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Mediocre - Par Excellence

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: December 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

World War 1 is back and shunning the actual historical impact of the bi-planes of old, it is your duty as Benjamin, (you're always Benjamin regardless of your pilot name) British Ace supreme, to rid the world of the evil Triple Alliance. WoW (false moniker mind you) takes the misery of trench warfare to the skies where you shoot down generic plane after generic plane after generic plane in a series of unconnected missions spread throughout thirteen unconnected levels which each greatly resemble each other.

The game boasts a number of planes for both the Germans and the British, each with listed Speed, Maneuverability, Firepower, and Endurance levels. Unfortunately, the planes are so similar that these numbers are largely meaningless. Instead, the only thing to look at is whether the plane you're flying falls within the fighter, scout, or bomber classifications. Those really translate to fast, slower, and slower still when it comes to comparisons. As you play through campaign levels, which are all British, you can unlock these planes, but due to their great similarity, there is no real sense of accomplishment even after finishing the entire game and unlocking the supposedly uber fighters.

Within each campaign mission you have no control over which plane you get to fly. You're given one in the beginning, and unless you decide to take on one of the many bonus missions strewn throughout the level, odds are it will be the only plane you get to fly. Unless, of course, you go through one of the many rail-shooter sub-missions where you get put in back seat of the mysteriously appearing bomber and you have to keep German fighters off your tail while dropping bombs on enemy installations.

The flight controls for the game have been dumbed down, even for an arcade flight sim. They would be very well suited for mouse control, but unfortunately that is not possible. You can turn off the arcade controls, effectively separating your rudder from your ailerons. Still, it's impossible to stall and your ability to bounce off obstacles is laughable. If you combine this mindless control with the mindless turkey-shoot set-up of the levels, you find yourself with a game that becomes tedious after the first few levels.

That's not to say that everything is just blah. If the game can redeem itself, it's on the graphics end of the spectrum. It has a nearly limitless horizon and the weather effects are amazingly well done. Starting with the second half of the campaign, you find yourself in well crafted levels with gulleys and ravines that just beg to be flown through. These are a great departure from the standard flat levels found before and after this little slice of heaven.

The sound effects aren't bad - though the engine power-up makes your fighter sound like a shop-class Honda with straight pipes. The voice-acting is amazingly well done, the entire pre-mission briefing is read out-loud and there are a number of in-flight voices as well. Anything from mission briefings, personal comments, and the taunts of an approaching Ace will pop up from time-to-time to disrupt the incessant engine drone. Unfortunately, there's not enough variety and you'll hear everything there is to hear within the first mission.

This game is a steal though, it started on the bargain list and can only go cheaper. If you're looking for something that doesn't require much effort or skill then this would be a nice buy. It's great for a couple hours of stick time, but don't expect any great replay value. Try the demo, if you can play that through a couple times, then you won't be seeing anything new if you buy the game.

Wings of War Review by Ed Rhodes

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I found this WW I flying game very fun to play. The graphics are outstanding and I would strongly suggest your computer meet the minimums for graphics, memory and processor speed. Just going through "flying school" presented a real challenge. Much detail was programmed into this flight game and it presents a very realistic presentation. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys well detailed and challenging air war games.

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