Lock On (SNES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Vic Tokai's 1993 combat flight-sim for the Super Nintendo, Lock On. Played through on the normal difficulty level. Though you'd never know it going by its US title, Lock On was actually a SNES-exclusive sequel to the Sega Genesis game Air Diver. It is known as Super Air Diver in Japan and Europe. Like Air Diver, Lock On is a modern flight-combat sim, similar in concept to games like F-15 Strike Eagle. The sequel shifts the perspective, however, from first-person to third-person, and its heavy reliance on the SNES's Mode 7 effects make it on the surface resemble games like Wings 2: Aces High or Pilotwings. The emphasis here is placed firmly on combat, though. There are two types of missions to fly: one involves shooting down a set number of enemy fighters before facing off against the "boss" ace, while others focus on eliminating ground targets. Most of it is pretty simple - you pick your plane and you weapons, watch a countdown (which I thought was a fairly clever way to hide the load times), and blast off. The enemies all do the typical things you'd expect in these types of games. They circle you while firing off volleys of rockets, and you have to outmaneuver them while doing the same. The key moves you're given for this is your sideways roll, which allows you to quickly maneuver your way in and out of position, and your loop - just point the nose down and then quickly jerk it up, and after a dizzying Mode 7 effect, you'll be pointing in the opposite direction, hopefully lined up nicely behind your target. The enemies aren't typically very hard to deal with either... well, except for the very last fight, which will have you swearing loudly at the TV as he evades nearly every shot you fire at him. The difficulty is quite reasonable up until that point, but I could've done fine without that last spike. The controls do their job well, though, and the map is clean and easy to read. Lock On's graphics and sounds are definite high points. The scaling and rotation of the background are smooth and fluid, and even though the ground is flat, the backdrops look great - I particularly like the city stages for the amount of detail they feature. The sense of speed is excellent, as well, and the game moves at an impressively fast clip with very little slowdown or flicker ever apparent. The sound effects are effective, and the music (on the rare occasions that you'll notice it) is appropriate for the mood and often pretty catchy. Lock On is one of those titles that you've likely never heard of - it's quite obscure - but after playing it, you'll wonder why more people don't talk about it. It's not perfect, but it is an extremely fun, nicely polished arcade-style experience that is worth a close look for action fans. _ No cheats were used during the recording of this video. NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games! Visit for the latest updates! http://www.facebook.com/pages/NintendoComplete/540091756006560 https://twitter.com/nes_complete