Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Boku wa Koukuu Kanseikan: Airport Hero Shinsensai

When sitting inside the control tower of an airport and pushing tin any which way but loose, no one will fault you for getting frazzled. Scenario: Two departures are ready to taxi down their respective runways and three incoming flights are about to land. By using deft 3D spatial rationing, your job is to make sure arrivals and departures flow smoothly as the planes move in and out of the airport. Once the first batch of planes have landed or cleared for takeoff, more planes queue up for their turns. It's a tough and mentally taxing job that air traffic controllers contend with every day.

The latest version of Boku wa Koukuu Kanseikan puts players in the role of an air traffic controller who guides plans in and out of New Chitose Airport (新千歳空港 Shin-Chitose Kūkō) located in Hokkaido. The IATA Airport Code for New Chitose is CTS and it is the largest airport in Japan. The U-shaped design of the airport terminal building is recreated along with the surrounding barren landscape in the game for authentic visuals. Players get to guide aircraft during the clear skies of summer as well as the snowy conditions of winter where flakes drop in incessant waves. To clear the runways of frost, players can send snowplows out to do their jobs so the big birds can land safely.
Airport Hero Shinsensai features a special record and playback function which allows players to capture their gameplay to memory stick duo and then review it later. If you spot something amiss in your aircraft handling, you can make a mental note to improve in a later session. «more»

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