Project Stealth Fighter
{{Short description|1987 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Project Stealth Fighter
|image = Project Stealth Fighter.jpg
|developer = MicroProse
|publisher = MicroProse
|designer = Jim Synoski
Arnold Hendrick
|programmer = Jim Synoski
Dan Chang
Gregg Tavares
|artist = Michael Haire
Michele Mahan
|composer = Ken Lagace
|engine =
|released = 1987 (C64)
1989 (Spectrum)
|genre = Combat flight simulator
|modes = Single-player
|platforms = Commodore 64
ZX Spectrum
}}
Project Stealth Fighter is a combat flight simulator released for the Commodore 64 in 1987 by MicroProse, featuring a fictional United States military aircraft. During the time of the game's release, there was heavy speculation surrounding a missing aircraft in the United States Air Force's numbering system, the F-19. Project Stealth Fighter was later renamed F-19 Stealth Fighter and was remade in 1988 for the 16-bit systems with much improved graphics.
Gameplay
{{expand section|date=March 2013}}
File:Project Stealth Fighter screenshot.png
In the game, the player take on the role of a fictional fighter pilot flying missions of varying difficulty over four geographic locations: Libya, the Persian Gulf, the North Cape, and Central Europe.
Reception
{{Video game reviews
|award1Pub = Your Sinclair
|award1 = MegagameGame review, Zzap magazine, Dennis Publishing, issue 47, November 1989, page 16
|award2Pub = Zzap!64
|award2 = Gold MedalGame review, Zzap magazine, Newsfield Publications, issue 35, March 1988
}}
The game was critically acclaimed. Computer Gaming World in 1987 stated that Project Stealth Fighter pushed the limits of 8-bit hardware (noting the resulting great difficulty in landing at airfields) but concluded favorably: "Timely? It couldn't be more so. Realistic? Yes ... Challenging? Definitely!"{{cite magazine | title=Project: Stealth Fighter | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=December 1987 | author=Brooks, M. Evan | pages=26}} In a 1994 survey of wargames the magazine gave the title two stars out of five, stating that F-19 and F-117 had superseded it.{{Cite magazine |last=Brooks |first=M. Evan |date=January 1994 |title=War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950-2000 |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=114 |magazine=Computer Gaming World |pages=194–212}} Compute! in 1988 called the game "a superlative flight simulator". It praised the graphics, stating that they improved on those of the company's F-15 Strike Eagle. The magazine concluded: "If you're to have only one flight simulator in your library, let it be this one ... Project: Stealth Fighter is Microprose's best".{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/1988-02-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_093_1988_Feb#page/n51/mode/2up | title=Project: Stealth Fighter | work=Compute! | date=February 1988 | accessdate=10 November 2013 | author=Bobo, Ervin | pages=51}} The Commodore 64 version's review in Zzap!64 said that the "Project Stealth Fighter is excellent, and sets new standards to which other must now aspire".[http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=035&page=024&thumbstart=0&magazine=zzap&check=1 Scan] ACE stated the game as certainly enjoyable and the rating for C64 version is 863 out of 1000.{{cite journal|title=Project Stealth Fighter|journal=ACE|issue=4|url=https://archive.org/details/ACE_Issue_04_1988-01_Future_Publishing_GB|date=January 1988|pages=60, 61}}
Project: Stealth Fighter was awarded the Origins Award for "Best Military or Strategy Computer Game of 1987".{{cite web | url = http://www.gama.org/OriginsAwards/OriginsAwardsWinnersThe1980s/The1987OriginsAwards/tabid/3230/Default.aspx | title = The 1987 Origins Awards | publisher = The Game Manufacturers Association | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20121216052415/http://www.gama.org/OriginsAwards/OriginsAwardsWinnersThe1980s/The1987OriginsAwards/tabid/3230/Default.aspx | url-status = dead | archivedate = 2012-12-16}}
The game was nominated for the Golden Joystick Awards '88 in the category "Best Simulation - 8 Bit".{{cite journal|title=Golden Joystick Awards 1989|journal=Computer and Video Games|issue=92|url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue092/Pages/CVG09200062.jpg|accessdate=13 January 2012|page=62|publisher=Future Publishing}}
A port to the ZX Spectrum version was first advertised in 1988 prior to the game being renamed for the 16-bit releases.{{cite magazine |title=Project Stealth Fighter – Coming Soon For Your Spectrum|magazine=Crash|issue=57|publisher=Newsfield|date=22 September 1988|page=55|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1024&page=55|access-date=20 February 2023}} By the time it was published late 1989, it used the F-19 Stealth Fighter title in-game but was still packaged as Project Stealth Fighter.{{cite web |title=Project Stealth Fighter Also known as F-19 Stealth Fighter|website=Spectrum Computing|date=|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.php?cat=96&id=3900|access-date=20 February 2023}} A review in Your Sinclair called it "the best Speccy flight sim to date".{{cite magazine |title=Project Stealth Fighter|magazine=Your Sinclair|issue=47|publisher=Dennis Publishing|date=10 October 1989|page=16|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=268&page=16|access-date=20 February 2023}}
Both the Spectrum and Commodore 64 versions were subsequently reissued as F-19 Stealth Fighter{{cite magazine |title=Spectrum review: F-19 Stealth Fighter|magazine=Crash|issue=73|publisher=Newsfield|date=25 January 1990|page=118|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1040&page=44|access-date=20 February 2023}}{{cite magazine |title=F-19 Stealth Fighter – Spectrum|magazine=The Games Machine|issue=28|publisher=Newsfield|date=8 February 1990|page=54|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1816&page=54|access-date=20 February 2023}} in the same packaging as the 16-bit versions.{{cite web |title=Project Stealth Fighter - Also known as F-19 Stealth Fighter|website=Lemon64|publisher=Kim Lemon|date=|url=https://www.lemon64.com/game/project-stealth-fighter|access-date=20 February 2023}}
In late 1990, the combined sales of F-19 Stealth Fighter across four platforms took the game into the UK Top 20 All Format games chart.{{cite magazine |title=The Gallup All Formats Top 20|magazine=Computer and Video Games|issue=107|publisher=EMAP|date=16 September 1990|page=65|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=1559&page=65|access-date=28 January 2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{moby game|id=/project-stealth-fighter|name=Project Stealth Fighter}}
- {{WoS game|id=0003900}}
- {{lemon64 game|id=2004}}
- [http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/347250/manuals/Manual.pdf?t=1438107504 Project Stealth Fighter Manual on Steam]
Category:Arnold Hendrick games
Category:Flight simulation video games
Category:Origins Award winners
Category:Single-player video games
Category:Video games developed in the United States
Category:Video games set in East Germany
Category:Video games set in Iran
Category:Video games set in Libya