History VideoGame / AeroFighters

* ExcusePlot: A terrorist organization called Fata Morgana is trying to TakeOverTheWorld with the help of some otherworldly creatures known as the Hildroids? The protagonists are part of an international peacekeeping force called "Project Blue" trying to stop them. Project Blue and the terrorists were only mentioned in the manuals for ''Special'' and ''Assault'', whereas the Hildroids are mentioned a grand total of ''once'' during "The Man"'s solo ending in ''Aero Fighters 3''. The first two games? Didn't explain whoever the bad guys are ''at all''.

* EverythingsBetterWithPenguins: [[spoiler:There's a secret ending in ''Aero Fighters 2'' and ''3'' where a special final boss shows up. Regardless of whether or not you beat it, you get an ending with a penguin saying "Heh heh!"]]

* ContinuityCameo: The third game features Captain Waffle and his wife Camille from ''VideoGame/SpinalBreakers'' (a 1991 game made by the same company) as playable characters.

* AllJustADream: Mao-Mao's ending in the first ''Aero Fighters'', in which she seems to have [[FallingIntoTheCockpit accidentally gotten stuck]] in her fighter which is fighting on its own.

** Mao-Mao and Hien can also fit, with Mao-Mao being young and enthusiastic while Hien is much more stoic and reserved.

* TimeStandsStill: Mao-Mao's smart bomb.

A top-down scrolling ShootEmUp series by Video System, known as ''Sonic Wings'' in Japan (and sometimes in the rest of the world) (not to be confused with Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog). Known for having a variety of characters, ranging from stock nationality clichés to [[HeroicDolphin a dolphin]] and an infant.

* AllJustADream: Mao-Mao's ending in the first Aero-Fighters, in which she seems to have [[FallingIntoTheCockpit accidentally gotten stuck]] in her fighter which is fighting on its own.
* AmbiguousGender: Angela, full bore. For starters, the character's called ''Steve'' in ''Aero Fighters 2''. Everywhere else (''Sonic Wings 2 include''d), they're called Angela. All you have to do is figure out why the translators felt justified in that. Making matters more difficult is that different ending pictures depict them as male ''or'' female. ''And'', in Sonic Wings, Angela uses [[{{Bokukko}} male pronouns]]. The best example of the situation is to compare their endings with Hien and Ellen. Pay close attention to how [[GodivaHair their hair is falling in each one]]...

* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Sonic Wings 3 starts with a surprise attack that destroys the modern jet fighters, which is why the players are piloting WWII era aircraft.

* ExcusePlot: A terrorist organization called Fata Morgana is trying to TakeOverTheWorld with the help of some otherworldly creatures known as the Hildroids? The protagonists are part of an international peacekeeping force called "Project Blue" trying to stop them. Project Blue and the terrorists were only mentioned in the manuals for ''Special'' and ''Assault'', whereas the Hildroids are mentioned a grand total of ''once'' during "The Man"'s solo ending in ''Aerofighters 3''. The first two games? Didn't explain whoever the bad guys are ''at all''.

* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The alternate final bosses: Gorgonzula the KillerSpaceMonkey in 1, Tenukie the BedsheetGhost in 2, and Soh-Takeko the Mahjongg-Tile girl in 3.

** The "special" Final Boss in ''Aero Fighters'' is called "Gorgonzula" in the manual but "Mohetu Saru Bomb" (Super Monkey Bomb) ingame (though indirectly, on the screen of a movie theatre in one of the endings). Incidentally, the Japanese versions aren't consistent with his name either, alternating between "Super Monkey Bomb" and simply "Monkey".

** The BonusBoss of ''Sonic Wings 3''[='=]s final stage is preceded with a black ball that displays the following text:

--> [[Film/UnderSiege BOMB THE TERRORISTS' BATTLESHIP]][[note]]US stage[[/note]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: The first Sonic Wings was one to ''Turbo Force''.
** After the first game was released, its director Shin Nakamura left Video System over CreativeDifferences (Nakamura wanted to keep making vertical shmups in the traditional 3:4 aspect ratio, while Video System wanted to focus on the Neo Geo which only supported a standard 4:3 aspect ratio) and founded Creator/{{Psikyo}}, which used ''Aero Fighters'' as the blueprint for the many vertically-scrolling shmups it would release until its bankruptcy in 2001 . Psikyo's first two games, ''VideoGame/SengokuAce'' and ''Gunbird'' were especially similar to ''Aero Fighters'' as they retained the mechanic of the highest power-up level having limited ammo.

* VideoGame3DLeap: ''Assault'' is a ''Starfox''-ish flight sim as opposed to a top-down shoot-em-up.

* SharedUniverse: ''Aero Fighters'' acts a "Hub" franchise for a number of other Video System games, including ''Rabio Lepus'', ''Lethal Crash Race'', ''Tao Taido'', ''Karate Blazers'', ''Spinal Breakers'', and ''Turbo Force''.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: The joke final boss in the first game was a monkey, which has since appeared in other games combined or attacking with the last stage's mid boss.

* WidgetSeries: Mainly because of the huge contrast. The characters and some of the final bosses are wacky, but the rest of the game looks like any other generic military shoot'em up.

* ExcusePlot: A terrorist organization called Fata Morgana ([[InconsistentDub or was it]] ''Phutta'' Morgana?) is trying to TakeOverTheWorld with the help of some otherworldly creatures known as the Hildride ([[InconsistentDub or are they]] Hil''droids'')? The protagonists are part of an international peacekeeping force called "Project Blue" trying to stop them. Project Blue and the terrorists were only mentioned in the manuals for ''Special'' and ''Assault'', whereas the Hildride are mentioned a grand total of ''once'' during "The Man"'s solo ending in ''Aerofighters 3''. The first two games? Didn't explain whoever the bad guys are ''at all''.

** Later games have a more traditional-looking saucer called the Spinning Rose ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which spins]]), which usually appears during the final stage.

** The boss of the Hawaii stage in ''Aero Fighters 2'' is one of these.
** Later games have a more traditional-looking saucer called the Spinning Rose ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin which spins]]), usually during the final stage.

* FlyingSaucer: The boss of the Hawaii stage in ''Aero Fighters 2'' is one of them.

** Many characters who get a DubNameChange revert to their original names in later games, including the characters Steve (Angela), Cindy (Cincia), Kohful (Kowful) and the bosses Amadan (Bazeel) and Deathskull (Pandora).

** The "special" Final Boss in ''Aero Fighters'' is called "Gorgonzula" in the manual but "Mohetu Saru Bomb" (Super Monkey Bomb) ingame. Incidentally, the Japanese versions aren't consistent with his name either, alternating between "Super Monkey Bomb" and simply "Monkey".

* ExcusePlot: A terrorist organization called Fata Morgana ([[InconsistentDub or was it]] ''Phutta'' Morgana?) is trying to TakeOverTheWorld with the help of some otherworldly creatures known as the Hildride ([[InconsistentDub or are they]] Hil''droids'')? The protagonists are part of an international peacekeeping force called "Project Blue" trying to stop them. Project Blue and the terrorists were only mentioned in the manuals for ''Special'' and ''Assault'', whereas the Hildride are mentioned a grand total of ''once'' during "The Man"'s solo ending in ''Aerofighters 3''. The first two games? No plot ''at all''.

* GuestFighter: Ships from ''VideoGame/RabioLepus'' and ''Turbo Force'' appear as secret characters in several games. And in ''Aero Fighters Special'', it gives up a few more such as some of heroes from ''Karate Blazers'' ending up flying a plane with its owner, whom they're introduced to after beating the first level.

* ''Aero Fighters 1'', dedicated arcade hardware.

* ''Sonic Wings Special'', released for the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn and the Playstation.

** ''Aero Fighters'':The capsule that releases one of two Final Bosses can be destroyed before it does so, and the game's ending will change to reflect this.
** ''Aero Fighters 2'':The final stage of the Mexico boss has randomized health, sometimes it'll only last a few seconds before exploding, sometimes it'll skip straight from the penultimate stage to the explosion.

* ShaggyDogStory: Some of the endings including the flight crew can't find the girl they're supposed to rescue, and a boy and his cat, after crashing their plane, has the boy being locked up by his parents for crashing the plane.

* ShroedingersPlayerCharacter: Beat the game as "The Man" solo and he is revealed to be Captain Waffle from ''Spinal Breakers''. Beat the game in co-op and he's revealed to be... ''just some guy''.

** Many characters who get a DubNameChange revert to their original names in later games, including Glinda (Glenda), Steve (Angela), Cindy (Cincia), Kohful (Kowful) and the boss Amadan (Bazeel).

** The "special" Final Boss in ''Aero Fighters'' is called "Gorgonzula" in the manual but "Mohetu Saru Bomb" ingame. Incidentally, the Japanese versions aren't consistent with his name either, alternating between "Super Monkey Bomb" and simply "Great Ape".

* VideoGame3DLeap: ''Assault'' is a ''Starfox''-ish flight sim as opposed to a top-down shmup.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: The smart bomb of the F-14 in ''Aero Fighters'' consists in a salvo of Tomahawk cruise missiles