E3 06: DS Air Hands-On
E3 2006 air travel provided by DS Air, Nintendo's new jet combat game.
LOS ANGELES--DS Air is an action-based jet combat game for the Nintendo DS. The demo being displayed here at E3 2006 shows off the game's mission-based nature, and it contains four missions that have you bombing targets, dogfighting with enemy jets, and so on.
Most of the game is controlled using the standard controls. The touch screen contains your radar screen, and various taps there let you select targets and set your radar's level of zoom. The action itself follows the same basic gameplay conventions that you've seen in plenty of other flight combat games. Dogfights are a simple game of slowing down, getting the target in your sights to lock on, firing a homing missile, and waiting to see if it hits. If it hits, there's a bang and it's over with. But the enemy planes can and will dodge homing missiles, so you might have to launch off another or follow up with some machine-gun fire.
The good part about DS Air's visuals is that they move very smoothly. But the models aren't very detailed and the ground doesn't look so great, either. Also, there's no explosion effect when you crash into the ground. That's just crazy!
Beyond all that, DS Air seems to control well. The touch-screen targeting works well and adds a new function to what otherwise feels like a very plain game at this point. DS Air is in the works, but no specific release time frame has been announced at this time.
I got this game, of course, (J) version, it's called "Jet Impulse" ... a much better name than "DS Air" (DS Air ... it sounds BORING, wouldn't you agree? ... It's like Air Canada, Pan Am ... you'd never guessed it be a shooter by this dumb name!) The game itself is great, I coudln't put it down once I get it going. You earn prestige(or money, points, whatever) to unlock and buy new air crafts and weaponries. But even though the air crafts seem to be F-14, F-18 along with F-16-Bomber Ver. and Su-37 and Migs, they are set in an alternate universe of the sorts... that means, air crafts look alike, but not entirely the same. (Some look better, some look funnier) Any ways, it IS a great game, simple arcade fun, and lots of replay values~~ waiting for the US version now ~ There is Wi-Fi support, though haven't tried it yet. I heard that you can do 1 to 1 dogfights through Wi-Fi, and coop/against battles up to four people on local connection. Again, have not tried it yet myself. Oh, one more thing to add. There's total of ... 24 Aircrafts to unlock, plus 3 additional ones that you can download off wi-fi (or more to come) And ... I lost count of how many different weaponries you have in your stock...
I know this game was still a work in progress at that time but "But the models aren't very detailed and the ground doesn't look so great, either." WTF?! The screens that were up around the time this preview was posted, the modles looked great! But regardless, thankfully, this "preveiw" was a preview. And regarding SleepyCrat, thre will be online compains (SP) where you can go on missions with a wingman, and there will be 4 player dogfight mode.
I know this game was still a work in progress at that time but "But the models aren't very detailed and the ground doesn't look so great, either." WTF?! The screens that were up around the time this preview was posted, the modles looked great! But regardless, thankfully, this "preveiw" was a preview. And regarding SleepyCrat, thre will be online compains (SP) where you can go on missions with a wingman, and there will be 4 player dogfight mode.
could be good!?...
pretty impressive
This game looks like it could be great, especially since it's being developed first party.
LOL i dont think they liked the game
It will be WiFi actually, according to ONM of England. Not that that's reliable, but meh.
this is a good step in the right direction as far as game concepts go, but if it doesn't have wireless dogfighting or wi-fi fighting then they might as well scrap it. Unless they're doing something extra unique in the single-player gameplay, the only attraction will come from multiplayer
DS Air (working title)
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- Publisher(s): Nintendo
- Genre: Simulation
- Release: Feb 8, 2007 (JP) »
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