Released: April 14th, 2009 (US)
Developer/Publisher: Graffiti Entertainment
Genre: Arcade/WWII Flight Sim
Pros: Amazingly fun gameplay, pick up and play
Cons: Load times are a killer, no real story, lack of online players
In the dead of night, my fellow pilots and I head straight into the hornets nest with one objective; bomb these fuckers back to the stone age. What I had imagined would be a surprise attack, has quickly been reduced to a suicide mission. With the beach in sight, the skies begin to light up as a storm of bullets crash through the fuselage.
Taking heavy damages, the controls begin flashing red with warning of my impending death, but all of that is mute now. My target is in sight and as the bomb bay opens, I rain death upon my enemies. As the bombs penetrate the enemy outpost I can imagine the agony that is being felt below me. The hell I have unleashed is my final reward, for I will not make it back to shore.
Back To The Future
World War II is a time in history that is well known to console gamers, and Graffiti Entertainment is looking to teach portable gamers a thing or two. With missions inspired by actual events that took place throughout the great war, Air Conflicts: Aces of World War II is aiming to please those looking for action and history buffs alike. The story, however rich with history, is lacking any real depth.
Though each mission holds inspiration from the actual war, there is no set story line to follow. This lack of story leaves players with no real feeling of accomplishment after each mission. Actually, in true arcade form, you’ll be able to continue through the war despite a failed objective. Leaving players who want the challenge, the ability to return to failed missions and take a stab at the opposition again. Many of the missions themselves are quite bland, simply tasking players with eliminating all enemy aircraft, but that (surprisingly) doesn’t hurt the gameplay at all.
Sure you could ask for some cut scenes, some comradery amongst fellow troops would be nice as well, but when it comes down to it AC isn’t about any of that. Three or four missions into the “campaign” and you won’t care one bit about the missing content. Solid gameplay is the heart and soul of AC and once you grab the controls you’ll feel it.
Well Oiled Machines
Aircraft controls are spot on, with each of the 17 unlockable planes having a completely different feel. Small fighters will have you zooming around the skies and dodging incoming fire with ease, while massive bombers will empower you as you plow your way to the bomb site. The controls work great and feel very fluid, unfortunately the are also very simple. It would have been nice if barrel rolls and loops were integrated into your abilities rather than simple navigation. Don’t worry though, the lack of these stunts doesn’t take any of the intensity out of the fight, but the inclusion could have made for some easier dogfights. Most of your enemy encounters will end with you flying circles around them trying to line up a shot.
The main reason you end up in these cyclones of death is because the enemy AI is very intelligent, maybe too intelligent. Enemy AI easily outguns all allies from the start of each mission. In fact, it’s rather rare that you finish a mission with any friendlies left in the sky, making missions very challenging even in “Novice”. If you break formation for one minute, all will be lost for your allies. Seldom will enemy planes be the cause of your demise, however coupled with AA turrets and ground units, damage can mount quickly.
Mission Complete
Air Conflicts: Aces of WWII is not your run of the mill aerial combat game. One of the great things about AC is the fact that you can pick up and play a single mission with no drive, other than great gameplay, to continue. So gamers who are looking for some quick action that can be enjoyed on the fly, this is your game. The combat is engaging, every mission is fun to play, and you won’t have to waste hours getting into it.
I was surprised when I jumped online only to find no one else there. This has been a huge problem for the PSP, which boasts some great games for online play, such as this one. No matter how many times I refreshed the lobby list, or how long I waited in a hosted room for “at least one more player”, I never got a chance to experience the online portion. With support of up to eight players, this could be home to some amazing dogfights, so hopefully more people will pick this up and jump online.
This may not be the best aerial combat game around, but it’s pretty damn close. Fans of flight sims and even arcade shooters alike should get their money’s worth out of AC, just be ware of the long (and I mean ridiculously long) load times that break up the action. Other than that, I couldn’t have asked for more from an arcade/WWII flight sim.
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