Hard Lock may not hold thrills that are entirely comparable to that franchise, but the emphasis from the very beginning is on up close and personal dogfights that have your plane barrel-rolling, nose-diving, and artfully dodging locked-on missiles. The folks at Headstrong were smart in taking some cues from the big dogs at Namco Bandai and their Ace Combat series. Well, much to my admitted shock, it’s actually a pretty damn fun arcade-style dogfighter. Seriously, I had never even heard of Hard Lock, and most sites had remained quiet about coverage since it was originally announced for release. Those hazy childhood moments came rushing back the second I got my hands on Top Gun: Hard Lock, a title developed by Headstrong Games that had almost impressively flown under the radar.
There were also troublesome mid-air refueling sections, but none would come to be as loathed as those landing sequences. On-screen commands would prompt players to adjust the altitude, however slightly, and even when it seemed perfectly lined up, attempted landings almost always resulted in spectacular misses. It became a cruel joke after a few dozen attempts, and an even crueler one hundreds or so more down the line.
Rather, Top Gun is notorious for the insanely demanding segments that had players attempting, and constantly failing, to land their planes on the aircraft carrier post-mission. For those who don’t remember it or never played it, the 1987 Konami-developed Nintendo Entertainment System version featured some pretty fun cockpit dogfighting considering its limitations, but it’s not exactly known for its action. I say “strangely” because, for all intents and purposes, it was practically impossible for myself and almost everyone else I knew at the time. I have strangely fond memories of the original Top Gun game.