Interactive said the goal was to provide "intense action and realism, while offering a user-friendly design". James Tolkan reprised his role as Commander Hondo from the previous game. In the United States, Top Gun: Hornet's Nest was released for Microsoft Windows in early December 1998. Reception GameSpot's Denny Atkin was negative to the game, calling the game as frustrated and not fun, also criticising the difficulty for beginners and veterans of flight sim genre. Jeff Lackey of Computer Gaming World believed the game would be too arcade-like for simulation fans, and too difficult for casual gamers. He believed it would appeal to action gamers who enjoyed nonstop combat and puzzle elements. Dean Evans of the United Kingdom's PC Gamer described it as a "limited, bare-bones" game. Jeremy Wells of PC Zone considered the game too simple and too short, and recommended other better flight sim titles to play. Andy Mahood of Gamecenter considered the game an uninspired "rehash of an aging movie concept". He also found the game short, and lacking replay value because of it. Marc Dultz of GamePro stated that the game would not appeal to casual flight simulation gamers. Nick Smith of AllGame was more positive of the game despite acknowledging its flaws. T. Liam McDonald of the U.S. PC Gamer was critical of the previous game, and found Hornet's Nest to be worse, stating that the latter game was only superior with regard to its terrain engine. Tom Chick of Computer Games Strategy Plus considered the terrain adequate but otherwise was critical of the graphics. Mahood said that the terrain and aircraft visuals, although reasonably sharp, are also bland and colorless. Atkin praised the sound and graphics, but the terrain was deemed as polygonal. Dultz criticized the basic graphics and wrote that with the lack of high-definition detail, it was often difficult to tell where the sky and ground met. Evans considered the Hornet aircraft "neatly textured and detailed" but was critical of the outdated landscaping. Dultz opined that the Hornet plane barely resembled its real-life counterpart. The player's wingman was criticized for poor artificial intelligence. Dultz stated that the wingman may sometimes unwittingly crash into a mountain or the desert floor, even though his gas tanks have been topped off and he was never once fired upon. The difficulty was also criticized. Dultz noted that player and enemy missiles almost always destroy their target, making