Independence Day is a 1997 video game based on the movie of the same name

Independence Day (film)

Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...

. It was released in 1997 for the PlayStation, PC, Sega Saturn, and Mobile.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a 3D flying, shooting game comprising 13 missions with time limits; failure to complete a mission in the allotted time will result in failure. Once the main objective is completed, the timer will drop down to 45 seconds to take out the primary weapon. If the timer goes to 0, the primary weapon will destroy the level. The game also features portals that transport the player to another area by flying through them, these sub levels have their own separate objectives that must be completed before the player can return to the main level.

At the start of each level the player has the ability to choose which aircraft they wish to fly (the player also has a wingman

Wingman

A wingman is a pilot who supports another in a potentially dangerous flying environment. Wingman was originally a term referring to the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation....

 that will fly the same type of plane as him). The player starts the game with the F/A-18 Hornet

F/A-18 Hornet

The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...

, additional planes are unlocked mid-level by flying through an icon representing them- these planes are then available to fly the next time the player starts a level. The first 10 levels have at least one plane each, two if that level has a sublevel as every one also has one plane. Unlockable planes include the A-10 Warthog, Eurofighter Typhoon

Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...

, F-15 Eagle

F-15 Eagle

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...

, F/A-22 Raptor, Northrop YF-23, F-117 Nighthawk

F-117 Nighthawk

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...

, Grumman X-29

Grumman X-29

|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Thruelsen, Richard. The Grumman Story. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1976. ISBN 0-275-54260-2....

, and the Sukhoi Su-27

Sukhoi Su-27

The Sukhoi Su-27 is a twin-engine supermanoeuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large United States fourth generation fighters, with range, heavy armament, sophisticated avionics and high manoeuvrability...

. Each plane has its own unique characteristics; these are- speed, agility, durability, and stealth- the latter determining how much enemy fire the player attracts. If the player is shot down, whichever plane they were flying is lost and no longer available. If the player runs out of planes, the game is over.

The game also featured multiplayer capabilities, either playing online or head-to-head on the same console in a split screen mode. In addition, multiplayer could also be played with two televisions and two Playstations by utilizing the Playstation Link Cable

PlayStation Link Cable

The PlayStation Link Cable is a peripheral cable for the PlayStation console. Utilizing the serial I/O port located on the back of most PlayStation models, it allows for two consoles to be connected in order to play compatible multiplayer games on separate consoles.The cable is a 12-pin inline...

.

Trivia

• This game was originally rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB
  Entertainment Software Rating Board
  The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
  
  . It was edited so it can be re-rated "KA" for Kids and Adults (later "E" for Everyone) for its final release.

Reception

Independence Day received mostly negative reviews. GameSpot complimented the game's playability, but said it was soured by the repetitive objectives: "...each new challenge is roughly the same as the previous... you fly around, use your radar to locate your targets, lock on, and destroy them with your heat seeking missiles. Each new level brings a sense of deja vu that can make the Eiffel Tower level feel the same as the Grand Canyon [level]." IGN was far more harsh, claiming "grainy and undefined" graphics and unrealistic physics.