Top Gun Hardlock is a flight simulator game that encourages dogfighting styles. You get multiple planes, multiple landscapes, and some fun flying.

We love flight simulator games, and this one was no exception. Yes, the graphics aren't stellar. That's OK. When you're in the heat of battle you're not too worried about how exact the decal design is on the plane you're chasing. You're just trying to get it into your sights and blast it away.

We played and replayed this for months. There were always more points to get and more techniques to perfect. It was engaging and fun.

Now certainly it wasn't perfect. For some reason, despite achieving and over-achieving nearly everything in sight, we still couldn't unlock some planes. Looking all over the internet, others had this problem as well. Why show them if you can't use them?

Similarly, planes came with a set loadout. We like to customize. It was annoying not to be able to tweak the plane to be the way we wanted it to be.

Also, strangely, the game encouraged "gamey" behavior. You got the most points if you first shot a plane with a missile, then hammered it with guns until it was nearly dead, and THEN did the lock out to destroy it. That combination would be bizarre in real life. They should reward and encourage "real life" behavior, not strange combinations of actions.

And finally, the save system was less than perfect.

Still, these are minor complaints given how much we played this. And enjoyed it. And replayed it. With so many other games that we play for a few days and then put away as simply not worth the time. Top Gun Hardlock had us coming back for more. In the end, that's what a game should do. No game will be perfect, and a good game is one that gets you past its shortcomings and creates an enjoyable experience.

I'll give it 4.5 / 5 stars.

We purchased this game with our own funds.

Buy Top Gun Hardlock from Amazon.com