Heroes of the Pacific
Take to the skies
Tags: Heroes of the Pacific Categories: PC Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Darren on Jan 16th, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Heroes of the Pacific (title page) | 1+ | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Flight Sim | Yes | ||
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UbiToft has delved into the flying genre, which is noted for being hard to make a good game from (Flight Simulator and X-Wing series aside). Nevertheless, if done right, a good flying game can be very entertaining for even the least of fans. Dipping its hand into the now well-drained cookie jar of World War II games, it is an ambitious attempt for the publisher to undertake. Have they done well?
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Firstly, there is a heap of modes and options to explore in Heroes of the Pacific. These include the standard campaign mode, flight training and historical section. I will start off by describing the flight training, which is essentially the tutorial mode. As you may already know, I believe that any game worth its salt needs a decent tutorial section; any that doesn’t feature one just shows laziness. There is a more than adequate tutorial section in HotP, which covers everything from the basics to the most advanced techniques of the game. This can prepare even the most inexperienced gamer in how to best play the game.
The game’s menu system and general presentation is done in a WW2 style; including the trademark advertisements which were around in that era. This is a nice touch, so nice in fact that I thought I’d mention it.
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Once you’ve completed the comprehensive tutorials, it is time to move onto the campaign mode; which has 4 difficulty levels. The story is based around real-life events in World War II, including the famous event at Pearl Harbour. The story is fairly immersive, and after a short while of playing you will find yourself completely immersed in the game. You take the role of a major pilot in a squadron, and you are involved in many important battles. Although most of them are inaccessible to begin with, there are 4 plane classes to choose from; each with lots of various planes. Each has their own primary use, and each plane has its own attributes.
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The main basis of the game is to carry out whatever order you’re given, which are presented as either ‘Primary Missions’ or ‘Secondary Missions’. In order to complete the level, you have to carry out whatever primary missions you are given; with any other side missions taking a back seat. These can range from simply destroying an enemy squadron to defending a vital asset. The game can be played from many different views, and you control a rather nimble jet; complete with weapons. An innovative feature for your use is something called ‘Warspeed’ which is essentially a turbo boost for your vehicle.
To keep the game interesting, there is a bucket-load of unlockable content for you to discover; including new planes to fly.
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The controls are passable, and they are responsive at most times; although you can get slightly disorientated in-game if you perform a very tight turn. The screen is very simple to understand, and is not bogged down with pointless information and statistics. The only things you need to take notice of are your life-bar and the distance from your target. An obsessively tight control is needed on both your speed and your position; so a steady hand is needed. Unfortunately, such a tight control is needed that using the keyboard is suicidal. You do have the option to use the mouse but I found it to be too imprecise. To get the most out of this game, you need to use a USB gamepad with analogue sticks. If you use a keyboard, the missions will seem much harder.
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The graphics are nice to look at, although you will be too busy with dogfights to be concerned with the scenery. Plane explosions are spectacular and at times, you feel that you are truly a sky fighter. Also, I experienced no slowdown in playing the game; which is surprising considering the quality of the graphics. The audio is equally as good, with your senses being overpowered by gunfire and explosions; and you are also treated to voiceovers on the ‘intercom’ from your commanding officer advising you on what to do next.
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I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of flying games; but anyone will find shooting down planes fun. HotP seems to be more arcade than simulation, which I think is an advantage. If it was meant to be pure simulation, it couldn’t compete with the powerhouse of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator. Instead, it plays in an arcade style; which makes it more fun. War-speed adds to the breakneck pace of the game, in which you are constantly on alert; as you need to give the game your full attention. You are surrounded with planes, some of which are friendly; some of which are hostile. Shoot at your allies planes and there will be hell to pay.
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However, the missions are much too hard at times; which begins to remove the fun of playing after the tenth or eleventh attempt. A checkpoint system is included so that you don’t have to play all the way through the mission again. Fail the mission just before a checkpoint, and you will be pulling your hair out; as it’s not unusual for one mission to take 20 minutes.
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Again, it’s not the kind of game that can be played with a keyboard; but it doesn’t even make a suggestion. Most people will not have a USB pad to use, so their experience will be greatly diminished. It’s not like flight simulator games when you only have to make slight adjustments, so a keyboard is ok. HotP is a quick game which needs fast reflexes and you need to make controlling your plane as easy as possible.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Exciting missions + Fast-paced gameplay + Good graphics |
8.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Needs a USB pad to play properly - Missions can be too hard |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| This is a game that caters for all players; from war enthusiasts to war-hating vegetarians. It may be war (slbeit imaginary) but boy it’s fun to play. | |
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Tags: Heroes of the Pacific
Posted by Darren on Jan 16th, 2006 and is filed under PC Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
