A playthrough of Konami's 1990 license-based combat flight simulation game for the NES, Top Gun: The Second Mission.
I show all of the game modes in this video:
1P Game 0:51
1P Vs Game 18:46
2P Vs Game (Quick demo only) 26:22
Top Gun: The Second Mission is the direct sequel to Konami's 1987 Top Gun NES game ( • Top Gun (NES) Playthrough ), which might seem a bit strange when you consider that, until today, the film had no sequel. I mean, what would you base the game on if you've already used up the source material?
It seems that Konami really wanted to get their money's worth out of the license, so they applied the same formula to Top Gun as they did The Goonies - they capitalized on brand recognition by plugging some of the film's characters and thematic elements into an exceedingly well-made NES action game.
In Top Gun: The Second Mission, you once again take to the not-so-friendly skies as ace-pilot Maverick in an F14 Tomcat fighter jet, and according to the manual, "[y]ou're the sole pilot between the enemy's Armageddon bound armada and global annihilation. Talk about a rock and a hard place!" And of course, because Konami loved their Cold War plotlines, we're fighting the Soviets.
A rock and a hard place, indeed.
The gameplay is similar to the original Top Gun's in that it's an arcade-style flight combat sim, but don't be too quick to dismiss it as a cheap, lazy rehash. The Second Mission improves upon the original in every way imaginable.
The controls have been streamlined (you no longer have to worry about your air speed!) and are more responsive, and your plane can now do barrel rolls to dodge incoming fire. The landing sequences have been simplified, the boss encounters have been amped up, and the refueling sequences have been replaced by some exciting obstacle course set-pieces that have you flying through a forest, a lightning storm, and a barrage of laser fire.
The animation is smoother, the sprites and backdrops feature much more detail, and huge swarms of enemy planes can now attack all at once without a hint of slowdown.
It's not uncommon in later areas to have four enemy fighters swoop in at the same time, each of them firing off missiles from different directions. It can seem impossible to avoid everything being thrown at you at first, but the game becomes much easier with practice. (Learn to read the radar!) Top Gun: The Second Mission shares the first game's reputation for being "Nintendo hard," and it fully lives up to that reputation. It demands a lot of focus and patience, but if you stick with it until the end, you'll walk away with a huge sense of accomplishment.
If you find yourself needing to take a break from the gruelling demands of the 1P game, there are two other modes available: The 1P Vs game challenges you to a rapid-fire series of one-on-one dogfights with the computer, while the 2P Vs game splits the screen horizontally to allow you to go head-to-head with a buddy.
Top Gun: The Second Mission is everything you could want in a sequel. It expands upon and polishes the mechanics of the original game, it offers better replayability, and the graphics, animation, and sound have all been dramatically improved.
Two (very sore) thumbs up!
If you like the Top Gun games, you should also check out the (unofficial) third game of the series, Laser Invasion ( • Laser Invasion (NES) P... ).
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.