Heroes of the Pacific (PS2)

The game has it's good areas but also bad areas, the worst part of this game is how many times you are going to see the "mission falied" screen. Some missions are near impossible and making yu feel like you've wasted your money. But don't let that put you off the game because if you like the war/flight sim genre then this will be a samrt choice.

Gameplay:
The way the planes handle and each mission is structured is immensely involving – there is so much action in the air with great sound effects and spectacular hits and exploding aircraft that you easily get swept away with the event that each mission becomes. The planes behave in a very realistic manner and once you engage a target it does its best to escape and turn the tables on you. Its so involving that you get the feeling this is what dogfighting might really have been like as you do your best to line your sights and complete the kill with shells exploding in the sky all around you.

Graphics:
Everything is well drawn and completely credible. Although not as polished as some offerings PS2 gamers have experienced of late, the visual style and quality match the period perfectly and go a long way to enhance the playing experience. To strafe a Japanese base manic with activity or see an enemy bomber explode in the sky is a truly rewarding sight.

Sound:
The sounds of the game are similar to the game’s looks – though nothing extraordinary they do a perfect job of assimilating you into the action. In a busy sky there can be noise all around you and it takes only a slight imaginative leap to believe that you are there and hanging onto life by the skin of your teeth.

Difficulty:
This game can be challenging. You’re given four difficulty levels, plus Arcade and Professional skill levels, and you have to be prepared to revisit each mission several times before you can complete it. Once you’ve been through your training and got the hang of things, however, this difficulty brings a huge sense of achievement when a level’s objectives are completed and you are rewarded with new planes and/or skill points to upgrade them. Each of your targets is marked with yellow chevrons (your closest/selected targets also get a distance readout) which makes things a little easier. Bear in mind, though, that the game requires perseverance. Who said war was easy?

Atmosphere:
This is perhaps the strongest aspect of Heroes of the Pacific There is more atmosphere here than in any other ‘real world’ game I’ve played – when you take to the air and start completing missions you can easily imagine yourself in the thick of battle with only a limited time to see your objectives through, and hopefully survive to fly another day. The strong storyline, which is absorbing and evocative, supports this and gives a real sense of time and place so you really feel you are part of a fighting force facing a great and powerful enemy.

All in all this game is well worth experiencing and has long replay potential – you just won’t want to stay on the ground.