F/A-18 Interceptor

F/A-18 Interceptor was one of the flagship titles Atari released alongside the launch of the ST line, and it demonstrated then-unheard-of smooth real-time 3D rendering on a home computer. The player takes the controls of an F/A-18 Hornet fighter and completes a series of missions ranging from flight training and aircraft-carrier defense to direct combat against enemy planes, with the game emphasizing action pacing over simulation depth. Missions often connect into a broader scenario, so successfully landing on the aircraft carrier and refueling and rearming is just as important as the aerial combat itself.

The game's graphics used filled polygons instead of mere wireframe models, a remarkable feat for 1987 and one of the main selling points Atari used to market the ST as a more powerful alternative to both the eight-bit machines of the time and competing sixteen-bit systems. The controls combined a joystick with keyboard shortcuts for managing weapons, radar, and the aircraft's tactical systems, and the player could switch between the cockpit view and an external camera, which made orientation easier during carrier landing maneuvers. The colorful texturing of sea and sky, along with smooth animation of other aircraft, ranked among the best home computers offered in this category at the time of release.

F/A-18 Interceptor served first and foremost as a technological showcase for the new platform and played a significant role in how the Atari ST was perceived at launch - as a machine capable of delivering graphical experiences earlier computer generations could not manage. Although the game feels today more like a simple arcade title than a full simulator, historically it remains valuable as evidence of the ST's launch lineup and as one of the first titles to show the direction flight games on the platform would take, as well as how quickly the graphical execution of home computer simulators would continue to improve.

Why play: For collectors and historians who want to see the technological showcase of the Atari ST at its launch - by today's standards the game feels more like a simple arcade title than a full simulator.