After Burner: Black Falcon - multiplayer hands-on

Co-op play will only support two players, but Black Falcon takes a refreshingly open-ended approach to the concept. You'll be able to jump into another player's game no matter where they are in the storyline, bringing all of your unlocked jets and abilities with you, and any points or money earned will apply to your progress in the single-player career mode. So if you're having trouble with a specific mission and have a buddy who's further along in the game than you, you can call them in and have them wreck whatever's standing in your way with their beefed-up jet.

The possibilities don't stop there, either. If you want to divide up the targets in a level, for example, one player can pick a bomber and murder whatever's on the ground, while the other takes a fighter and clears out the skies. To ensure that players in different jet classes can keep up with each other, the game will automatically adjust your speeds, making the slower player a little faster and the faster one a little slower.