There haven’t been too many flying games on the Xbox compared to say first person shooters, racing or sports titles. There have been a number of games going back in time to feature elements of war such as Call of Duty, Medal of Honour and the conflict games. So it comes as no surprise that another WWII game has hit the shelves but this time in the form of Heroes of the Pacific which refers to the US lead campaign in the Pacific Ocean. The game begins during America’s forced entry into the war after the attack on Pearl Harbour. So its hold on to your hats and chocks away as we take a nosedive into this war inspired flying game.

Gameplay

Heroes of the pacific is an arcade flying game which means if you are looking for an actual simulation game then you might feel a little disappointed. If you are not and you are quite happy with an aerial arcade shooter then you will feel right at home here. As mentioned earlier, the game begins as you join the fray during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. The opening of the game has a narrative similar to Brothers in Arms which helps give some background info on your character and sets the scene for the subsequent missions. The missions are based on real events during World War II however, obviously some artistic licence has been used with your one man super pilot! Once you are in the actual cockpit of the plane its then up to you to take off (which is very easy) and then tackle the mission objectives which are thrown at you via your communications with a commanding officer. The objectives come in many forms but nothing you wont have seen in any other flying game- things like defend area A or destroy targets B and then the familiar escort pilot C or give air support to ground unit D and so on. Some Bombing missions feature but again this falls under the destroy target B category. However, the game does offer crucial primary objectives but also some secondary objectives which are optional. Completing all of the objectives is no easy task especially as things happen so quickly and not only do you have to navigate the large areas but also shoot whichever targets that need to be destroyed. At some points in the game you will also have access to some wingmen which you can give some orders to such as form up, defend, attack, etc.

What separates Heroes of the Pacific from your regular flying game are the huge number of enemies on screen at any one time and where tradition flying games have waves of up to 4 enemies at once Heroes simply has loads; which means there is never a dull moment. What is more if you score well during a mission by destroying many targets and completing optional objectives you will gain more points which you can then spend on upgrading your aircraft. There are actually loads of aircraft to take to the skies (over 35 both American and Japanese) and are all based on their real life counter parts such as the awesome P40 Warhawk or the A6M Zero. The aircraft come in various groups ranging from fighters to bombers and as you unlock more you get to choose which plane to use for a mission; choosing the correct plane is crucial here. When you complete a mission the aircraft you were just shooting at become playable.

Actual combat and flying the aircraft is different for each plane and you will notice handling and firepower differences between the various types of craft on offer. Before undertaking a mission you do have the option to choose Arcade flight or simulation with the latter being a lot more difficult to control and requiring more precise moves on the thumb sticks. The actual combat mechanics are relatively simple as you can lock on to targets (which highlights the nearest target) and then let rip with you guns to take them down (no missiles here). You do have the option to zoom in for extra accuracy and also the choice of switching targets. It’s very simple and the main thing you will have to take care of is incoming fire from behind and stalling the plane if you bank too hard. Obviously if you hit the ground then it will be game over and a restart from the last checkpoint.

Graphics

The graphics are not bad looking with some excellent water effects and detail on the aircraft. The ground detail isn’t quite so good but adequate enough to provide a sense of scale and reality. There is a rather neat speed effect when you use a boost move on your aircraft and flying into clouds looks pretty good as well. Now there are going to be a number of gamers that compare this title to Crimson Skies and I must say that in terms of looks Crimson Skies wins hands down; however Heroes of the Pacific has the ace up its sleeve with the sheer number of enemies on screen at any one time and its great how the engine copes with up to 150 craft on screen at once. Not the best looking Xbox game but good enough to convey hectic aerial combat!

Sound

The sound is a full on experience and not only does the game provide an excellent narrative between each mission but also loads of in game speech via your communications with the base of operations and other craft. Combine this with the roar of the (mostly) propeller engines and continuous gun fire and you get a picture of the kind of sound on offer here- hectic! The music is really non intrusive here and the orchestral soundtrack will propel you into each battle.

Longevity

Heroes of the Pacific is a fairly lengthy game and features over 25+ missions and some un-lockable historic missions as well. Players can also replay each of the missions they have completed in the campaign mode and opt to use whatever aircraft (from a choice of 35) they choose. Combine this with four levels of difficulty and you’ve got plenty of flying action available. Heroes also features Xbox Live (8 player), split screen (2 player) and system link fighting for those looking to challenge their friends.

Overall

I found Heroes of the Pacific to be a welcome romp into flying and with the sheer number of targets available there was never a moment where one is searching blank skies looking for small dots to appear. The controls are fluid and the combat easy to get into which means players can jump right in and focus on completing the objectives without having to worry about fiddly controls. The presentation of the game is very good and fits the time period very well and of course the narrative and old movie footage added much atmosphere in between the mass killing. Anyone looking for a shooting game that isn’t so serious that it becomes a chore will do well to give Heroes of the Pacific a look. If you are not prepared to take the nosedive into your wallet then I suggest you rent first before you purchase. A solid flying title!