Air Inferno
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Taito
Publisher(s)Taito
Designer(s)Tsukasa Fujita
Toshiaki Tsukano[6]
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
Genre(s)Flight simulator
Mode(s)Single-player,
Arcade systemTaito Air System

Air Inferno is a 1990 flight simulation arcade video game developed and released by Taito, in Japan, Europe and North America.[7] A spin-off from Taito's Landing series, Air Inferno is an aerial firefighting simulation that involves piloting a helicopter on various rescue missions, shooting a fire extinguisher to extinguish flames while rescuing civilians.[8][9]

Like its predecessor Top Landing (1988), Air Inferno uses flat-shaded, 3D polygon graphics. Both games run on the Taito Air System hardware which uses 68000 (12 MHz) and Z80 (4 MHz) microprocessors as CPU and a TMS320C25[10] (24 MHz) digital signal processor as GPU.[11] The game comes in two types of arcade cabinets:[3] a deluxe motion simulator cockpit cabinet[12][3] and a standard cockpit cabinet.[3]

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Air Inferno on their August 1, 1990 issue as being the most-successful upright arcade/cockpit unit of the month.[13]

The arcade game received positive reviews from critics. Sinclair User magazine it an 89% score, praising the "fab" 3D graphics, "realistic controls" and for being "something very different compared to the usual arcade machine."[8] Julian Rignall rated the game 88% in Computer and Video Games magazine.[9] Nick Kelly rated it 85% in CU Amiga.[1] David Wilson rated it four out of five in Zero magazine,[14] and 80% in Your Sinclair.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kelly, Nick (26 July 1990). "Arcades: Air Inferno". CU Amiga. No. 6 (August 1990). United Kingdom: EMAP. pp. 82–3.
  2. ^ "Air Inferno". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Taito Air Inferno Rescue Helicopters To Trade". RePlay. Vol. 15, no. 12. September 1990. p. 23.
  4. ^ "Machine Catalog: Video Games". RePlay. Vol. 16, no. 1. October 1990. pp. 78–86.
  5. ^ Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 136–7. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  6. ^ Air Inferno at Arcade History
  7. ^ Air Inferno at the Killer List of Videogames
  8. ^ a b "Coin Ops". Sinclair User. No. 105 (November 1990). United Kingdom: EMAP. October 1990. pp. 54–5.
  9. ^ a b Rignall, Julian (16 November 1990). "Arcade Action". Computer and Video Games. No. 109 (December 1990). pp. 152–3, 156, 158.
  10. ^ "System 16 - Taito Air System Hardware (Taito)". www.system16.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  11. ^ "MAME | SRC/Mame/Drivers/Taitoair.c". Archived from the original on 2014-10-03. Retrieved 2014-10-01.
  12. ^ "Looking At Taito's history As They Turn 60". Arcade Heroes. 2013-08-27. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - アップライト, コックピット型TVゲーム機 (Upright/Cockpit Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 385. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 August 1990. p. 29.
  14. ^ Wilson, David (December 1990). "Dosh Eaters". Zero. No. 14. pp. 85–6.
  15. ^ Wilson, David (1 November 1990). "Slots of Fun". Your Sinclair. No. 60 (December 1990). United Kingdom: Future plc. pp. 70–1.

External links


Categories