Graphics: Instead of the cartoonish graphical style of the Toaplan games, Aero Fighters comes as close to realistic as the SNES can. They add to the sense that Aero Fighters is at once a more realistic shooter than any previous, and yet also a sillier and more fun one. Aside from the standard planes and tanks, there’s a giant crawling mech bug, a monkey in space, and a couple of others. Bosses: The bosses in Aero Fighters are huge, and many are ridiculous. Aero Fighters feels a little less like a video game and more like a streamlined experience because of this. Music: Instead of the awesome melodic soundtracks of the past, Aero Fighters features non-linear, non-melodic soundtracks that have an atmospheric feel to them. Aero Fighters has both, and it adds much-appreciated depth to a genre that had started to shamelessly copy itself by 1990. None of the earlier shooters allowed any choice in what aircraft you would fly, let alone each one actually having a distinct pilot. Pilot/plane selection: This is also an innovation as far as I know. As stories go it's not much of a story, but hey, it's a scrolling shooter, and it's better than Zero Wing. This adds an element to the game that was never present in the formulaic Toaplan shooters. Each pilot has a separate story (yes there are separate pilots). It's silly and occasionally self-aware that it is silly. Story: There actually IS a story in Aero Fighters. Aero Fighters broke from this style in several important ways, which I'll outline now. These games all had defining features: a background that was larger than the screen and could scroll sideways killer soundtracks that you can't get out of your head difficult but unimpressive bosses, such as large tanks and airplanes and for most, collectible medals that gave you a special bonus at the end of the level. The Toaplan style began with Tiger Heli in 1985, got big with Twin Cobra/Fire Shark/Sky Shark around 1987, and was then epitomized by Seibu Kaihatsu's Raiden, in 1990. However, it has several features that really separate it from the previous prevailing style of shmups, what I call the Toaplan style.

Aero Fighters Review by: AdMan - 8.8/10 Awesome shmup that pioneered a new style Aero Fighters doesn't look much different from any of the other shmups at the time at first look.

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