Blue Lightning (1989)

Blue Lightning, a launch title for the Lynx, is an arcade flight game heavily based on After Burner. The player controls the prototype Blue Lightning jet in combat against the enemy. The game consists of nine missions with varied objectives. These range from shooting down enemy planes to taking out tanks and ships or radar installations. In a courier mission, documents must be delivered by landing on a certain airfield. Upon successfully completing a mission, a password is given. The action is seen from behind the Blue Lightning. With the heavy arcade focus, there is no danger of stalling or even crashing into the ground. Crashing into air or ground targets is possible, however. The Blue Lightning is armed with a cannon with unlimited ammunition and 40 missiles. The on-board computer automatically seeks missile lock for enemy targets while the cannon must of course be aimed manually. The Blue Lightning is also equipped with an afterburner: activating it puts the plane to maximum speed for ten seconds, allowing one to catch up to enemy targets that got away. After use it takes another ten seconds to recharge. The plane is also able to pull off a barrel roll, useful to lose the lock of enemy missiles.

Storyline

Assuming the role of a chosen rookie aircraft pilot from the United States Air Force by the Flight Command squadron, the player takes control of the titular prototype fighter aircraft in a desperation attempt of The Pentagon to penetrate multiple enemy territories and aid the allies in order to win the war against the enemies. Conceived as a commission to create a pseudo-3D combat flight game by Landrum and graphic artist Arthur Koch, Blue Lightning was heavily inspired by Sega's 1987 Super Scaler arcade game After Burner, in addition of also bearing similarity with the feature film and TV-series Blue Thunder