F29 Retaliator
 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (May 2009) |
The game
Description and gameplay
The program is a typical example of games developed at the height of the Cold War, based mostly on speculations on the future machines of war. According to the promotional text, Retaliator is a flight simulation program based upon two of the most revolutionary aircraft designs ever conceived: The Lockheed F-22 Advanced Tactical Fighter and Grumman F-29, aka X-29.
F29 was released in 1990 on the then dominating Commodore Amiga computer and could run as fast on a 386 25 MHz PC, which was the high-end machine of the day. The graphics were detailed by the standards of the period, with cities, bridges, roads, islands, mountains and moving vehicles. The cockpit had 3 Multi-function displays available to set up in a number of configurations.
Ocean Software and Digital Image Design promised a hi-tech combat flight simulator that would feature top-secret USAF fighters. They created a game that featured the most advanced airplanes in the world, F22 and F29. The game includes four war scenarios (US desert test and training sites, Pacific conflict, Middle East conflict and a European war) each with several missions, with the number of those adding up to 90. The enemy planes are mostly MiG-29s and Su-27s.
The PC version allowed head-to head dogfighting using a null modem cable.
Trivia
- Contrary to what many believe, the F29 does exist (though not as a fighter), as the X29 experimental aircraft and, in contrast to the above mentioned F22, the F29 and the real X29 look the same.
- This game is widely regarded as being quite bugged. For example, since the game allows the airplane to be controlled even after the pilot ejects, it's possible for players to hit themselves with their own plane.