Dogfight for Middle Eastern peace in F-24 Stealth Fighter on DS and GBA
Solve Iraqi and Iranian instability with bombs from the skies
With the war in Iraq dominating the headlines, it was only a matter of time until a game rode its messy coattails. And so we find US publisher Majesco raking through the Middle Eastern tea leaves with its press release for forthcoming combat flight sim F-24 Stealth Fighter on DS and GBA (the version pictured here).
'The continuing hostilities in Iraq have led to runaway political and military instability in Iran,' we're told. 'Naval and Air Force aviators conducting operations in the area are at a full state of combat readiness and pilots are authorized to neutralize any threats with extreme prejudice.'
Apparently the company's military boffins have forgotten airpower alone has never been enough to win a war.
Still, if you were in the cockpit of an F-24 Stealth Fighter – a name not officially used by the US air force, but which may have designated one of their black ops prototypes, the conspiracy theorist forums tell us – maybe you would be able to 'maintain peace in this volatile region'.
To find out, you'll fly your way through 20 missions, across land and sea. Take-offs, landings and in-flight refuelling intersperse the missions, where you'll let loose with your 20mm cannon, sidewinder heat-seeking missiles and Tomahawks (which, as any decent militarian knows, aren't actually launched from stealth fighters, rather submarines and destroyers).
In fact, we almost believed the hype, until Ken Gold, vice president of marketing, decided to pipe up: "F-24 Stealth Fighter is a fun, on-the-go military flight simulation at a very appealing price point."
Middle Eastern peace on the cheap? Sounds pretty unlikely, even in the context of a game.
Safe in its bomb-proof hanger, F-24 Stealth Fighter is due to take to the skies in 2007.
