Air Diver is Released for the Sega Genesis

Seismic infuses the mach-speed action with a ridiculous story about a Middle Eastern terrorist organization that somehow has alien technology.

Since I kind of take solace in games with silly stories, the framework of Air Diver is amusing. Unfortunately, it's dropped after the opening story crawl because there is something wonderfully goofy about fighting off regular jets for several minutes before finding yourself in a low orbit battle with a giant mothership. Getting to that encounter, though, is frustrating. Because you must always watch your fuel and escaping danger is such a crap shoot, the odds are stacked against you by all measures. There is a difference between a challenging game and poorly balanced one, and Air Diver is most certainly the latter.

Air Diver is a videogame released by Seismic (Asmik Ace Entertainment in Japan) in 1990 for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive console. It is a combat flight simulator similar to After Burner, except the game is played in a first-person view (from inside the cockpit). Gameplay involves flying the fictional F-119D Stealth Fighter against the enemy forces.