F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0

Moby ID: 655
DOS Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay, Amazon and GOG links (prices updated 12/16 4:51 PM )

Description official description

The sequel to F-19 Stealth Fighter - take America's premiere stealth fighter out for a spin in several battle areas, including the Persian Gulf, Cuba, and even Vietnam. There are various scenarios for each, with air-to-air or ground missions, in "cold war" and full-scale war situations. Players can build up their pilot ranks through completed missions and medals.

The game actually has two flight modes. In the "authentic" mode, you have only 2 weapon bays, but you have higher stealth rating. In the "theoretical" mode, you have 4 weapon bays like F-19 Stealth Fighter, but your plane is easier to detect due to a lower stealth rating.

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (DOS version)

27 People (26 developers, 1 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 81% (based on 20 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 33 ratings with 5 reviews)

Too similar to F-19

The Good
I liked what I liked about the original Microprose F-19. That was the problem!

The Bad
There weren't many differences between the original F-19, and this sequel. The 256 color graphics were better, but not much. e.g. The sky gradient was too banded. There were more weapons and different maps and aircraft, but this made very little difference to gameplay. Having played F-19 to death (well, until I got bored of it) this was more of the same. Good Advice quoted at the time was "If you've got the original, don't bother with this update."

The Bottom Line
Microprose F-19 with a visual facelift.

DOS · by B Jones (14) · 2006

Not a top-of-the-line sim, but a good game all around.

The Good
I enjoyed the option to fly the real F-117 or the Microprose version (2 more weapon bays and a gun). It requires some patience and planning to get around enemy planes and installations which added to the challenge of playing it.

The Bad
I don't think the difficulty was thoroughly thought out. If you upped it to the max, then a MiG-23 could see you flying at 50-100 feet while there was a mountain between the two of you. The F-117 wasn't designed for air-to-air combat like the F-15 and F-16 are, but the higher levels often resulted in similar results. Also, I found I'd get more points for completing a mission at a lower difficulty level than I did at a higher level. The only way I can explain this is, there may have been some extra objectives I was to achieve that I was unaware of.

The Bottom Line
It's an ok game. It's fun initially, but the missions get repetitive and the graphics aren't THAT eye-catching. For a real sim, I'd look for something more current.

DOS · by Spectre (126) · 2000

One of the best. A classic!

The Good
This delightful game was my introduction to just how entertaining a well-conceived and executed modern air combat simulation could be. Great concept. Beautiful graphics. You may be driving the world’s stealthiest aircraft, and yet you could still be detected if you were careless, flying too high and too fast, and worst of all: flying too close to the bad guys. In this regard the game was open to creative survival tactics. You could let the autopilot fly your route, but more often than not you were obliged to break from the plan—think outside the box—to avoid unpleasant encounters with enemy aircraft. Suddenly that looming mountain wasn’t so much an obstacle as a welcome opportunity for some much needed cover. Flying low and slow, sneaking through valleys in the dark until you found your target and hit it hard was great fun.

You flew missions all over the world, and the graphics did a wonderful job of conveying locations. I was amazed to see spinning windmills as I hugged the deck in The Netherlands, and was mesmerized by the appearance of one lighted village after another as I raced over Cuba’s rolling tropical terrain.

During every mission there were plenty of additional targets of opportunity, and with an eye on your ordnance load and fuel supply you could choose to take a detour and boost your points with a few extra kills. It was just as much fun to zoom in, hit your primary target and make a beeline home before the bad guys were ever the wiser.

The Bad
The game had a little bit of an arcade quality, especially when engaging other aircraft, but this may have been due to the limitations of the graphics resolution and colors. The flight dynamics weren't very compelling, making the aircraft feel somewhat rigid.

The Bottom Line
Rewarding, entry-level ground attack air combat sim. Of course, after nearly two decades the graphics are primitive by today's standards, however the core concept and implementation still stand up. If a new version of this game were released to complement today's hardware standards I'd be very tempted to start flying stealth missions again.

DOS · by Dasharatha (8) · 2009

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Hello Tony Turner Mar 3, 2009

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings and price history! (when applicable)

Related Games

F-117A Stealth Fighter
Released 1992 on NES, Windows, 2020 on Nintendo Switch
F-19 Stealth Fighter
Released 1988 on DOS, 1990 on Amiga, Windows...
Project Stealth Fighter
Released 1987 on Commodore 64, 1990 on ZX Spectrum
F24 Stealth Fighter
Released 2006 on Game Boy Advance, 2007 on Nintendo DS
5 Plus One: F-19 Stealth Fighter
Released 1996 on DOS
Rebel Raiders: Operation Nighthawk
Released 2005 on PlayStation 2, Windows, 2008 on Wii
Stealth
Released 1984 on Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit
Stealth
Released 2019 on Windows
Stealth
Released 2021 on Nintendo Switch

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 655
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Andy Voss.

Windows added by Cantillon. Linux added by Cavalary. Amiga, PC-98 added by Terok Nor. Macintosh added by Игги Друге.

Game added January 2, 2000. Last modified August 2, 2024.