Airport Hero Narita is sort of like Pushing Tin except the scope of your responsibilities go far beyond what the two cowboys had control over. In addition to keeping a watchful eye on all of the air traffic around Narita Airport in Tokyo, players also direct planes to start their descent, prepare to land, taxi to a runway, depart, and maintain speed/altitude. Due to the critical decisions that are heaped upon the player's shoulders, one must keep track of all the planes and spatial dimensions around Narita airport to avoid any dangerous situations that might lead to disastrous consequences. As planes approach and depart from Narita airport, one has to issue timely commands to ensure smooth traffic patterns.

The Operation Mode of the game is the day-to-day business of being an air traffic controller while a Challenge Mode introduces various dangers to the routine including inclement weather and mechanical difficulties on a plane which require an emergency landing. Before diving into the job, a Tutorial Mode teaches the basic controls and the scope of an air traffic controller's duties.

Jan Code: 4938833007285

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.

NCS Game Notes
» As commands are issued, electronically transmitted voices may be heard as pilots answer in the affirmative and let loose with little snippets of radio chatter requests. Pilots may say such things as, "Request Taxi" or "Request Pushback Information" while the tower may reply with "Cleared for Takeoff" or "Good Day."

» When planes enter your tower's sphere of influence, they'll appear in the Arrival or Departure columns located on the lower left corner of the screen. Once they are identified, give them instructions on which runway to land and where to take off respectively. Once a large number of planes are under your guidance, the game gets exciting and very stressful. If you botch a command, you'll hear audible boos from an unseen crowd.

» If you botch the directions, planes may have near misses on the runway as well as in mid-air. If two planes crash or get into a "Head-On" situation, your job is immediately terminated and the game ends.

» Operation Mode features six stages which progressively scale in difficulty from beginner to outright hero. Challenge Mode also features six stages with scenarios such as bad weather, low visibility, and emergency landings.

» The clouds overhead are a mixture of fluffy white wisps as well as darker clouds which seem to threaten rain.

» The sound effects of the jets as they whine through the air, scrape their tires against the runway, and whoosh upon departure are fairly realistic.

» Three camera perspectives may be toggled by tapping the R-Trigger: Plane Cam, Tower Cam, and Runway Cam.

» Airport Hero Narita requires PSP firmware v2.6 in order to run. The full name of the game is: Boku Wa Koukuu Kanseikan: Airport Hero Narita

Conclusion
Airport Hero Narita offers a rare chance at operating an airport tower and the game is beautifully done. Although there's a good amount of Japanese, there's also English in the game to make it slightly more import-friendly than the average Japanese simulator. When we first imported the game, NCS staffers would spend hours upon hours directing air traffic and learning the ways of pushing tin. Highly recommended.

This document is ©NCSX 2006. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.