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Sunday 10 February, 2008
Summary: Pilot Wings is a game on the Nintendo 64 system. The only real goals in pilot wings is to complete random task assigned on a per level basis. Players can compete in tasks including birdman, hang gliding, gyrocopter, cannon, rocket pack, and skydiving.
Gameplay:
In my first pilot wings session I played first as the gyrocopter. Before getting tto your missions players must first select a character. Characters are mostly cartoonish in nature and have minimal special facial features, the most notable differences lie in the bright and colorful clothes that each character wear, and their height.
While playing in the gyro copter players have the ability to control the speed of flying as well the ability to use an unlimited amount of missiles which fire from your copter. The missiles are a huge part of the gyro copter’s entertainment level. The ability to just fly around a level and shoot missiles at random sailboats and buildings, although mostly unaffective on the environment, provided me with a large amount of entertainment so long as I was able to save enough fuel to land!
I believe that one of my favorite parts in pilot wings is to just ecplore levels. I know for sure, when the game first came out the levels were quite impressive in there 3d nature, by todays standards however the graphics of pilot wings are not all that great, but I still found plenty of entertainment flying around levels looking for hidden rewards discovered only when the player completes them. This game had me not very involved with anyone around me, and the fact that it is only one player makes this a more solo experience.
Gameplay:
During my second round at the wheel of pilot wings I decided to work on getting my wings in the hang glider class. This class of vehicle is much more difficult to manage than the gyrocopter was. In the hanglider players are able to use air uplifts to gain altitude. This added layer of complexity helps make the game seem to have more variables and makes this game more interesting to play.
I believe I ecperienced some feelings of flow while playing as the hang glider because you constantly have to be adjusting while flying the hang glider. Also while playing as the hang glider the player doesn’t have to worry about gas or other factors. This allows for ultimate exploration time around the fair sized levels.
Something I did notice about this game that was a little bland was the story line, or maybe the lack of a story line. In pilot wings there really is no underlying theme, the closest thing I can find to a goal is to get your gold pilot wings in all the classes in the game. The game rewards successful play with new levels and new challenges.
Design: I have mixed feelings on the elements in pilot wings, some of which made it innovative and others that made it a little unpleansent. Some of the innovative elements included the expansiveness and openness of the levels. The options present in the levels provide players with more than enough options to stay entertained without necessarily fulfilling the quest objectives. The levels are minorly varied but some are repeated with different weather conditions.
Some of the negative aspects of the game however include the lack of a storyline, as well as the lack of any character development. Some may say these exact aspects of the game make the game more playful and less serious, like a wii sports game, but for the most part it leaves the game lacking in any real substance.
The tone of the game world is mostly positive and bright. All of the levels are brightly colored as well as usually featuring some kind of npc hang gliders flying around a castle or something of that nature. This game inspires me to have more open feeling levels in my own game to create the feeling of control exhibited by pilot wings.
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