Title : Aerobiz
Publisher : Sega
Genre : Airline Simulator
Players : 1 - 4 Players
Release Date : 1992
Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $20-$25
Title : Aerobiz : SUPERSONIC
Publisher : Sega
Genre : Airline Simulator
Players : 1 - 4 Players
Release Date : 1993
Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $25-$30
When I was a kid, I would always look at most simulator games and say to myself, "Well, this is going to be crap. Why would I want to manage some railroad or some airport? I'd rather control the damn planes." Of course, back then I also didn't appreciate it games like this. I needed something to keep my attention, and the last thing I wanted was some sort of business lesson.
Boy have times changed.
It's games like this that actually interest me more than most others. There's something about really using your head to determine and act out life-like strategies in a business world. Not to sound like an idiot, but sometimes it does prepare you for things in the real world. I mean come on, these situations won't arise in your lifetime, but at least it helps you derive some common sense based decisions.
And that's what these games are about. Learning to manipulate the system and beat the man upstairs. It's a video game way of showing you how to crawl your way out of the mail room, and up into the CEO's office of a killer company. I'm not saying you should use these games to replace a college education, but seriously they'll challenge your brain.
So here we have two games that were released for the Genesis and SNES based on owning your own airline in a time where the Airline industry is going through a major economic boom. So strap into the cockpit of your very own airline office, and let's get this business started.
Move over, Delta here comes KICK-ASS AIRLINES.
It's going to be really hard for me to explain these games in detail, so bear with me as I give you a basic run down. The idea for both is simple. You have a limited amount of time in game years to accomplish your goals which is to maintain a certain number of flight paths, carry passengers, and earn a certain amount of income. The thing is you'll also be competing with other businesses as well as certain world events that affect the current time period. You'll also have to deal with purchasing new technology as well as business dealings in order to expand your business.
I can't stress how much there is to manage in this game. You really need to just sit down and go through it one day at a time, because trust me. There's a lot.
The game starts off with you choosing a time period, naming your airline, and picking a starting city in which you will begin your business. The time period determines a lot as it establishes what sort of technology is available, the airports, as well as general air traffic and passenger travel. Then you move on to the importance of which airport you are choosing, which dictates how much money you will receive at the start of the game as well as determining what sort of access you have to other flight paths.
As you can see, there's a lot to take in.
From that point on, it's all about business management. Expand your airline to other airports, raise and lower your airfare, establish direct routes, open up new business in other airports, acquire partnerships with manufacturers, and deal with world events.
The world even portion is probably the most interesting feature in both games. During certain time periods actual events from history will occur. The first game did not really offer this as much as the second game. The second game really went all out. I mean you deal with the rise of Fidel Castro, the cold war, the Olympics, advanced technologies, wars. They make you take EVERYTHING into consideration.
This is one of those games that it doesn't do any justice talking about it. You have to experience it. It may seem dull, but it's one of those games if you have the patience, you will be rewarded. It's about planning and business management. Seriously, this isn't usually my cup of tea, but it has its quirks. In fact, even now I think this would make a good iPad game because it really would kill time on the train for me during my commutes to work.
If you like air travel and business, give it a whirl. If you don't have the patience for this sort of thing, well you won't like it. But give credit where it's due. This game accomplished the feat of being an airline CEO quite well in the 90's and honestly, is a hidden gem (if you're into this sort of thing)
Final Score (out of 5) :
Until next time. Keep on gaming!
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