Before 'Top Gun: Maverick' there were already sequels to the movie. However, in video games and without Tom Cruise

Since its premiere in 1986, it was quite clear that, no matter how spectacular Top Gun was, it didn’t have much more to offer. The plot could be written in the margins of a napkin (and there would still be space left) and Maverick was not such a fantastic character as to keep us constantly mesmerized. So, was there any way to continue the magic of Top Gun without starting to tell outrageous stories that fill comic book pages or podcasts while the audience waits for the cinematic sequel? The answer is yes: by, of course, turning to video games.

The need for speed

Although most Top Gun video games have logically chosen Maverick as the protagonist, the truth is that it is impossible for Tom Cruise to ever accept that his image appears in any derivative product. In fact, he forced the withdrawal of an entire run of Mission Impossible comics because his character (who already had a different face) had a slightly effeminate gesture. So imagine with a video game, where any small mistake could result in a glitch on his face: Cruise is certainly not willing to let that happen.

That’s why, from the beginning, Maverick has appeared in the background or with a swarm of pixels that looked nothing like the actor’s real face. But that’s not the important part; the important thing is that the plot of Top Gun moves forward in some way, right? You can’t always repeat the same scenes over and over again. The perfect example is in Top Gun: The Second Mission, where our protagonist must face, once again, a mysterious enemy… which is clearly the Soviet Union. If the pilots have names like Gorky or Stalin, it doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

The three missions seem simple: destroy three enemy planes, including one prepared to go to the stratosphere. Going from the Top Gun academy to war criminal in just one game. From here, most games in the franchise didn’t provide much information about the story, focusing more on combat and aerial maneuvers. However, in Top Gun: Fire At Will, we do encounter Maverick again, now fully transformed into a leader, trying to stop a group of mercenary pilots, “The Outfit,” who will cause trouble in (what a coincidence) Cuba, Libya, and… North Korea. Good luck with that, buddy.

Later on, in the iOS version, Maverick, along with Iceman and other characters from the movie, has evolved and become a professor at the Academy, and he will teach you, a new member of the army who, as you can imagine, has to complete several training missions before facing the enemy in his F-14. Years after its release, Top Gun: Maverick completely annulled the plot of this little game and its sequel, but until now it was the furthest we had reached in the life of its main hero.

The case of Top Gun: Combat Zones is interesting, as it allowed players to play in three different eras set in Vietnam, the Gulf, and the Arctic Circle (in addition to having missions at the Academy). In this case, the PS2 and GameCube title dared to go further and not only did you pilot an F-14, but you also got to fly all kinds of cutting-edge aircraft. However, in return… It has nothing to do with the franchise beyond the title. Neither Tom Cruise nor officially advancing the story, but at the same time going further than the very Top Gun: Maverick, which, by the way, has not had its own video game. Are surprises coming before the third part? Don’t we deserve to feel the need for speed on the PS5?