GENRE
	Simulator
	DEVELOPER
	Paradigm
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	no
	RAM PAK
	no
	BUY NOW AT

Pilotwings 64 is a great game -- a little light on action -- but nevertheless a break-through title. Paradigm Simulations brought in their expertise in creating a professional flight simulator and fused it with Nintendo's reliable Pilotwings formula. The objective is simple: Take off, fly through rings, reach a certain height, snap photos or take out some targets, then land again. The execution is somewhat more difficult. You'll find yourself plunging into a lake, smashing into a wall or getting fried by a smokestack.

visuals

For one, the frame rate sometimes gets a little low -- but only when there's a lot on screen. And secondly, the character design is atrocious! I don't know who came up with these misshapen pilots, but appart from being ridiculously cutified, the characters just look plain bad and misdesigned. The same holds true for Pilowings wildlife, whales and monsters.

audio

The music is equally lackluster -- sure, the N64's midi sounds a lot better than the SNES's but the compositions seem to be straight out of your favorite 70s movie's elevator.

gameplay

Like in the original SNES game, Pilotwings 64 lets you fly a hang glider with which you have to rely on air currents to gain height. But unlike in the 16-bit game, these are depicted as cool, swirling thermals with nice see-through fog. The hang glider handles extremely realistic and it is a joy to play. The same holds true for another vehicle that made it over from the predecessor: the jet pack. The gyrocopter is a new addition, it takes the place of the biplane from the old Pilotwings. It handles pretty much the same, but it has a missile launcher attached which lets you shoot at targets (and at an evil monster that looks a little too much like the last of the mohicans).

On top of these three, there are also a number of bonus "vehicles," which can be reached when completing a whole level. Skydiving is back, of course, but this time you actually get to fly in formations with other divers before you pull the cord and try to land on your target site. Then there's the Jungle Hopper; very, very bouncy shoes that make getting to your destination a high-flying adventure. Another strange bonus game, which takes the place of the "Penguin Dive" of the original, is Human Cannonball. You get three tries to hit a far away target by manipulating force and angle of a giant cannon, shooting your screaming character through the air, only to hear him or her go "shlack" when hitting the target (or a house, a mountain, hang glider or the deep blue sea)... But the most enjoyable bonus is the Birdman. If you find a hidden star with any of your vehicles, you get instantly transformed into a winged version of your character. Now you can explore the area without having to worry about thermals, fuel or time. And is there a lot to explore! Pilotwings offers three different island scenarios, ranging from a tropical island, over an arctic world, to a shrunk down version of the United States. The level of detail, albeit often blocky, is unequaled in any flying game: There is smoke coming out of chimneys, boats cruising in the harbor and landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore are instantly recognizable.

multiplayer

N/A

overall

If you're willing to ignore those little cosmetic problems, you get a solid game, where the stress is on exploration and enjoyment rather than on fast action and shooting.

7.0/10