Black Dawn

There's a Black Dawn on the horizon if gamers are ready for 28 missions filled with helicopter combat. Done in 3-D graphics, Black Dawn was programmed and developed by Black Ops, the same company that did Agile Warrior. A two-player mode has been included so gamers can cooperate in each mission. One can ward off enemy copters as the other rescues hostages. The fully controllable camera allows for full view of each player and all surroundings. As the gamer makes his/her way through various levels, he/she will find missions in cities, mountains and deserts. Black Dawn features digital music and effects.

Poor ChopLifter. The classic search-and-rescue shoot-'em-up has been ignored by the recent comeback of oldie-but-goodie games and arcade classics. While a new generation of game players is tearing through updated versions of Tempest, Robotron and other classics, ChopLifter seems to have become lost in gaming's good old days.

Or maybe not. Virgin's upcoming Black Dawn looks suspiciously like a next-generation version of Choplifter. Although much of this 3-D helicopter combat game is f spent blowing bad guys out of the sky, some missions send your chopper out to rescue soldiers and hostages. When your gunship touches down to pick up the passengers, they hop into your helicopter in a helter-skelter scramble that all ChopLifter fans will find familiar.

Similarities to classic games aside, however, Black Dawn is much more than ChopLifter revisited. Players pilot a Mohawk attack helicopter for Black Operations, an elite anti-terrorist force. Black Ops has been deployed to seven world regions, including the Arctic, the Arabian Desert, the jungles of South America and even New York City's Central Park. In addition to these locales, pilots can soar through hidden bonus levels to pick up extra arms and armor.

Most regions have an average of five mini-missions to complete, and it is the game's variety of missions that sets it apart from other flight-combat titles. Some missions are simple search-and-destroy outings, but others have you rescuing hostages or transporting soldiers into enemy territory. When pilots complete a mission, they are radioed an in-flight briefing on their next assignment. Only by completing all the mini-missions do pilots clear one of the game's areas. Adding to the tension of each mission is Black Dawn's soundtrack. The game contains 16 fully orchestrated tunes, and the music speeds up as players near the end of each mission.

Black Dawn is being developed for Virgin by Black Ops, the same team that created Agile Warrior. But the game is a big improvement over Agile Warrior-it has more missions and enemies, smarter Al and much sharper graphics. Pilots can fly their choppers from inside the cockpit, from a chase view or a third-person, wingman view (which works well when trying to locate hostages). Pilots can also look (and shoot) to the left and right while playing in the cockpit view.

When players down enemy aircraft, power-ups hover above the foe's flaming wreckage. Some power-ups simply replenish armor or fuel. Others yield more missiles and bombs-such as napalm and unguided rockets.

Flight in Black Dawn is much simpler than in a sim. Players can choose between two Flight Modes: one that lets them change altitude by changing the direction of their chopper's nose, and one that keeps the chopper at the same altitude no matter what direction the chopper is facing. The first mode is more realistic, but the second makes attacking ground targets easier.

This is one of the few flight games with a Two-player Mode that doesn't require two PlayStations and a link cable. Called the Death-match Mode, the two-player game has pilots battling each other while viewing their choppers from an overhead perspective.

Another unique feature is Black Dawn's computer-controlled helicopter wingman. This second attack chopper assists players as they go about their missions. It attacks targets that get away from the player and it will even cover the player's helicopter when it picks up hostages.

You'll appreciate the second chopper's help. Considering how many bogies fill Black Dawn's unfriendly skies, players will need all the help they can get

Black Ops, developer of the killer Agile Warrior, returns to the fray with Black Dawn, another outstanding shooter. This time you deal out destruction from the cockpit of a helicopter, but the terrorist threats still crop up from Central Park to Antarctica.

At each site, restoring the peace involves several missions--inserting SEAL teams, demolishing tank squadrons, knocking out radar sites, and more--that must be completed in order. Your well equipped chopper rises to the occasion with bullets, missiles, rockets, napalm, and even nukes. Power-ups replenish your stores, augmerit your existing firepower, and even supply you with wingmen that fight by your side.

The learning curve for the controls falls on the steep side, but such tough, diverse levels and comprehensive features are worth a little work. A few flaws aside, Black Dawn is a well-rounded game that delivers riveting, adrenaline-packed combat.

Graphics

The improvements on Agile Warrior's visuals immediately capture your attention: detailed, eye-catching landscapes and enemies; screenrocking explosions; and a smooth, fast frame rate. Still, there's way too much fog (which disguises pop-up on the horizon).

Sound

Great cockpit chatter keeps you fully briefed on every important detail, though it sometimes grows repetitive. Intense orchestral music and fiery sound effects round out the solid audio.

Control

Although these controls are much more accessible than a hardcore flight sim's, they're still complex enough to require mucho practice. Once you master them, you achieve impressively deep control over your chopper, though the throttle remains too twitchy.

Fun Factor

Black Dawn bristles with challenging, arcade-style gameplay and deep levels. If a lock-on tone is music to your ears, this gripping helicopter shooter will plaster a huge grin across your face.

Attention, chopper pilots! Black Dawn looks like it'll put hot lead in the hands of shooter fans everywhere. Developed by Black Ops, the group that made Agile Warrior, Black Dawn uses that game's engine and puts you inside an attack helicopter instead of a jet. Agile vets will recognize some of the same features, such as similar power-ups and the same three selectable views. But Black Dawn pushes the en velope with better graphics, new environments, and multiple mission objectives. The early sound for Black Dawn, especially the music, is very good, and the controls are much easier to pick up than Agile's. Also. Black Dawn features a new two-player co-op mode!