Airforce Delta
Encyclopedia
Airforce Delta, known as Deadly Skies in Europe, is a video game released in 1999 for the Dreamcast. It was both developed and published by Konami
.
The game is a 3D aerial combat simulation
, featuring many jet fighter aircraft. The game is single player only and has been compared to Ace Combat
by GameSpy
and GameSpot
. At the time of the game's release, Airforce Delta was the only combat flight simulation game available for the Dreamcast.
A Game Boy Color
version of Airforce Delta was also released in 2000.
A sequel
called Airforce Delta Storm
in North America (Airforce Delta II in Japan and Deadly Skies in Europe) was also released for the Xbox
platform in 2001 and for Game Boy Advance
in 2002.
A second sequel called Airforce Delta Strike
in North America (Airforce Delta: Blue Wing Knights in Japan and Deadly Skies III in Europe) was released for the PlayStation 2
in 2004.
that has been contracted to complete a number of strategic military missions. Each mission completed earns the player money, and the more money that is accumulated, the more sophisticated aircraft
the player can purchase. Players select from a myriad of fighters and take to the skies to defend a newly independent republic
from its many enemies—for fame, for glory, and most of all: for a price.
The first mission involves a preemptive strike against numerous fighter planes that are planning to bomb the Laconian city of Naxos.
The game centers around the Federated Republic of Zabayral. Ethnic tension and religious debate have caused the Republic to split into independent states. The defenseless Republic of Laconia is in dire need of military support. Rebels from the former Federated Republic of Zabayral have decided to reunite a territory long divided by ethnic conflict. After years of civil war, Laconia is the only republic left standing and has asked a mercenary defense organization to help keep it from falling to the dreaded unification movement.
As a commissioned lieutenant assigned to the Delta Squadron, you are about to embark on a series of over 20 missions in very hostile territories. You have been brought on board because you are the best in the business: a crack pilot who can take out multiple bogeys without batting an eyelash. It is your aerial experience that Laconia is banking on, since you will be alone throughout the campaign.
Airforce Delta takes place on the fictitious continent of Zabayral. A renegade army called the "People's Federation" is intent on conquering all of Zabayral, and they already have most of its provinces under siege. The last remaining free republic has called upon Airforce Delta, an elite group of mercenary fighter jet pilots, to defeat the People's Federation and liberate the continent. You are the newest recruit in AFD, and you are given a series of 20 missions to carry out. Before each mission, you are given a briefing which gives details on destroying a certain number of targets
The mission briefings are complete with an illustrated step-by-step guide which shows you your designated targets and the ideal path to take. After completing a mission, players are awarded with money that can later be used to purchase superior aircraft. Variables such as mission completion time and the number of enemies you have disposed of dictate the amount of money you will receive. When making a buying decision, choosing an aircraft most appropriate for the job is of the utmost importance. The most expensive does not necessarily mean the most practical.
Missions typically involve either seeking out and destroying the enemy or escorting friendly craft to a certain destination. The enemies encountered in Airforce Delta are diverse and range from air to ground and water capabilities and from offensive to defensive situations. Mission maps are based on real world locations, such as downtown Chicago
and the Great Wall of China
.
Airforce Delta features over thirty aircraft to take for a test flight. They are all based on real life aircraft both in looks and in handling. Some of the planes available for these missions include the F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat
, A-10 Thunderbolt, Mig 29
, Su-27 and the top secret F-22 Raptor
.
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
.
The game is a 3D aerial combat simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
, featuring many jet fighter aircraft. The game is single player only and has been compared to Ace Combat
Ace Combat
Ace Combat is a hybrid arcade-simulation flight action video game series featuring 12 games, published by the Japanese company Namco Bandai Games...
by GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
. At the time of the game's release, Airforce Delta was the only combat flight simulation game available for the Dreamcast.
A Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version of Airforce Delta was also released in 2000.
A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
called Airforce Delta Storm
AirForce Delta Storm
Airforce Delta Storm, known as Airforce Delta II in Japan and Deadly Skies II in Europe, is a fighter jet video game released in 2001 for the Xbox...
in North America (Airforce Delta II in Japan and Deadly Skies in Europe) was also released for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
platform in 2001 and for Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2002.
A second sequel called Airforce Delta Strike
Airforce Delta Strike
Airforce Delta Strike, known as Airforce Delta: Blue Wing Knights in Japan and Deadly Skies III in Europe, is the third installment in the Konami Airforce Delta series. It was released in 2004 exclusively on the PlayStation 2...
in North America (Airforce Delta: Blue Wing Knights in Japan and Deadly Skies III in Europe) was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in 2004.
Story
Players take control of a mercenaryMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
that has been contracted to complete a number of strategic military missions. Each mission completed earns the player money, and the more money that is accumulated, the more sophisticated aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
the player can purchase. Players select from a myriad of fighters and take to the skies to defend a newly independent republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
from its many enemies—for fame, for glory, and most of all: for a price.
The first mission involves a preemptive strike against numerous fighter planes that are planning to bomb the Laconian city of Naxos.
The game centers around the Federated Republic of Zabayral. Ethnic tension and religious debate have caused the Republic to split into independent states. The defenseless Republic of Laconia is in dire need of military support. Rebels from the former Federated Republic of Zabayral have decided to reunite a territory long divided by ethnic conflict. After years of civil war, Laconia is the only republic left standing and has asked a mercenary defense organization to help keep it from falling to the dreaded unification movement.
As a commissioned lieutenant assigned to the Delta Squadron, you are about to embark on a series of over 20 missions in very hostile territories. You have been brought on board because you are the best in the business: a crack pilot who can take out multiple bogeys without batting an eyelash. It is your aerial experience that Laconia is banking on, since you will be alone throughout the campaign.
Airforce Delta takes place on the fictitious continent of Zabayral. A renegade army called the "People's Federation" is intent on conquering all of Zabayral, and they already have most of its provinces under siege. The last remaining free republic has called upon Airforce Delta, an elite group of mercenary fighter jet pilots, to defeat the People's Federation and liberate the continent. You are the newest recruit in AFD, and you are given a series of 20 missions to carry out. Before each mission, you are given a briefing which gives details on destroying a certain number of targets
Gameplay
Airforce Delta features simplistic controls with an emphasis on arcade-style action rather than accurate flight simulation.The mission briefings are complete with an illustrated step-by-step guide which shows you your designated targets and the ideal path to take. After completing a mission, players are awarded with money that can later be used to purchase superior aircraft. Variables such as mission completion time and the number of enemies you have disposed of dictate the amount of money you will receive. When making a buying decision, choosing an aircraft most appropriate for the job is of the utmost importance. The most expensive does not necessarily mean the most practical.
Missions typically involve either seeking out and destroying the enemy or escorting friendly craft to a certain destination. The enemies encountered in Airforce Delta are diverse and range from air to ground and water capabilities and from offensive to defensive situations. Mission maps are based on real world locations, such as downtown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups...
.
Airforce Delta features over thirty aircraft to take for a test flight. They are all based on real life aircraft both in looks and in handling. Some of the planes available for these missions include the F-4 Phantom, F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
, A-10 Thunderbolt, Mig 29
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
, Su-27 and the top secret F-22 Raptor
F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals...
.