have more of an appreciation for game graphics and what goes

[00:11:36] into them so it was nice to grab something that would enhance my experience even if

[00:11:41] it was just a little bit.

[00:11:43] The M-classic isn't life changing or anything and I am certainly not endorsing it but finding

[00:11:48] it on my Vegas journey was pretty cool.

[00:11:51] All in all, I am curious to see if I'll find any retro game stores near where I'm staying

[00:11:56] in Orlando this year.

[00:11:58] I'll certainly report my findings, especially over on our social media pages.

[00:12:05] Speaking of social media, let me quickly mention that the retro wildlands is all over

[00:12:10] social media if you're looking to join up and you want to keep tabs on what's going

[00:12:14] on with the show as well as add a little gaming spice to your timelines and feeds.

[00:12:20] We have a link tree that you can access by going to linktr.e forward slash retro wildlands

[00:12:27] and this will point you to our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, slash x threads, YouTube and

[00:12:33] Blue Sky pages.

[00:12:35] I do my best to be somewhat active on social media so give us a follow if you're at all

[00:12:41] interested.

[00:12:42] Since I usually only post one thing a day at most, you won't get smacked in the face

[00:12:47] over and over again with content.

[00:12:50] I like to think of my social media posts as thought provoking and value add.

[00:12:55] Haha, who am I kidding?

[00:12:58] Half the time, I'm just posting a picture of a game in my collection, a beer I might be

[00:13:02] drinking or a photo of Deity or Dexter.

[00:13:06] But one quick thing to mention, whenever I put a call out for comments on the game or topic

[00:13:11] that I'm going to be covering, I'll do that on social media so join up on your favorite

[00:13:16] platform if you want to interact with the show in that way and potentially have your

[00:13:20] comments read by me.

[00:13:23] So as far as what I've been working on for the show, I've decided what I want to play

[00:13:27] for our next episode.

[00:13:29] I just need to carve out the time to play it.

[00:13:32] The website How Long To Be To Clock This Game In at about 8 hours which is the perfect

[00:13:37] length of time I think.

[00:13:40] Really what I need to get back to is going to bed a little earlier and waking up early

[00:13:44] again.

[00:13:45] In the early days of the podcast, what really helped me stay on top of a weekly release schedule

[00:13:50] was getting up early and putting some serious work in before leaving for my actual job for

[00:13:56] the day.

[00:13:58] That however started to wear on me a bit because I wasn't going to bed early enough so

[00:14:02] I was grinding myself down to a stump.

[00:14:05] I'm hoping to get back to some semblance of a balance again.

[00:14:10] Plus, and I don't know what it is.

[00:14:13] I like being up when my kids get up and they come and see me in my home office working

[00:14:18] on building my passion project.

[00:14:21] If these kids take anything away from my wife and I, I hope it's the notion that anybody

[00:14:27] has the capacity to build something with enough work and commitment.

[00:14:31] Anyway, episode 52 of the show is a lock.

[00:14:36] I just need to play this awesome game and get to writing about it.

[00:14:40] What is it you might be wondering?

[00:14:42] I can never decide if I want to tell you all because on one hand it certainly builds

[00:14:47] up suspense I would think if I keep it close to my chest.

[00:14:51] Plus, it allows me to pivot away from a game if I'm not feeling it or if I just can't

[00:14:56] make a show the way I want to.

[00:14:59] But on the other hand, I want you to all know what to expect out of the show going forward.

[00:15:04] So since we're talking about that, I would love to know what your preference is.

[00:15:09] If you think of it and this is totally if you think of it and you want to spend the

[00:15:13] time, drop me a line on one of our social media pages and let me know if you prefer one

[00:15:18] way over the other.

[00:15:20] I listen to podcasts all the time and I listen to shows that do it both ways and as a consumer

[00:15:26] of multiple podcasts, I appreciate each approach equally.

[00:15:31] But if the Wildlands community has a preference, let me know.

[00:15:35] In other news, I finally finished the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild on my Switch this

[00:15:41] past week and after putting 50 hours into that game, I am pretty satisfied with it and

[00:15:47] I am very happy with how that game ended.

[00:15:50] I didn't complete every single quest that the game had to offer or visit every single

[00:15:54] shrine and I definitely did not find all 900 Korok seeds but I'm very content with the

[00:16:00] time that I spent with it and I am done with it now.

[00:16:03] So I'll be putting that back on the shelf and tears of the kingdom will eventually find

[00:16:08] its way to my Switch but I am definitely going to be taking a breather from Open World Zelda

[00:16:13] for the moment.

[00:16:15] Right now, I am eagerly awaiting Final Fantasy VII rebirth which I thought I was going

[00:16:21] to miss out on since I didn't have a PlayStation 5 until recently.

[00:16:26] Speaking of the PS5, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a PlayStation portal, the

[00:16:31] handheld device that lets you stream your PlayStation 5 to it.

[00:16:36] I've been looking for one since I got my PlayStation 5 but they've been sold out everywhere.

[00:16:43] I finally found one that I didn't have to pay a scalper for and it's actually really

[00:16:48] awesome for what it is.

[00:16:51] Feel free to research it and decide if it's worth your money based on how you game but

[00:16:55] I'm doing more and more portable gaming nowadays instead of out of my living room.

[00:17:00] There's plenty on the PlayStation 5 I want to play and now that I have a portable option

[00:17:04] to go along with my Switch, I'm hoping I can chip away if you'll back log this way.

[00:17:10] I've had a few people ask me about my PlayStation portable experience and whether or not it's

[00:17:15] worth to purchase and all I'll say is this.

[00:17:18] Do your research.

[00:17:21] The system is fantastic especially since the handles mimic the PlayStation 5's controller

[00:17:26] haptic feedback and adaptive trigger functions but just make sure you understand the few short

[00:17:32] falls it has, example proprietary headsets and no Bluetooth and if that's something that

[00:17:38] makes sense for you and your gaming style and habits, knock yourself out and go for it.

[00:17:44] If not there are other solutions out there.

[00:17:48] For now though, the PlayStation portable for me is just what the doctor ordered.

[00:17:55] Alright I think that is all that I have for this week's catch up.

[00:17:59] It's time we start to transition to the reason that you are all here today.

[00:18:04] It's time to talk about Top Gun for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

[00:18:10] We had a handful of comments from the Wildlands community about Top Gun so let's get into those shall we?

[00:18:17] First up we have Chris Copoline who is one of the hosts of the Retro Hangover podcast.

[00:18:24] He chimed in on Twitter, slash x and said, going to say it before everyone else does.

[00:18:30] Fuck landing.

[00:18:32] Other than that it's okay.

[00:18:35] Yeah we're going to be talking about landing on that aircraft carrier plenty today

[00:18:40] and I wholeheartedly agree with you Chris.

[00:18:42] Fuck landing and anything that even resembles landing on an aircraft carrier.

[00:18:47] Sure you have on screen prompts that'll tell you what you need to do and how to maneuver your

[00:18:52] aircraft but it can be incredibly hard and it seems like the game demands absolute precision out

[00:18:57] of you. Failing here costs you a life too and with only three to get you through the entire game you

[00:19:04] cannot afford to screw up here. Although having read the instruction manual online I now realize how

[00:19:11] it is that you can control your airspeed with the A and the B buttons.

[00:19:16] This knowledge doesn't guarantee you're going to make it but you have a hell of a lot better

[00:19:21] of a chance. Still, fuck landing and any surface one would land a fighter jet on.

[00:19:28] Thanks for writing into the show Chris.

[00:19:31] Next up we had Dave write in over on our Retro Wildlands Facebook page. He said,

[00:19:37] a game my dad got me and my brother just because he probably loved the movie but man trying to land

[00:19:44] was tough. In all honesty Dave and I think I mentioned this in the episode at some point

[00:19:50] I would have absolutely passed on this game if not for the Top Gun logo.

[00:19:56] I love the movie so much that I'm probably going to give this game more of a pass than it

[00:20:00] probably deserves but even as a licensed game based on a movie, I think Top Gun was decent

[00:20:07] all things considered. Shout out to your dad by the way who loved the movie because I don't

[00:20:11] know anyone outside of him and myself that really really loves this film. And you're right

[00:20:18] landing was tough as nails but I think I've gotten much better at it now that I'm older.

[00:20:23] Still, nothing beats completing a level only to land in the drink because I wasn't in the exact

[00:20:29] spot that the game wanted me to be in. Thank you for dropping a comment for the show Dave. I

[00:20:35] very much appreciate it. Hopping over to our new and shiny blue sky page, Poppy the Keaton has

[00:20:43] this to say. I rented it once, my older cousin told me that you had to have an extra life when

[00:20:50] you landed on the runway because you had to crash. I know that did make sense and I was super

[00:20:56] excited when I figured out how to land safely. Now that's funny Keaton because I about came

[00:21:03] to the same conclusion myself. Since I couldn't figure out how to land I assumed you just needed

[00:21:09] to accept the fact that the game wanted you to crash for some reason and you had to forfeit a life

[00:21:13] in the process. But I do vaguely remember landing on the carrier once when I was little and I'm

[00:21:20] pretty sure it was all luck. Still like you knowing it could be done change the game and finally

[00:21:27] I'm proud to say yes, I can land the Tomcat on the carrier in Top Gun and no one can take that away

[00:21:35] from me. Where you're landing badge proudly Keaton and thank you very much for the comment.

[00:21:42] Uncle 330 wrote into the show over on our Threads page and said,

[00:21:48] I've never played that game but the way you do your podcast it's like I'm playing it right next

[00:21:53] to you so LOL love your stuff keep on keeping on. Thanks a bunch man I really appreciate you saying

[00:22:01] that seriously. Hopefully if I did this game justice and my vision came together like I wanted,

[00:22:07] you and I will absolutely be flying high together taking out bad guys and looking cool as hell while

[00:22:12] we do it. If you ever get a chance to definitely give this game a try there are certainly better

[00:22:19] games out there but there are also some worse ones too. Thank you very much for writing into the show

[00:22:25] I appreciate the comment. And our last comment comes from Chuck over on our Facebook page. He

[00:22:33] simply said, up, up, down, down. Words to live by but more often than not die by as you make that

[00:22:43] final approach to the carrier. Will we land on the carrier today my friends? Make sure you stick

[00:22:50] around and find out. Thank you very much for chiming in Chuck I appreciate it.

[00:22:57] Released in November of 1987 Top Gun was a shoot him up style flight simulator where players take

[00:23:04] control of an F14 Tomcat the US Navy's premier fighter jet and take the fight to the enemy.

[00:23:12] They've invaded allied territory and are prepared to march to war. While the Navy has plenty

[00:23:19] of hardware at its disposal to repel the enemy threat their most powerful resource is going to be

[00:23:25] you. You are a hot shot fighter pilot who knows how to turn and burn and you're the kind of pilot

[00:23:32] that gets things done. Using your Tomcat that has been loaded up with plenty of missiles and guns

[00:23:39] it's time we show our foes who really rules the skies. So let's suit up wildlanders put on your

[00:23:47] flight suits grab your helmets and don't forget your bad ass sunglasses. We are the elite the best

[00:23:55] of the best up there we've got to push it that's our job and when you're in the skies pulling mock

[00:24:03] to with your hair on fire just remember one thing there are no points for second place

[00:25:04] when we were all growing up and we had nothing but the world and all of its possibilities in

[00:25:09] front of us I'm sure we all had big aspirations for what we wanted to do and what we wanted to be

[00:25:15] and I'm sure some of us probably nailed those aspirations and are doing the thing that we've

[00:25:20] always wanted to do. But for me when I was young I wanted to be one thing and one thing only

[00:25:27] I wanted to fly a fighter jet specifically I wanted to fly the F14 Tomcat a twin engine two seat

[00:25:37] supersonic jet with wings that folded in when it really had to pick up some speed. It goes without

[00:25:43] saying but all of this came courtesy of the 1986 blockbuster movie Top Gun. I'm assuming we've

[00:25:50] all heard of Top Gun right? This was the movie that starred Tom Cruise as a hot shot fighter pilot

[00:25:56] that went by the call sign Maverick. He and his co-pilot Goose played by Anthony Edwards took part in

[00:26:04] a training program called The Fighter Weapon School. I didn't know it when I was younger but the

[00:26:10] school is a real life program that I believe is still around today. It was established back in 1969

[00:26:18] and the sole purpose was to train the Navy's best fighter pilots in advanced air combat maneuvering

[00:26:23] techniques. And then those that graduated would go back to their own squadrons and pass along what

[00:26:29] it was that they had learned. Much of the Top Gun movie takes place during Maverick's Top Gun

[00:26:35] training and while Maverick starts the movie off as a cocky and arrogant pilot he slowly grows a

[00:26:41] little bit and ultimately walks away from the experience a more skilled and a little more wiser

[00:26:47] after multiple setbacks, a terrible tragedy and one hard fought battle. As a kid though I did not

[00:26:55] give a shit about any of that nor did I really understand much of the actual story that the movie

[00:27:00] was trying to tell. All I cared about was watching the scenes where the fighter jets were flying

[00:27:06] around and dog fighting with the enemy. It wasn't a adrenaline rush when I was a kid and I am not

[00:27:12] gonna lie I still get excited seeing them today. Top Gun is a movie that if it comes on in any

[00:27:21] capacity I will immediately stop whatever I'm doing to watch it. It is practically non-negotiable.

[00:27:29] But as I got older I think I really understood what it was the dreamy to this film.

[00:27:34] It was just a simple action-packed movie that wasn't trying to tell a complicated story or

[00:27:40] preach any sort of message. It was about a guy who just wanted to be the best who learned the

[00:27:46] hard way what that meant and he got to fly some awesome aircraft while it all happened. Period,

[00:27:52] that's it. Top Gun was a commercial success. I find it hard to believe but this movie was shot

[00:28:00] on a budget of $15 million and it made a whopping $357 million worldwide. For as expensive as

[00:28:09] movies are hard to make nowadays this was an incredible feat back in the day.

[00:28:14] So it was no surprise that a video game adaptation would emerge that would try to bring the magic

[00:28:20] of the movie into homes everywhere. Top Gun for the Nintendo Entertainment System was born sometime

[00:28:28] in November of 1987 and I think it was around 1989 or 1990 that I actually played it for the first

[00:28:35] time at my aunt's house. Video games have always been a part of my life growing up but I don't

[00:28:40] have a lot of vivid memories of the early years. Oftentimes I'll remember bits and pieces or even

[00:28:47] flashes of a game that I played and that was it. Top Gun on the NES was one such game for me.

[00:28:54] I remember enough about it that I know I played it but it may have only been a few sessions.

[00:28:59] There isn't a lot to remember about the games since it really isn't all that long

[00:29:03] but I'll never forget how it felt to dogfight on my NES, destroy or avoid incoming missiles

[00:29:10] and how I would crash repeatedly when I tried to land my plane at the end of each level.

[00:29:15] Or how about refueling in mid-air? That was a fun one too.

[00:29:20] Still while I have an incredible love for the movie I never had a reason to seek out or go back

[00:29:26] to the NES game. It wasn't until Top Gun came up in random conversations that I told my kids

[00:29:32] a game based on the movie came out for the Nintendo that was almost as old as I was.

[00:29:38] We had a good chuckle after that but I couldn't get the game out of my head at that point.

[00:29:43] It certainly didn't help matters that I took the time to watch the movie again.

[00:29:48] After the credits rolled it was decided. I needed to go back and check this game out.

[00:29:54] As I've gotten into more and more retro games over the last few years,

[00:29:58] I've heard Top Gun on the NES was just meh, nothing to write home about.

[00:30:04] Really what most people were stuck on was how difficult the game was,

[00:30:08] especially when you had to land your Tomcat on the aircraft carrier.

[00:30:13] But is that all the game had to offer?

[00:30:17] At that point I made it my mission to go back and find out.

[00:30:21] Was Top Gun on the NES better than people think or was it really just a fighter jet crash simulator?

[00:30:28] Well my friends, I think it is time to give Top Gun its moment in the spotlight so sit back and relax as we

[00:30:35] start to peel back the layers and see exactly what it is that we're working with.

[00:30:41] So what is this game?

[00:30:45] Top Gun is a shoot-em-up style combat flight simulator that was released in 1987 for the Nintendo

[00:30:52] Entertainment System. Players take control of an F14 Tomcat, the fighter jet featured in the 1986

[00:30:59] movie, which is a real life fighter used by the United States Navy. The Tomcat was first made

[00:31:06] back in 1970, saw its first deployment in 74 and was eventually retired from service in September

[00:31:13] 2006. While the US Navy no longer uses the Tomcat, it's actively used in a small capacity by the

[00:31:21] Iranian Air Force. If you've ever seen the Top Gun movie, you will know that the F14 is a bad-ass

[00:31:29] aerial fighter. It serves multiple roles but it was mainly used as an interceptor aircraft which

[00:31:36] specialized in chasing down an intercepting enemy aircraft like bombers and fighters.

[00:31:42] Because of this, the Tomcat was often utilized as a general air superiority aircraft.

[00:31:49] Basically, the Tomcat helped establish air dominance over a specific area and its extreme

[00:31:54] agility and firepower was a great way to either deter enemy forces from entering that area

[00:31:59] or the Tomcat would just knock them out of the sky with extreme prejudice.

[00:32:04] It was the perfect fighter jet to use in the movie and while the swing-wing design was mainly used

[00:32:10] to help with speed and maneuverability, it looked bad-ass on the big screen.

[00:32:16] Even though players of Top Gun on the NES will see their Tomcat from the inside during gameplay,

[00:32:23] it's hard not to think about how it looks on the outside.

[00:32:27] As a kid I remember playing this game and pretending that I was in the movie,

[00:32:31] dog fighting migs and fighting to get that perfect missile lock.

[00:32:41] Oh hell yeah, that will never get old.

[00:32:48] So what's the story in Top Gun video game?

[00:32:52] Are we entraining like Maverick is in most of the movie?

[00:32:56] No. Top Gun on the NES has a pretty straightforward story that's going to see us taking

[00:33:01] the flight to the enemy and will need to take down a variety of airborne targets as well as

[00:33:06] some ground-based ones. Now it's been a while since we've referred to the instruction manual

[00:33:12] when setting up the opening of a game here on the podcast, but Top Gun's instruction manual

[00:33:18] perfectly sets the stage in perfect instruction manual fashion.

[00:33:23] Let's grab that and open it up.

[00:33:28] Oh I love that instruction manual smell.

[00:33:31] Hopefully I am not the only one that sniffs manuals in books or else that moment just now

[00:33:37] was pretty weird and I apologize in advance. Anyway let's jump in and figure out what our mission is.

[00:33:47] Snug in the cockpit of a $30 million war machine, you ease the control stick forward and

[00:33:54] aim the plane's nose towards the center of the runway. The sun glows orange on the horizon of

[00:34:00] fighter town USA and all appears peaceful as you complete your second training sortie of the day.

[00:34:07] Back inside the flight room, you relax with a hot cup of Java content being the Navy's hottest

[00:34:13] fighter joc. Suddenly the commander bursts in and gives you a quick salute. His face appears

[00:34:20] ice cold as he hands you orders marked top secret. Breaking the seal, you read the news.

[00:34:28] The enemy has invaded vital oil fields and is preparing to advance on our allies.

[00:34:33] Its navy is fully deployed and our intelligence warns us they will soon commence an all-out attack

[00:34:39] on our task force in the region. Adding to the conflict, they have put into operation their latest

[00:34:45] space base capable of launching killer satellites on a moment's notice. Your orders lieutenant are

[00:34:52] to immediately join the carrier USS Enterprise. From there you will command a squadron of that 14s

[00:34:59] into battle with your primary mission being to knock out the enemy's leading air, sea and land

[00:35:04] forces and then the proceed forward destroying the space base. Remember, the entire free world

[00:35:12] will be flying with you. If you succeed World War 3 will be averted. If you fail,

[00:35:19] make God help us all. Good luck! Signed Mr. President.

[00:35:26] You crumple the orders and eat them. You know what you must do.

[00:35:35] We crumple our orders and eat them. That right there is why I love instruction manuals.

[00:35:42] Story setups like these are just the perfect amount of cheese and I love it.

[00:35:49] Ah, anyway, it's a pretty basic story setup and that's all we're going to need for this adventure.

[00:35:56] In the game we're going to contend with pretty much what we just heard. Targets in the air,

[00:36:02] on the sea and on land. The game takes place over four levels and if you think that is in a lot

[00:36:09] you are absolutely correct. While the first level of the game is around six or seven minutes long

[00:36:16] the other three can be slightly longer but that's not taking into account the amount of times

[00:36:21] that you're most likely going to fail. Lose all your lives and have to start the game over from

[00:36:26] scratch. That is because top gun on the NES is hard and it will put your skills as a world class

[00:36:33] Navy fighter pilot to the test. You start the game with three lives and if you lose all three of them

[00:36:40] it's game over and you have to start over. While you do have a score that will increase as you

[00:36:46] down the bad guys and successfully land on the aircraft carrier at the end of each stage

[00:36:51] I never noticed being awarded an extra life or anything while I was playing.

[00:36:56] I could have missed it but for me it was one two three strikes and I was out.

[00:37:02] But don't let the difficulty of top gun immediately turn you off. For better or worse I think

[00:37:08] it's worth taking to the skies and seeing what this game is all about. So that being said it's

[00:37:14] about time we did just that. Let's slot this game into our Nintendo Entertainment System and get

[00:37:21] to it. But before we do every F14 pilot needs his Rio and there's no better co-pilot that I'd rather

[00:37:29] have on this mission than Dee Dee Dee Dee are you ready to go boy?

[00:37:38] All right let's get to it. I feel the need the need for speed. Whoa!

[00:37:46] Ah there it is he said the thing from the movie.

[00:37:49] You betcha dear listener and just you wait there will be plenty more where that came from.

[00:37:57] Ha ha you said it boy. Right away on screen we're met with a white background and some black text.

[00:38:06] It's your standard copyright text but the mood for the game is already being set.

[00:38:11] An 8-bit version of the notorious top gun anthem plays in the background and I always love

[00:38:18] the font style used here. It's very military and it just felt so adult to me when I was little if

[00:38:25] that even makes any sense. After this we're taken to the title screen. The top gun logo and all

[00:38:32] of its red and blue glory is at the top of the screen with the Konami logo just above it.

[00:38:38] To the left we see the silhouette of an F14 Tomcat looking sexy as hell and then to the right are

[00:38:45] the words press start key. To my knowledge this is the only game that I've ever seen on the NES

[00:38:52] that says press start key while I'm assuming key is synonymous with button I always thought

[00:38:58] that was weird but anyway there are no options to mess with or settings to toggle.

[00:39:03] Soon as we press start on our controller the music cuts away rather abruptly and we're still

[00:39:09] staring at the title screen for some reason. We need to press start button a second time

[00:39:14] apparently before we can continue. I always thought that was odd but all this for given on the next

[00:39:19] screen. On screen we're shown an F14 Tomcat from the backside. The graphics here are pretty

[00:39:27] impressive and this part right here is one that I'm sure those of you that have played this game

[00:39:33] will remember quite well. The sky is a sort of faded orange the kind of sky that you would see

[00:39:40] in the early morning. To the right side of the screen we see a small little pixelated dude.

[00:39:46] Assuming the Tomcat that's being shown is on an aircraft carrier that little guy would be

[00:39:51] the catapult officer otherwise known as the shooter. He's one of many people on the deck of the

[00:39:58] carrier that makes sure planes get off the deck safely. If you've seen Top Gun the movie he's

[00:40:04] the little guy that sluts to Maverick before he takes off. Turning our attention back to the Tomcat

[00:40:10] it fires up its twin engines and we see flames spit out the backside. While it's never going to

[00:40:17] match a real-life Tomcat I have to say the NES did a pretty good job of making the F14 Tomcat roar

[00:40:25] like a ferocious lion. Oh hell yes I don't know about you but that just hits the spot perfectly.

[00:40:41] With our Tomcat ready to go the game begins and we get set for our first mission.

[00:40:47] On the next screen we're shown a pretty nondescript map of the mission area. At the top of

[00:41:01] the screen green letter start to type themselves out. Mission 1 training for the next mission.

[00:41:09] This first mission for the most part should be pretty easy going. We aren't going to have much

[00:41:15] enemy resistance and it's the perfect level to get used to how the game works and controls.

[00:41:21] On the next screen we need to choose what missiles we want to arm our Tomcat with. We'll have

[00:41:27] three choices for missiles. The T11 Hound, the T22 Wolf and the T33 Tiger. The differences are

[00:41:38] pretty obvious. The Hound has a power rating of 1 and you can take 40 of them with you into

[00:41:44] battle making it the weakest but most plentiful missile. The next step up is the Wolf. Power level

[00:41:52] is 2 and you can only take 20 of those in a battle. Lastly the Tiger is the strongest missile by far

[00:42:00] with a power rating of 4 but you can only take 10 of them in battle with you. Stronger missiles

[00:42:06] will be more useful in the later stages of the game when you're taking on bigger targets like

[00:42:10] enemy aircraft carriers and other land based targets but for this mission the Hound missile

[00:42:17] will do just fine. As soon as we select it the game confirms our choice

[00:42:27] and we're taken to the cockpit of our F14. Before we begin our mission we need to take

[00:42:35] off from the aircraft carrier. Before we do that let me give you a quick tour around the cockpit so

[00:42:41] you know what all the bells and whistles are. On the left we have our altitude. We can go as high

[00:42:48] as 30,000 feet and as low as 500 feet. I never really got a sense that your altitude mattered

[00:42:55] all that much in the game. You can never go lower than 500 feet so there's no actual danger of

[00:43:00] crashing that I ever came into and in the later levels you'll spend most of your time down low

[00:43:06] so you can take out ground targets. Airborne targets seem to spawn regardless of what your

[00:43:12] altitude is so I never paid this number much mind but it will be super important when we try to land

[00:43:18] our plane on the carrier but we'll get there in due time trust me. Next we have our air speed

[00:43:26] measured in miles per hour. Another cool thing to see but it has no real bearing during the mission

[00:43:31] itself. This will come into play more so when we're landing our plane or trying to refuel it in mid-air

[00:43:38] but I will say that is pretty freaking cool to see how fast that we're going.

[00:43:43] Now further left we have our fuel gauge. So an interesting part of later levels which I've

[00:43:49] kind of already alluded to is that we will not have enough fuel to complete our mission and we're

[00:43:55] going to have to refuel in air by coupling with a mid-air refueling aircraft. When our fuel gauge

[00:44:02] gets low we're going to hear this warning indicator. With a tone as annoying as that it's going to be

[00:44:11] hard to miss. From there we need to press our start button and the refueling aircraft will come

[00:44:17] and hook us up. We'll touch on this fun process when the time comes as well. I always assume that

[00:44:24] they tossed this game mechanic in as a call back to the movie where in the opening scene Maverick

[00:44:30] and his wingman Kuger are in danger of running out of fuel. Now the last thing on the left hand side

[00:44:36] of the cockpit is a gauge called the artificial horizon. This is just a little gauge that gives you

[00:44:43] an idea of what your aircraft is doing as you fly it. You'll notice it moves to the left and right

[00:44:49] as you bank in those directions as well as move up and down as you climb up or down an altitude.

[00:44:56] Now moving our eyes to the right side of the cockpit we'll see a display that shows what type

[00:45:01] of missile that we have selected to take along with us and how many of those missiles that we have

[00:45:05] left to use. Below that view there are a few gauges that do not do anything and I guess they're

[00:45:13] just there to fill up space so no need pay attention to those. Now speaking of filling up space

[00:45:19] the very center of our cockpit is taken up by a big radar screen. This multi-function monitor

[00:45:27] serves multiple functions. Most of the time it's going to serve as a radar and will indicate the

[00:45:34] position of any enemies that are around you. This way you can bank left or right accordingly in

[00:45:40] order to intercept them and blow them to smithereens. Beyond the radar aspect of this monitor it will

[00:45:47] let you know when you have a mig on your tail and need to take some evasive maneuvers.

[00:45:52] This screen will also be used to help you land your F14 on the deck of the carrier at the end

[00:45:57] of each mission and you'll use this screen to help yourself line up the fuel hose when attempting

[00:46:03] to refuel mid-flight. The very last thing to call out under the radar itself is the damage indicator.

[00:46:11] The red blocks are basically your health meter and if you take any damage on a mission the blocks

[00:46:16] will start to decrease. When they are gone so are you. Now it seems like we have a lot of things

[00:46:24] to keep track of on screen but we're mostly going to be keeping an eye on our radar as we go about

[00:46:30] our mission so don't feel too overwhelmed. With all of that out of the way it is time we get on

[00:46:37] mission and get airborne. Flashing on our radar screen we see the words take off and at this point

[00:46:45] our Tomcat's engines light up and we automatically take off from the deck.

[00:47:02] Alright it's game time! The directional pad on your NES controller is what's going to move

[00:47:08] us around the skies. Holding a left or right will have you bank in those directions and pressing down

[00:47:14] or up will have you climb up and descend. As enemies appear on screen you're going to need to

[00:47:20] maneuver in such a way to put them as close to the center of the screen so you can take them out.

[00:47:28] Speaking of, take a look at the radar. A flashing dot appears right behind us and it's coming up

[00:47:34] on our left side. These flashing dots are the enemy so let's get ready to engage.

[00:47:40] As soon as the enemy fighter flies past us from behind it appears on screen.

[00:47:48] Okay let's take it out. We can do this in one of two ways. First we can lock on and fire a

[00:47:56] missile at it. To do that first we have to make sure the enemy is in the center of our screen

[00:48:02] and in the middle of our weapon sight. Looking straight ahead you'll see a small crosshair

[00:48:07] in the middle of our view and a sort of outer square highlighted with just the corners visible.

[00:48:14] If we have our enemy at least in this square off area we should be able to get a missile lock.

[00:48:20] To do that all you need to do is press the B button. If our lock on is successful a red square

[00:48:27] will highlight the enemy aircraft. Let's go for missile lock now.

[00:48:33] Steady, steady, excellent we've got tone. Press the B button again to let loose a missile.

[00:48:44] We'll watch as a missile flies towards our enemy. Once it makes impact that enemy fighter can kiss

[00:48:51] their ass goodbye.

[00:48:54] Woo splash one bogey but don't get complacent yet. Maverick and Iceman may have taken out four

[00:49:02] bogeys in the movie but we're going to be up against way more enemy fighters than that in this game.

[00:49:09] Speaking of another enemy fighter is coming up from behind us to the left. He flies past us

[00:49:15] and gets in front of us.

[00:49:18] Heh, it's almost as if these knuckleheads just want to get shot down. Well that's fine by us.

[00:49:26] But instead of using a missile on this jump let's take him down with some good old-fashioned

[00:49:31] machine gunfire. Our Tomcat is outfitted with a 20mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon capable of

[00:49:39] turning most objects into Swiss cheese. And the best part, we have unlimited machine gun ammunition

[00:49:46] so we can let the bullets fly. Pressing the A button will fire our machine gun but one thing

[00:49:53] that we need to keep in mind is that our machine gun is apparently semi-automatic meaning

[00:49:58] that we can't hold down our A button for continuous fire. We're going to have to tap the A button

[00:50:03] repeatedly. Not the worst thing ever but just something to keep in mind.

[00:50:10] Anyway let's line up our next victim into our cross-airs. Now here's where the game can start

[00:50:17] to get a little touchy. Lining up an enemy in the center cross-air will be easier said than done

[00:50:24] in most cases. Using the directional pad will need to move up down left or right accordingly

[00:50:31] and once the enemy is in our sight unleash a volley of machine gunfire.

[00:50:36] Obviously the closer the enemy is they are much easier to hit so if you're going to use your guns

[00:50:42] use them early. Okay let's line this guy up and take him out.

[00:50:51] Nice splash too! A third enemy is going to come up behind us as well so let's make sure we keep

[00:50:58] up foreign relations and take his ass out too. Splash 3! Excellent work!

[00:51:08] Several waves of enemies will be coming up from behind us after this and all we'll need to do is

[00:51:13] try our best to take them out. However we need to be on our toes. On occasion we'll have enemies

[00:51:21] come at us from the front and they'll be opening fire on us. Now we have two decisions to make

[00:51:28] when this scenario pops up. One we can either evade our attackers by banking one way or the other

[00:51:35] or we can attempt to take them out with a quick trigger finger. Shooting down every enemy is not

[00:51:42] required to complete our mission but if you want the highest score taking down the enemy is how you do

[00:51:49] it. Just be mindful that you're more apt to take damage if you fight back unless you can quickly

[00:51:55] become an expert at moving back and forth while lining up your shots. Enemies can attack you in

[00:52:01] the same ways that you can attack them. First they can shoot their machine guns at you.

[00:52:08] You can dodge the bullets if you're quick enough but if they hit you you're going to take some

[00:52:12] damage. Not crap, watch out that Megan front of us is opening fire.

[00:52:18] Dammit we took a hit! Our health bar will decrease a little bit but otherwise we're still in fighting

[00:52:24] shape. When enemies are coming at you from the front you'll have little time to react and fire back.

[00:52:31] Case in point the enemy who already hit us is already flying past us.

[00:52:35] Now obviously we want to do our best to not take any damage but taking a few bullets is not the end

[00:52:43] of the world. Now if the enemy manages to hit us with a missile we are done and it does not matter

[00:52:50] how much health we have left. Most missiles that will be fired will come at us from the front.

[00:52:57] We aren't given any systematic warning when we see them coming towards us but they are fairly easy

[00:53:03] to see. Still we just need to make sure that we keep our eyes peeled. Missiles that are launched at us

[00:53:09] appear as black bowling ball looking things. We can either attempt to move out of the way and let

[00:53:16] the missile fly past us or if we have the balls we can line them up in our center cross air and

[00:53:22] shoot them out of the sky with machine gunfire. Dammit a missile is heading right towards us right now.

[00:53:29] When you see a missile heading towards us you need to quickly decide what you want to do either

[00:53:34] attempt to evade it or take it out. Now here's where the game gets really really frustrating sometimes.

[00:53:43] You literally have a solid second to react to incoming missiles so the difference between

[00:53:49] winning and losing in this game is being able to determine based on where the missile is on screen

[00:53:54] whether shooting it out of the sky or attempting to evade it is the best course of action.

[00:54:00] If you choose wrong or you don't line up your machine guns just right you'll take a hit and you're done.

[00:54:09] Dammit. Now if this happens you'll end up losing one of your lives and then the game will throw

[00:54:16] you right back into the fray for another try. Now most of the time the enemy is that are going

[00:54:22] to fire on you will be firing towards you from the front. While you can bank to the left and to

[00:54:28] the right you really don't have full freedom of flight in this game so you can't turn around

[00:54:33] and attack anything that's behind you. Now on occasion you might have an enemy come up behind you

[00:54:40] and try to take you out with a missile strike. If this happens your radar screen will change

[00:54:46] and show you a view behind your timecat. The word danger will appear at the top of the radar

[00:54:53] and you'll see the silhouette of an enemy fighter coming up behind you. When this happens

[00:54:58] you'll need to take some evasive maneuvers and get that banded off your tail. If you take too long

[00:55:04] you'll give the enemy time to lock on to you and if they let loose a missile you're toast.

[00:55:10] Not crap hang on a second. D-D-D-Check our tail.

[00:55:16] Crap we got one behind us.

[00:55:19] Okay we need to shake this guy. We need to press left and then right on the directional pad back

[00:55:25] and forth until we break away from our pursuer. Let's give it a shot now. Stay calm, bank left,

[00:55:33] bank right? We lost him. Shaking a bogey from your tail isn't all that hard but sometimes the

[00:55:42] timing can just be flat out and convenient since you need to prioritize getting clear instead of

[00:55:48] focusing on taking out enemies that are in front of you. While this isn't a life-changing game

[00:55:54] mechanic or anything I always appreciate its inclusion in this game if for no other reason

[00:56:00] than to add some tension and excitement just like the movie. Although it would have been really

[00:56:06] awesome if you could hit the brakes and watch the bogey fly right by then you could take it out.

[00:56:13] Such a missed opportunity. When you get to the end of a level there's one more thing that we need

[00:56:20] to do. We have to land our tomcat onto the deck of the aircraft carrier. When we get to this part

[00:56:27] of the level our radar will chime and let us know that we're beginning the landing sequence.

[00:56:34] When this happens the game will automatically descend our aircraft to an altitude of about 400 feet.

[00:56:40] Here's where a ton of people seem to have a problem with this game and where a lot of traumatic

[00:56:45] experiences seem to stem from. Landing can be pretty difficult because you need to follow the prompts

[00:56:52] on your radar and they can be pretty touchy and demanding. But in reality landing isn't too bad once

[00:56:59] you know what you need to do and how to do it. Even still I always feel like there's this element

[00:57:05] of randomization that will determine whether I make it or not. Who knows though it might just be me.

[00:57:13] Alright let's get this bird on the deck. First and foremost look at the radar. At the top of

[00:57:20] the radar you'll be given instructions. Things like speed up, speed down, left or right.

[00:57:28] As you move forward the aircraft carrier is going to come into view. Now in the middle of your radar

[00:57:35] is a sideways profile of your F14 so you can see how high or low your nose is pitched and below that

[00:57:42] is the altitude rating of 200 feet and then the speed of 288 miles per hour.

[00:57:49] This is what we're ultimately shooting for while keeping ourselves relatively centered with the

[00:57:54] carrier. The altitude and speed gauges on the left side of your cockpit which were mostly

[00:58:00] useless during the level itself are now something that you're going to need to keep an eye on like a

[00:58:04] hawk. To increase your airspeed press and hold the A button and then release it when you get to

[00:58:10] the speed that you're looking for. Holding the B button will decrease your airspeed.

[00:58:17] I had no idea that this was even a thing when I was playing the game when I was younger and I

[00:58:21] never managed to make it onto the carrier but now that I know how to control your airspeed

[00:58:27] that is half the battle licked right there. Okay so does all that make sense? Hopefully because

[00:58:34] we need to land our fuel is getting pretty low. Okay nice and steady radar is telling us that we're

[00:58:42] going a bit too fast so we need to slow it down a little bit. Hold the B button to pull back a little

[00:58:48] there you go okay we need to move a little bit to the left to touch okay good but not too much

[00:58:56] airspeed is still too fast so we need to keep slowing down. Now shit that was too much let's give

[00:59:02] it a little bit more power. There we go easy easy just a walk in the park buddy you're a little

[00:59:11] low you're a little low come on pull up pull up that's it almost there. No man you're well below

[00:59:22] the glide path three quarters of a mile call the ball. Gratulable we're too low we're too low pull up pull

[00:59:32] up just give it a little bit more power okay pull it back all right a little bit to the left left

[00:59:36] now now to the right up up pull up pull up

[00:59:40] up

[00:59:46] son of a bitch okay landing on the carrier isn't really that intensive an experience but with how

[00:59:54] precise you need to line yourself up it can certainly seem that way. It's one of those things

[01:00:01] that in my opinion is easier than people think it is and you just need to practice at it.

[01:00:06] The biggest key is being aware that you can change your airspeed using the A and B buttons and

[01:00:12] once I figured that out it all sort of fell into place for me. Still if you manage to land in

[01:00:19] the ocean you'll lose a life but long as you have at least one left the game will continue.

[01:00:26] The next level of the game is where things really start to heat up.

[01:00:30] Levels become a lot longer enemies are more plentiful and the game introduces ground-based targets.

[01:00:37] In this mission those ground-based targets include enemy battleships and even submarines that

[01:00:43] have broken the surface of the ocean. You can still take them out by locking on and firing a

[01:00:48] missile as well as with your machine gun but you need to be careful of ground-based enemies in

[01:00:53] this game. Some will launch missiles back at you and sometimes they'll launch up to three

[01:00:59] at a time. You're going to need to be on your toes when you try to take them on.

[01:01:05] Always be aware of what's happening around you and if staying engaged with the enemy is the

[01:01:09] right thing or if you need to peel off and go on the defensive in order to stay alive.

[01:01:15] You'll also want to put some thought into what missile type that you're going to be bringing

[01:01:19] along with you moving forward. Some ground-based targets take more punishment and a single T-1-1

[01:01:26] hound missile, the kind of missile that you had on your last mission, won't take the enemy out

[01:01:30] in one strike. So because of this you have to make a choice. Do you upgrade to more powerful

[01:01:37] missiles at the cost of quantity or do you just spam the crap out of the little guys that you have?

[01:01:44] The choice though is ultimately yours. Personally I upgraded to the T-2-2 wolf missiles from

[01:01:51] here on out and made it a point to use them only on ground-based targets and then I saved my

[01:01:56] machine guns for anything airborne. But be warned, 20 missiles will not be enough to kill everything

[01:02:03] on the ground so if you're looking for a high score it's going to take some fancy flying and

[01:02:08] probably a little bit of luck. Now the last gameplay feature that Top Gun on the NES brings to

[01:02:14] the table is mid air refueling. While the first level wasn't long enough for us to need to refuel,

[01:02:22] the next three levels will be that long and we're going to need to make sure that we're paying

[01:02:27] attention to our fuel gauge and call in a refuel when we get low. If we do not do this, we won't make

[01:02:34] it to the end of the level and we'll spiral down towards the ocean floor and that will be that.

[01:02:41] Refueling in mid air operates much like landing but I argue it is much more stressful

[01:02:48] and while I didn't exactly time it out, I feel like you have a little less time to line up the

[01:02:53] fuel hose than you do lining yourself up for landing. And to make matters even more stressful,

[01:02:59] the game decides to play some pretty intense music while this is all happening.

[01:03:05] Jumping ahead to one of my overall criticisms about this game, there is no music at all when you're

[01:03:11] playing through a level. All you hear is the ambient pixelated noise of your Tomcat's engine

[01:03:17] and while I think the sound itself was actually done well enough, and I'm sure the developers were

[01:03:23] going for an element of realism here, it can get pretty old and pretty stale pretty quick.

[01:03:30] But out of nowhere when it comes to a refuel all bets are off.

[01:03:36] When you're in the air and your fuel gauge gets down to only two bars remaining,

[01:03:41] you'll start to get a low fuel warning.

[01:03:45] At the bottom of your radar, the words fuel empty will appear followed by press start.

[01:03:52] The second you see this, press the start button and this will send out a call to the refueling aircraft

[01:03:59] who just happens to be in the area. The alarm will stop at this point and when whatever enemies are

[01:04:05] on screen or either destroyed or fly off, the refueling sequence will begin.

[01:04:11] The refueling aircraft which looks pretty badass I will say comes in from the right side of the

[01:04:17] screen and then centers itself. As soon as it centers itself the refueling process begins.

[01:04:25] It starts to lower the fuel line and we need to guide our Tomcat's nose so it can connect with

[01:04:30] the hose. On your radar you'll see the nose of your F14 at the bottom and a representation

[01:04:36] of the fuel hose at the top. Doing just what you did for landing you'll need to either move left

[01:04:43] or right or speed up or speed down to help guide the hose in.

[01:04:48] AltheToot isn't anything you need to worry about in this particular scenario so just concentrate

[01:04:53] on your airspeed and your left or right movement. In my opinion since I finally learned how to

[01:04:59] control my airspeed as an adult refueling is pretty easy. When I replayed this game last week I had

[01:05:06] zero issues lining up that hose and connecting it. All of it is kind of a nice change of pace when

[01:05:12] it comes to the gameplay loop and it honestly helped me a bit with the overall immersion.

[01:05:18] While having unlimited machine gun ammo is certainly not realistic at all the game does try

[01:05:23] its best to keep things as believable as possible but where it loses that realism is in the event

[01:05:30] that you don't connect with the refueling hose. If you take too long and miss the fuel line connection

[01:05:38] the refueling aircraft will slowly retract the hose. Once it's out of sight the refueling

[01:05:45] aircraft will start to drift to the left and then eventually completely offscreen.

[01:05:51] You automatically descend and then you're given back control of your tomcat.

[01:05:56] At this point the game is basically rubbing your face and dirt because the fuel alarm

[01:06:02] is going to keep blaring and your force to continue the level until you run out of fuel.

[01:06:08] All the while the sounds of your low fuel alarm being the last thing you hear before you beat your end.

[01:06:17] What the fuck? If you don't connect your fuel line the refueling crew literally leaves you to die.

[01:06:27] Worse yet the game makes you play the level out until you run out of fuel and there is nothing

[01:06:32] you can do. You can't even call the refueling plane back either. Your reward for your failure

[01:06:40] is wasted time and a miserable death.

[01:06:44] As we start to wind it down I don't really have much more to say about the gameplay experience

[01:06:56] the top gun brings to the table. There's just enough here that makes this game a competent

[01:07:02] flight based shooter and if you're looking for a simplistic experience this game will absolutely

[01:07:07] scratch you where you which. A sequel was made called Top Gun the second mission and it greatly

[01:07:14] expands the gameplay almost to the point where you would think that this game was originally an

[01:07:19] arcade shooter. It actually reminded me a lot of afterburner in some ways and while I only played

[01:07:26] the second top gun a handful of times I think I actually prefer the original for its more deliberate

[01:07:32] approach to gameplay. While you don't have much freedom of movement and targeting bad guys can

[01:07:38] be challenging all the while avoiding taking damage from the enemy, taking part in the extra side

[01:07:43] stuff like landing on the aircraft carrier refueling in mid-air and even shaking a bogey off your

[01:07:49] tail are just enough to give this game its own unique identity. Is Top Gun on the NES a must play?

[01:07:57] No it really isn't. You can pass this game up if you've never played it before or never

[01:08:03] go back to it if you have and you really aren't missing anything vital in your journey as a gamer.

[01:08:10] Top Gun for me is a link to my past and a gateway to some awesome memories I had growing up with

[01:08:16] a movie that I still love today. Top Gun on the NES makes me think of my aunt since that's where

[01:08:23] I played this game and the Top Gun movie reminds me of what I was little watching this movie over

[01:08:29] and over again at my grandparents house. My grandma would make me a bowl of ramen noodles with a

[01:08:35] peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I would eat them watching Maverick, Goose, Iceman and the rest

[01:08:42] of the Top Gun class turn and burn high above the sky. Movies, games and life was much simpler

[01:08:50] in the 80s and when I look at how we all live our lives now it's hard not to get swept up in it

[01:08:56] all. But when I slide Top Gun into my Nintendo and I power it up, I'm immediately taken back to

[01:09:03] simpler times. The warmth of my grandparents house, the wonderful taste of ramen and PB&J

[01:09:10] and the rush I get from imagining myself in the cockpit of an F14 Tomcat.

[01:09:29] Iceman is in trouble, he has a mig on his tail and unless I take it out, Ice is done for.

[01:09:36] I come around and get behind the mig and I work to get a missile lock.

[01:09:40] I keep it steady and the green targeting reticle on my display finds its mark.

[01:09:47] I got good lock firing.

[01:09:54] Splash 3

[01:09:56] As soon as I peel off Iceman cries out over the radio to me,

[01:10:01] move there's a mig on your tail, I look down at my display and I grit my teeth.

[01:10:07] We've got a problem here we've only got one missile left.

[01:10:11] My Rio in the backseat lets me know that the mig is right behind us and at this moment

[01:10:16] the mig lets loose a barrage of machine gunfire.

[01:10:20] Shit! I pull this stick to the side and start evasive maneuvers as bullets whiz by.

[01:10:26] I'm not a scratch.

[01:10:30] My Rio looks behind us. You haven't lost him, he's still with us.

[01:10:35] On my instrument panel I hear a tone that lets me know that the mig is going for missile lock.

[01:10:42] But that's alright because I have a plan.

[01:10:46] My Rio doesn't know what I have in mind and I don't have time to explain either.

[01:10:51] I can feel his wide eyes on the back of my neck.

[01:10:54] What are you doing? You're slowing down! You're slowing down!

[01:10:58] I just smirk under my mask. I'm bringing him in closer.

[01:11:03] My Rio's disbelief was very apparent.

[01:11:07] You're going to do what?

[01:11:09] I patiently wait for the moment. I'm going to hit the brakes and he'll fly right by.

[01:11:15] At that moment, the mig finally gets missile lock on me.

[01:11:20] And that's my signal. Now! I pull up and I dramatically decrease my airspeed.

[01:11:28] The mig who had a huge heart on for my destruction flies underneath me.

[01:11:33] I level out the Tomcat and go for a missile lock of my own.

[01:11:41] I've got a good lock firing.

[01:11:43] I turn my attention to the remaining baddies in the area, but those bastards have turned tail

[01:11:56] and are running. With a smile on my face, I report back to the carrier.

[01:12:01] Mustang, this is voodoo 3 remaining migs are buggin' out.

[01:12:13] And that is all she wrote, my friends. This has been episode 51 of the Retro Wildlands.

[01:12:42] Top Gun for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

[01:12:47] Thank you very much for tuning into the show today. While there really isn't too much to this game,

[01:12:53] I honestly enjoyed it for what it was trying to be.

[01:12:57] It certainly helped that this game has tied to my favorite movie of all time and if I'm being

[01:13:01] honest, I might have passed this game up if it wasn't for that. While the game can be hard and

[01:13:07] there really isn't much incentive to play it repeatedly outside of pursuing a high score,

[01:13:13] it had some gameplay elements that were pretty good for the time and those elements were used

[01:13:18] as a basis to build on future games in the genre. If you've never played this game before,

[01:13:24] I honestly don't think you'd miss out on too much if you decide to give this one a pass.

[01:13:29] Still, I don't think it would be a complete waste of time if you wanted to see what it was all about.

[01:13:34] For me, though, Top Gun on the NES will probably slot in as one of my overall favorites.

[01:13:42] The memories I have tied to the movie and the nostalgia I feel when I watch it is something

[01:13:47] that I still have a hard time putting into words and this video game brings back those feelings

[01:13:52] for me. If you like the show and I assume you did, if you made it this far, please consider supporting

[01:14:00] it by subscribing to it on your preferred podcasting platform. The RetroWildlands is a hobby for me

[01:14:07] and while I do my best to be constantly working on it by playing games, writing scripts and all the

[01:14:13] things that make a show, I don't always have the time to commit to it like I want to. Because of

[01:14:18] this, I don't really have a release schedule and things come out as I have time to make them.

[01:14:24] Subscribing to the podcast will allow you to be notified the moment I drop new episodes.

[01:14:30] Now, if you really like the show and like what I'm trying to do here,

[01:14:34] I would really appreciate it if you helped spread the word about the show

[01:14:38] and a great way to do that is to leave us a good review.

[01:14:43] You can leave us a review on Spotify, Pod Chaser, iTunes as well as on Podbean,

[01:14:49] as well as on the platform that I'm using to host the show.

[01:14:52] Good reviews will help circulate the show, but more than anything, they'll make me feel good and

[01:14:58] I'll take some good vibes. But please, you are under no obligation to take time out of your day

[01:15:04] to leave a review unless you think that I've earned it. At the end of the day, I'm thankful

[01:15:10] that you took the time to listen to my show and that is much more than I could ask for.

[01:15:16] So, with that said, thank you for being here.

[01:15:21] So, what's coming up next? Since you decided to listen this far, I've decided to tell you.

[01:15:29] I'm going to get down and dirty with a video game that many people consider to be one of the

[01:15:35] best video games of all time. I actually casually posted a photo of this game on our social media

[01:15:42] pages and I asked everyone if this is a game that I should consider playing.

[01:15:47] And I was absolutely blown away by how many comments I received saying I had to play this game sooner

[01:15:54] rather than later. We don't have a huge social media presence really, but the number of comments I

[01:16:01] received was unreal. So, at that point it was decided. Next time on the Retro Wildlands, I am going

[01:16:10] to be talking about Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo. Admittedly, I haven't played this game

[01:16:18] yet, but I'm getting started soon. I'm hoping I do this amazing game justice so make sure you're

[01:16:24] subscribed to the show so you know when the episode comes out. And while you're at it, make sure

[01:16:30] you follow us on social media so you can potentially get updates and an opportunity to sound off

[01:16:36] about this awesome game when the time comes. Regardless of how you interact, I'm hoping you'll

[01:16:42] decide to join us again on our Wildlands expedition when we dive into a video game that quite literally

[01:16:50] changed everything. Until then my friends, my name is Nomad and you can find me

[01:16:57] roaming the Retro Wildlands.