A good flight game being a reflex test for the surgeon en devenir, despite some clumsiness
User Rating: 7.6 | Pilotwings 64 N64
The sole companion title of Mario 64 at the console's release date, Pilotwings still delivers tight semi-cartoony flight sims stressing the player to successive challenges of sky diving for an overall satisfying fun factor provided. But at a closer look, some levels may resemble to a festival of directionless bottlenecks exerting the average player to a constant struggle with the controls at the razor's edge. All that can be reasonably tamed after several tries, as part of of a learning curve depending of your gameplay style, and patience - moreover sustained perseverance. The challenge remain varied, though uneven: some mixed bag of walk in the park and some other nearly impossible courses oddly intertwined. The construct presents a good polish, although we can experience some choppiness and polygon issues here and there, namely near the borders. The design boosts timely fashion of localizations and obstacles, guiding the player as delving into the fray. Winter scenery, frozen arctic/mountain wilderness are prevalent, and adequately portrayed. Nothing flashy here; just to the point yet the diluted coloring transcends downright compared to the richly hued N64 titles. Considering the theme, the audio track is generally pleasing to hear, including some wind effects accurately rendered, yet in time all this can slowly become quite boring even when, the most objectively possible, we take into account the N64 limitations. So, are you ready to dive, glide & slide ? Admittedly, Pilotwings N64 remains an enjoyable testimony to hang gliding despite uneven challenges - particularly without any major rehash to propel the sub genre years thereafter. Welcome to Mount Rush....Mario, so much overlooked and under appreciated, for it earns a comeback.
