The world of video games has always been set in places, eluding a sense of escapism from the harsh vibes that plague the gamer's reality. Yet, be it the lead character that one would slowly get used to and gel with, or the frantic world of chaos and order that plagues mankind, video games have the power to be expressive in ways that no other medium can.
With that in the back of one's head, one should also be aware that video games take a lot of liberties with random objects and areas from real life and make them pop out more. A mission or a level in games can make or break a game, and one stand-out example is the way Uncharted 2 began with Nathan Drake hanging on a derailed coach off a cliff. Such things make the games memorable. Sometimes, such levels can be on airplanes as well!
5 Saints Row 3 – I'm Free - Free Falling
The Saints Row 3 game is highly regarded by fans of the franchise as the installment took the series down a different path and excelled at it. After a debacle of critics calling it a GTA lookalike, the 2011 action game from Volition had some of the weirdest stunts and over-the-top action that made it stand out on its own and parody a mainstream narrative.
The mission "I'm Free Free-Falling" set the game's tempo to its fullest. The Playa, along with Johnny Gats and Shaundi, is kidnapped on the syndicate's privately owned cargo plane. While a forced confrontation occurs, a series of shootouts follow in the cargo plane, with a grand finale where the Playa and Shaundi jump off without a Parachute. Yes! They land safely!
4 Uncharted 3 – The Desert Plane
It would be a sin to the gaming industry if this particular scene from this particular game was not included on the list. The Cargo plane mission from the Uncharted 3 game was so iconic that it was not only used in Tom Holland's live-action movie but the scene was used as a sneak peek to show the fans what they could expect.
Nathan Drake has his own ways of getting in trouble and is one of those game characters that have a knack for playing with death many times. The quirky icon sneaks into the cargo plane, heading to find the "Atlantis of Sands." As things get real messy, Nathan has to gunfight the private mercenaries before having to "Tarzan jump" himself off cargo drops before hitting the long deadlands of the deserts. Not only did he survive the crash, but Drake also had time to pose for the game's cover art!
3 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Protect The Russian President
Although Call of Duty games have simmered down in modern times, Modern Warfare 3 is a game that was met with great success, with fans and critics praising it for its campaign narrative and gameplay. The 2011 FPS game was released on all mainstream platforms and focuses on Russian warfare.
In the mission "Turbulence," the player takes control of KIA agent Andrei Harkov, one of the members of the Russian President's protection detail. The President calls for a council meeting with the other members and dignitaries to discuss specific intricate details aboard the "Command Point." However, things get nasty when a group of infiltrated terrorists endangers the President's life, and it is up to Harkov to save the day and probably save the plane from crashing as well.
2 Contra Force – Stage 4
Contra Force was released in 1992 as the third installment in the Contra series but was labeled as a spin-off focussing on four new playable characters, each with their own perks with weapon usage. The game has a total of 5 stages/levels: three are standard left to right view, while two use the top-down view.
In one of the top-down views stages, the player has to jump on (literally) and across planes while dodging bullets and firing at the enemies. If this was made into a live-action sequence, it could do very well as in one of the Mission Impossible or a Fast & Furious series.
1 GTA 5 – Minor Turbulence
GTA 5 has been a household name since its release in 2013. The game from Rockstar has aged like a fine wine, with frequent updates and PC modders pushing the limits of the game's engine. However, the gameplay, narrative, and new characters brought a fresh perspective to the series, and the fans weren't disappointed. As far as the graphics are concerned, the game still holds steady even today and is very much used for benchmark tests by various PC enthusiasts.
In context to the list, the mission "Minor Turbulence" sees one of the three playable characters - Trevor Phillips - take on the responsibility of hijacking a cargo plane midair in an attempt to loot a weapons cache. What makes this mission great is that the player would need to get to the cargo carrier (or crash-land into the cargo bay) via a duster! A simple task, but an awesome one!