Blue Lightning (1995 video game)
A troubled conversion of a Lynx classic for the Jaguar CD.
Blue Lightning is a 1995 combat flight simulator for the Atari Jaguar CD, developed by Attention to Detail and published by Atari Corporation. It adapts Epyx's 1989 Atari Lynx game of the same name and was included as a pack-in title for the Jaguar CD. The player takes the role of a rookie pilot in the Blue Lightning squadron, flying various military aircraft through missions to stop General Drako, a United Nations officer who turned corrupt and used his influence to build a global organized crime empire.
The game was announced in 1994 as one of the first titles for the Jaguar CD add-on, promoted as a sequel to the Lynx original. However, its development was troubled. Attention to Detail struggled because the Jaguar CD hardware was still being finalized while they worked on the game, and the team had difficulty understanding how the original Lynx game's gameplay worked when recreating it for the Jaguar. Critics and retrospective commentators gave Blue Lightning a mixed reception. Opinions were split on its audiovisual presentation, while its gameplay drew criticism, often compared unfavorably to the original game, *After Burner* (1987), and *Air Combat* (1995).
**Gameplay**
Blue Lightning is an arcade-style flight simulator viewed from a third-person perspective, similar to the Lynx original and *After Burner*. The player controls a fighter pilot from the Blue Lightning squadron. The story involves General Drako, who once worked for the United Nations to maintain peace but gradually seized control of military organizations to expand his crime syndicate. After Drako's betrayal, some squadron members joined him, while loyal forces sought a chance to strike back. The U.N. assigned a rookie pilot from the squadron to stop Drako. Players can choose a save slot, customize it with a portrait, and select one of three difficulty levels. The options screen allows changes to controls and other settings.
The main goal is to complete missions across continents including Australia, Europe, North America, Russia, and South America, ultimately defeating Drako and his army. The player first goes through training missions before the main "Tour of Duty." Each mission becomes harder as the game progresses. After finishing all tour missions, a "final tour" sends the player to the Arctic, where most of Drako's forces are based. Progress is saved automatically after completing
- Developer
- Attention to Detail
- Publisher
- Atari Corporation
- Platform
- Atari Jaguar CD
- Release Date
- September 21, 1995 (North America and Europe)
- Genre
- Arcade-style combat flight simulator
- Mode
- Single-player
Lore & Background
Blue Lightning was announced in 1994 as one of the first upcoming titles for the Jaguar CD add-on, advertised as a sequel to the Lynx original. It went through a troubled development cycle; Attention to Detail faced problems making the game while the Jaguar CD hardware was being finalized, and the staff did not understand how gameplay from the original worked when recreating it for Jaguar. The game was developed by British studio Attention to Detail, which previously worked on Cybermorph for the Jaguar. The soundtrack was scored by Ian Sharp, with additional music by Will Davis, and featured voice work by comedian Rob Brydon.
Reader's Guide
Blue Lightning is significant as one of the pack-in games for the Atari Jaguar CD, intended to showcase the add-on's capabilities. However, its mixed reception highlighted the challenges of porting older titles to new hardware. Critics noted that aside from pre-rendered cutscenes and soundtrack, there was little to distinguish it as a CD-ROM game. The game's development was marked by technical difficulties and staff dissatisfaction, with graphic artist Kristi-Louise Herd calling the scanned backgrounds 'awful' and leaving the company. Retrospective commentators have compared it unfavorably with After Burner and Air Combat, and the game is often cited as an example of the Jaguar CD's underwhelming software library.
Did You Know?
- Blue Lightning was originally announced under the name Blue Lightning 2 before being released with its final title.
- The game's levels were built using MS-DOS, with designers typing letters on the keyboard to create objects like rocks and tanks.
- Attention to Detail hired an aircraft and a flight suit for a photo shoot, using the photos as portraits for the pilot selection screen.
- Graphic artist Kristi-Louise Herd left Attention to Detail partly due to her discontent with the game's digitized background graphics.
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