Aerobiz / Air Management

If you ever dreamed of becoming an air tycoon, this is your chance. Very few games are released simulating the actions of running an airline. Those simulations do come out most often end up being either extremely simple or extremely frustrating. Aerobiz is an exception. It combines excellent design, friendly interface, as well as accurate stats and historical incidents to perfectly capture the essence of running an airline. It is your goal to become the number 1 airline in the world. By: GoDSmurF

Graphics: 6/10

As most Koei strategy games go, graphics is definitely not one of their strong points. Unfortunately Aerobiz is no exception. The graphics can be appreciated by those who think simple and functional is good enough. But if you are used to playing games such as Killer Instinct and Donkey Kong Country series, you might be turned off by this game's graphics. Although this game would still be above average simply because of its very well animated plane animations.

Sound: 6.5/10

To be fair to this game, "sim" games never required an andrenaline-drenched sound track. Aerobiz does its music so perfectly for a "sim" game that it becomes boring. You have ten different songs to choose from. Every song represents a different part of the world. For example, you would hear unmistakable trademarks from the Japanese melodies to the fast Russian tap-rhymes, even to British elevator music! That's not really bad because what would you expect to hear in an airline headquarters in the first place? The sound effects are kept to a minimum though. That really hurts this aspect of the game. But then again, there really isn't much to actually make sounds in the game.

Play Control / Gameplay: 8.5/10

The saving grace for this game is its gameplay. This game delivers perfectly on what its name suggested. Aerobiz: Aero-air, biz-business. Aerobiz presents the actions of running an air business so perfectly that I am confident now that I can run an airline no problem. There are so many aspects to think of. Everything from the type of plane you get that would make customers happy, to the fuel economy of the plane, advertisement options, customer service expenditures, even running network promotions, are present in the game. You also get to invest in stock markets, buyout other small airlines to add to your network, increase your inventory of planes or sell off extras or outdated ones you don't need. You even get to build new sub-headquarters as well as hotels to increase revenue. You also have to compete with other airlines for slots in an airfield. You need to learn when to move in to a city and when to move out, learn to increase or decrease the amount of flights for a route. This game is easy to pick up, easy to play, but it will get hard as you achieve your ultimate goal. When you are running the game on hard mode, the other airlines are ruthless when it comes to wiping your airline network out of the market. However, this is not a game for everyone. If you never liked the simulation games, then certainly this game would not change your mind. If you are not interested in running an airline then also this would not be your game. However, if you are both a fan of the strategy/simulation genre as well as a fan of airplanes, then this game is simply a must-have.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

Although this game does not feature superb graphics, nor does it feature an orchestrated track with voice-overs, but the game play gets the job done. I personally had no clue when it comes to running an airline, but by the end, I learned at least some business strategies. This game is highly recommended if you have an open mind to variety.