Aerobiz
Reviewed by Tactic9
Ever wanted to be a CEO of a giant airline? Probably not. But in
Aerobiz you can do just that. Build your own airline, connect all the
cities in the world and earn yourself a vacation in the Bahamas.
Graphics: D-
If you like flashy explosions and 3D effects this game is definitely
not for you. Developed in 1992, this game had average graphics at
the time of its release. The only action scenes in the whole are when
you open a new route and see a plane fly across the screen. Your advisors
and negotiators have animated faces, and i use animated loosely. They
will either look happy, neutral, mad, or worried. And several times the
faces will not match with the text.
Music and Sound: C
Music constantly plays in the background depending on what city you
are based in. All of the tracks get old really fast. Thankfully, the designers
allow you to choose your own background music, so when you get annoyed
at one you can easily jump to another. Sound effects are quite abundant,
although most are in the form of beeps. The roar of jet engines when
opening a new route is quite realistic, but none of the other sounds stand out.
Game Challenge: B
5 difficulty ratings allows hours of replay, if you can get over the
sound. Even the easiest settings can throw you for a loop. You choose
between 2 time periods when you start a game. The earliest time period
has barely any planes to choose from. Moscow has a choice of 1 plane
from the start, and its not cheap. While the later time frame offers
more cost effective planes, it also dishes out wars, natural disasters,
and worker strikes, making it much harder to earn a profit. The difficult
rating definitely lives up to its name, not only to more random events
happen, but the computer is very smart. Often times they open the same
routes as you and undercut your prices so much you can't afford the route
anymore. Any strategy buff would love this game for its wide array
of difficulty.
Game Play-Fun: C-
Aerobiz is definitely a game for thinkers. The lack of any action at
all makes this game boring for most people. The sound (which I often
mute) detracts from the overall fun factor. Game play also makes the
game more frustrating. Most of the time you'll hold X down because the
text is so slow! Half the game is spent waiting for words to appear on
the screen. All of the menus are unlabeled. You have to memorize the
pictures to get the right menu. Beginning players will find much frustration
in being confused by the menus systems.
Frustration
The text moves so SLOW! There is an advisory board that is supposed
to help you play the game. But the text moves so slowly that you'll
never use it unless you're absolutely desperate. Also, none of the
menus are labeled, making it frustrating at best to play the game at first.
Replayability: C+
The 5 difficulty settings can keep you playing for months. The game
can be addicting, but only for those who love strategy games. Even
today, 8 years after I originally purchased it, I'll still pop it in my
Super NES and spend a few hours buying out my competition.
Game Value: C
An across the board average game. The core idea of the game is great
but gets lost in the small details like sound, music, menus, text speed
and graphics, all of which detract from the overall value
Overall: C
A great strategy game that would do well as a Game Boy reincarnation, with a
few tweaks here and there. Although the initial problems, detractions
and frustration cause many to set down the game after 5 min, rabid
strategizers will definitely fall in love with Areobiz.