Summary
The game that defined all future WWII air combat simulators
The Good
First of all, this game single-handedly got me interested in WWII, and therefore I love it. The manual's historical information drew me in, and as I read about the exploits of the heroic pilots of the War I wished I could have been there to experience it. I loved learning about those old planes, but being able to actually fly them was such a great feeling. I gained tremendous respect for the WWII soldiers, sailors, and pilots because of this game. So I guess you could say the thing I liked most about the game was the learning experience it gave me.
But on the technical side, I was blown away by the VGA graphics. These were the most advanced graphics I'd ever seen. They made my older games like Gato and F-15 Strike Eagle look so primitive. The game ran fast, the sound was good, and it was very challenging! Flying a TBF Avenger against Zeros was really hard, and I was able to see why they had such terrible losses during the war.
The Bad
The game was only limited by the technology at the time, and it's hard to find anything wrong with it. I would love to see an updated version similar to Microprose's European Air War with 3D SVGA graphics, more planes in the air, more types of planes represented, etc. My only complaint is that the missions didn't have any type of randomization, and also the missions didn't have a whole lot of planes in them (I think the limit was like 16 or something).
The Bottom Line
Incredible! If there's any way, you should find a copy of this game and play it. Also, we need to start a writing campaign to LucasArts and Totally Games and get them to either update these old games, or make new ones (maybe a BattleHawks 1943?).
