Aerobiz (Super Nintendo) is a classic strategy game and worth every hour you spend playing it.
So, you're introduced to the airline business, able to pick a location on the map for your main HUB, and you're given tasks you have to meet in order to make the airline successful. You can play against the AI or against human opponents. You can start in a certain time period 1963-1995 or 1983-2015.
I started my airline business in Los Angeles. You can name your own airline as you see fit. The object of the game is to connect to other locations to that you can increase revenue, to buy more planes, hotels, and to open up other HUBS in various parts of the world. You can change plane models to better suit the trip (you wouldn't want to use a 747 is you're flight takes you from California to Mexico! also my favorite routes took place with California to Honolulu, Japan, and New York. Not only are they some of my favorite places in the world but, they are a very good money maker! so you have to be careful because you have to take in fuel costs, mainteance salary, flight attendants salary, and people's overall desire for the route) Don't forget you have a time limit and must meet certain conditions for victory.
There are also many world events that change the outcome of your airline's routes. An earthquake, war, olympic games, tourism are some of the things that can be profitable or force you to rethink that particular route (ie: if there is a war going on somewhere you may want to cut back or withdraw flights there completely) you also have to be competitive with pricing. Luckily, you can check out these things through various reports and see what your competitors are charging and just adjust accordingly. You'll be in the red (bad) or in the green (good) depending on your decisions. Don't forget to pay your people or they are liable to go on strike which is also bad for business.
You can negotiate for slots in various cities using the represenatives in your company (some take a month or as long as a year! depending on the amount of slots that you ask for and the location). There are different airplane manufacturing companies and planes. You can choose from Boeing, Mcdonnell Douglas, Lockheed, IIluyshin Tupolev, Concored, and Airbus.
Another tactic you can use is advertising. IF you think the route is worth advertising then do so and you'll see the line (from the starting point to the destination) glow yellow which means it is very profitable and doing very well. When that line goes red it is not doing well and you'll need to make proper adjustments to make it profitable or close it all together. It is just another way to make money whether you close or open a hotel, sell planes, etc.. you have to do whatever to avoid bankruptcy because once that happens it's not game over as the game will give you a chance to restructure.
In order to beat the computer there is nothing wrong with a trial and error. You can play against yourself in a way. Just make all the players human and just play a normal game. Do well for yourself and do what you can do to keep the other airlines in business just enough to continue your own tutorial in a way. Have your airlines charge nice prices and have the other airlines charge way too much and you'll see what I mean. Fair prices are VERY important especially when dealing with the distance between location (hint: if it's a short trip charge little while if it is thousands of miles charge more but, less than your competitor)
You'll easily see what works and what doesn't work as you will always be able to see the results (a chart shows planes increasing in as far as how many passengers use that route-if that plane doesn't show any increase vs. your competitor again you have to adjust accordingly) you'll get annual reports and your growth in the airline is well documented. Also, remember you're able to do things differently wherever you are. Say you airline headquarters is in Russia. Well, then you'll be able to buy certain airplanes that other companies can not. It can be a factor in the game.
I liked the graphics and the music in the game. It is this kind of simplicity in a game that I truly miss. The graphics are well done and it's fun to watch a plane take off and land, fun to see the world news, and I love how the boardroom is done. The music also changes depending on the location you're at. Also, it changes depending on the news going on in the world too.
Koei really needs to update this series. We've seen hundreds of Dynasty Warriors games and quite frankly the Aerobiz series deserves an update. Granted to the game did get a sequel (Aerobiz Supersonic which is another great game!) I'd still like to see this game on the PS3. Can imagine the online possibilities? a competition of airlines across the globe. I'll buy this one in a heartbeat but, it has to be done by Kou Shibusawa-san. Anything less just won't do. He is a master! please bring this game back to the next gen consoles. I'd love to play Aerobiz again! an excellent game and perfect for those who love strategy like I do.