Синий Молниенос: Боевой авиасимулятор для Atari Lynx

1989 combat flight simulation game

Blue Lightning is a 1989 combat flight simulation video game developed by Epyx and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe for the Atari Lynx. It was also released in Japan on December 1 of the same year, where it was instead distributed by Mumin Corporation. It was one of the launch titles that were released along with the system in North America and was jointly written by Stephen Landrum, lead programmer Brian Bowhay, who also developed the Lynx hardware and Chip's Challenge creator Chuck Sommerville. Assuming the role of a chosen rookie aircraft pilot from the United States Air Force by the Flight Command squadron, the player takes control of the titular prototype fighter aircraft in a desperate attempt of The Pentagon to penetrate multiple enemy territories and aid the allies in order to win the war against the enemies. Conceived as a commission to create a pseudo 3D combat flight game by Landrum and graphic artist Arthur Koch, Blue Lightning was heavily inspired by Sega's 1987 Super Scaler arcade game After Burner, in addition of also bearing similarity with the feature film and TV series Blue Thunder. Upon its release, Blue Lightning was well received by critics who praised the visuals, gameplay and for being a showcase of the capabilities of the Lynx, although some criticized the lack of in game music and repetitive nature of the missions, with many also comparing it with After Burner. In 1995, a remake developed by Attention to Detail, was released as one of the pack in games for the Atari Jaguar CD peripheral when it launched and received mixed reviews.

Blue Lightning is an arcade style combat flight simulation game that is played from a third person perspective similar to After Burner, where the player take the role of a fighter pilot with one main objective; to enter into enemy territory and aid the allies in defeating the enemies to claim victory of the war by completing a series of nine missions, each one taking place in various locations and tasking the player with different assignments, while increasing in difficulty as the game progress further. The game grants the player with a fleet of six Blue Lightning planes, which act as lives and if the current plane is crashed or destroyed, the mission must be restarted from the beginning and the game is over once all lives are lost. The game was first showcased to the public during the International Summer Consumer Electronics Show 1989, along with the system. Early previews showcased a different GUI.

Blue Lightning garnered positive reception. In a capsule review of the Lynx version for STart, Clayton Walnum commented, "The 3D perspective is dazzling, with missiles and jets coming at you with such realism, you want to duck. The Lynx's built in scaling features are used to the max in Blue Lightning. Luckily, the gameplay is as good as the graphics, making this a must have game for every Lynx owner." In a 1999 retrospective, Robert A Jung reviewed the Atari Lynx version of the game for IGN, stating in his verdict that, "Though the levels could use a little more variety, the user friendly gameplay and the sensational graphics make this title a blue ribbon winner." A year later, Blue Lightning 2 was announced for the Jaguar CD and became one of the first titles announced for the then upcoming add on, however it was later retitled to its original name during Autumn ECTS '94, where it was revealed that Cybermorph developer Attention to Detail were the ones developing the project. It became one of the two pack in games for the peripheral when it launched on September 21, 1995, and was met with divisive reception from the public.