Air Strike II: Gulf Thunder

Air Strike 2 Gulf Thunder is a really cool shooter that has been pretty much forgotten about. What I have always liked about this game is that it takes much of what we love about old-school shooters and replaces the sprites with some cool 3D visuals. It may sound like it would be a mess, but it is a really cool effect and one that certainly makes it stand out from all the other shooters.

Pick Your Mission

The story here is that there is a terrorist organization and only you and your badass helicopter can put them back in their place. On paper, Air Strike 2 Gulf Thunder is a game that sounds very basic, and to be fair, it is. However, this is all by design and the idea here is that it is a modern (well for the time it was released) take on a classic video game formula.

You have a number of missions/levels that you can pick from. There is a nice variety here ranging from a beach to an abandoned chemical plant. The levels each have their own theme and style so things never get boring.

The Fab Three

You have a choice of three helicopters. These are the Steel Falcon, Red Hawk, and the Sky Keeper. Each one has stats for speed and armor and it is up to you which one you want to pilot. They all look pretty badass, but the one I liked to use was the Red Hawk as it had pretty balanced stats.

Prepare For War

The gameplay is awesome and there is so much fun to be had in its simplicity. Air Strike 2 Gulf Thunder sees you taking your helicopter on a one-man war. You will have to shoot down tons of enemies that are in vehicles on the ground and in the air. You also have boss fights to deal with as well.

While you do have a default weapon. You can pick up several different types of ammo as you progress through each level. Not only do these do more damage, but they also make things way more fun. The game is pretty generous at giving you ammo so do not be scared to use it.

The Shooter of the Future

I love the visuals of Air Strike 2 Gulf Thunder. They have a kind of futuristic vibe to them which I really dig. This game was released in 2005 and at the time it may have looked “basic” in comparison to what other shooters of the day were doing. Yet, there is some cool style and charm here and the visual style that they went for back in 2005, actually holds up very well.

The soundtrack when you fire up the game is freaking badass and fits the action perfectly. The problem is, you hear the same song over and over again so it can get a tad old. Thankfully, you are so focused on the action, you kind of zone it out.

I know that this is a game that looks like it is very simple, but that is kind of the point. This is meant to be like those old vertical shooters we loved in the arcades back in the 80s and 90s and in that regard, Air Strike 2 Gulf Thunder succeeds in what it was trying to do. It is a game that is just so much fun to play and while I will admit that it is rather shallow, it is still a fun experience and a game that is very easy to recommend.

Pros:

• I liked how different each “mission” looked
• There is plenty of action!
• It is like a modern version of a shooter you would have played back in 89!
• There are three different choppers to play as
• Lots of fun weapons to use!

Cons:

• The music repeats all the time!
• A few more choppers would have been cool