Electronic Arts would re-brand the game as the earliest entry in the Jane's Combat Simulations series, issuing an rebranded version in 1996 for Microsoft Windows with additional content and a updated title, Jane's US Navy Fighters 97. The content from the base game, expansion, and reissue would be combined with Jane's Advanced Tactical Fighters into a unified interface for re-release in 1997 as Jane's Fighters Anthology. U.S. Navy Fighters received a Japan-exclusive PlayStation port courtesy of Electronic Arts Victor, released on November 6, 1997.[1]
Gameplay
The base game features a variety of 50 missions that can be played separately or as part of a campaign with full-motion video mission briefings. The campaign is set aboard the United States aircraft carrier "Ike" during a fictional 1997 war between Russia and Ukraine. The flyable jet fighters during the missions included the F-14B Tomcat, F-18D Hornet, A-7 Corsair, F-22 "Lightning II", and Sukhoi Su-33.[5]
The Marine Fighters expansion added 35 new missions and a second campaign aboard the United States aircraft carrier "Wasp" during a fictional Russian-Japanese conflict over the Kuril Islands. It would feature three additional flyable fighters, the AV-8B Harrier II, FRS Mk 2 Sea Harrier, and Yak-141. The expansion's box art also touted faster frame rates, terrain masking, the addition of turbulence, and a "Tour of Duty" summary screen showing hit percentages, kills, and decorations.
Jane's U.S. Navy Fighters '97 (USNF '97) is a 1996 update of the 1994 version with added planes, music, and two new campaigns. It's also ran on Win 95 version rather than DOS.[9] The game contains three campaigns: Vietnam War-era, a fictional Russian-Ukrainian war, and a fictional Russian-Japanese conflict over the Kuril Islands. This version was released in Japan by Electronic Arts Victor on March 14, 1997.[8] Another Japanese edition featuring exclusive missions was released on December 19, 1997 as U.S. Navy Fighters: Final Mission (U.S.ネイビーファイターズ ファイナルミッション).[10]
Next Generation gave U.S. Navy Fighters four stars out of five, and stated that "despite heavy system requirements, this is a must for every flight freak".[5]
It appeared at number 20 of PC Data's best-seller list for February 1997.[24]
References
^ abGedora-chan (November 6, 2023). "【11月6日のレトロゲーム】今日はPS2『SIREN』の発売20周年!" [Retro Game of the Day on November 6th: Today marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the PS2 game Siren!]. Gamedrive.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
^ abSeino (March 14, 1997). "3/14~3/21発売予定、新着・発売日変更ゲームソフトタイトル一覧" [List of new and changed release dates for game software scheduled for release between March 14th and March 21st]. Impress Watch (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2024.