It's all rather distorted as well, and particularly pronounced when playing with headphones. Maybe this is what a radio sounded like in the '40s, but it seriously sounds like someone held a cheap microphone next to some cheap speakers and hit the "record" button. While most of the gunfire and explosions are decent enough, each level starts with anywhere from 5-30 seconds of poorly recorded "period" music. If you've ever had a few too many and then tried to stare at a wall, you know what this water looks like. The explosions are surprisingly satisfying, but the water effects are perhaps the reason Dramamine was invented. The game handles resolutions up to 1600x1200, and it's mostly average fare. The screen shakes far too violently whenever you're hit, but other than that, it's a decent effort. Would it be fun to kill wave after wave of enemies in Galaga with a friend? No, you want a high score, not a partner.Īs budget games go, the graphics are not bad. I managed to pull it off on a LAN, but even then it was a so-so affair. There's no sorting, no favorites, no filters, no buddy lists, no nothing. Not only are there virtually no players online, the interface for going online is, well, lacking. While it's functional, it's practically pointless. The entire game sways like this, and although the box proclaims "sophisticated and dynamic AI," every plane and ship is pattern-based.įor some reason, the developers thought that a multiplayer option in this game was a good idea. The fifth level is almost pull-your-hair-out difficult (artificially because of ammo limitations), but the sixth level is simple. For example, the third level is a test of your ability to conserve ammo, while the fourth is a walk in the park. Air Raid succumbs to this to a certain degree, with things like extremely limited ammo and insanely fluctuating difficulty getting in the way.
#AIR RAID THIS IS NOT A DRILL PC#
While the arcade-style games were designed to eat your pocket change, games made for the PC (and consoles) shouldn't be that way. Think Galaga or Galaxian (or Gorf for the really old-school) in three dimensions with (kind of) realistic-looking aircraft, and you have the right idea. Published by Big City Games (Strategy First's budget arm) and developed by Made by Kiddies, Air Raid places you in the gunner position on a battleship for wave after wave of fighter planes, bombers, and the occasional ship or two. Much like Beachhead 2000, this is a simple exercise in clipping the wings of planes over and over again. Based on the number of levels completed, players receive specific medals, ranging from Navy Occupation Service (ten levels) and Navy Expeditionary medals to the Defense Distinguished Service medal, the Navy Cross, and the highest, the Medal of Honor (99 levels). Points are awarded for each level, with an accumulative total tracked for the entire game. After successful completion of missions, players receive points based on the number of shots taken and accuracy, types of aircraft or boats destroyed, and bullets, missiles, and depth charges remaining. Ammunition must be managed effectively, as running out will doom the mission to failure.Ītmospheric music from the WWII era begins each mission and a small radar screen helps players track incoming targets. Weapons and ammunition are rated where appropriate by length, diameter, launch weight, war head, guidance system, propulsion, range, ceiling, maximum elevation, and rate of fire. In-game documentation includes a listing of the types of targets, each with a profile picture and statistics (power plant, armament, dimensions, performance, and the number of hits by weapon needed for destruction).
#AIR RAID THIS IS NOT A DRILL MOD#
In each scenario, players receive a set number of Depth Charges ("K-Gun" Mark 6 Mod 1), 40mm AA ammunition, and RIM-7 missiles to fend off enemy boats, air-gunners, air-bombers, torpedo bombers, ace fliers, and patrol aircraft. The 99 missions grow progressively more difficult as the enemy attacks with more planes, higher aggression levels, and better maneuverability in defense.
Air Raid: This Is Not a Drill is a simulation of firing a 40mm Bofor Anti-Aircraft gun from the deck of a battleship as wave after wave of enemy pilots in various aircraft swarm your position.