Jorge Dominquez // Thursday, November 3rd, 2005
// Printable version 
Heroes of the Pacific review
It's one of the most attractive flight action games to grace the PS2, but how does it play?
The battles of the pacific during World War II have inspired many successful games over the years and Heroes of the Pacific from Codemasters is the latest attempt to capture the interest of fans of the most popular war in history.
As a mission based arcade flight simulation Heroes of the Pacific gives gamers the chance take to the skies as a US Navy pilot and play a decisive part in all the major campaigns in a theatre of war where control of the skies was often the key to victory.
As the Crowe Flies
The game is built around your character Lt. William Crowe the son a US air force hero and an excellent pilot who learnt his trade flying crop dusters. The campaign mode takes you right the way through from the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour to the battles for the Philippines and Iwo Jima.
The story of Lt. Crowe’s life is told as the game progresses and is not bad as game storylines go if a little cheesy. Lt. Crowe seems to be on a mission to kill as many ‘Japs’ as possible in order to avenge the death of his brother Charlie on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbour. Throughout the game you (Crowe) are given opportunities to take on enemies that were directly responsible for his death.
Damage Inc.
The story is presented through the use of grainy newsreel footage, propaganda posters and a potted narrative of the pacific war and it has to be said that this is very well done. The 1940s style cartoon graphics of the menus and rousing music help to create an atmosphere and complement the game superbly.
The in game graphics are more than reasonable. The plane models themselves are very good and the backgrounds, whilst fairly sparse, are certainly adequate. The one exception to this are the clouds which are superb and really help to create the illusion of flying. So much so that a friend of mine was nearly physically sick during a two player dogfight although I must admit that he was a little worse for wear at the time.
Other nice graphical touches include reflections in the sea and the way in which damage is represented by small fires and plumes of smoke. One area in which the game is to be commended is the way in which it handles large numbers of planes.
In some of the missions the screen gets very busy with hundreds of planes in the sky not to mention other units on the ground and in the sea. Despite this the graphics remain clear and there is no noticeable slowdown even when you are flying into a squadron of bombers defended by a multitude of fighters.
Sound of War
The atmosphere of battle is further enhanced by the quality of the sound. Listening to a battle in surround sound is quite something, especially when your plane is getting peppered with machine gun bullets and AA shells are exploding all around you.
The background music also fits the game and, surprisingly, has survived many hours of play without becoming annoying. It’s not going to have you tapping your feet but it helps create an atmosphere without becoming intrusive like all good background music should. It must be said that the voice acting is a little on the cheesy side but you can hear commands clearly and it fulfils its purpose.
Aces High
It is always difficult to get the balance right between challenging and frustrating and any game that has you punching the air in delight after completing a mission has definitely got that balance right. There are four difficulty settings and whilst the game is fairly easy to complete under the first two, the Ace difficulty mode is quite challenging.
The fact that you can replay missions using unlocked planes means that fans of the game are likely to want to attempt missions again under a higher difficulty setting, which gives the game replay value. In any case, online and multiplayer play should mean that you are even able to continue playing the game once you have completed it as long as it builds up a good fan base online.
Spoilt for Choice
As discussed above the main Campaign mode of the game takes you from Pearl Harbour right up to the end of the war giving you a chance to play a key role in all of the major battles. Before each mission you are asked to select the most appropriate plane for it and can choose from Fighters, Dive Bombers, Torpedo Bombers, Bombers, and Experimental.
In fact, Heroes of the Pacific boasts a total of over 90 different planes. As with most games of this type you start with a pretty crappy plane and unlock better planes as you progress. Depending on the difficulty level and how well you do you also earn upgrade points that can be used to soup up your planes although I sadly couldn’t find the spoilers, blue lights and fluffy dice anywhere.
AI
The missions are varied enough for players to get experience of all the types of aircraft and they all handle very differently as you would expect. The dive-bombing missions are particularly well done and you get an enormous sense of satisfaction from hurtling downwards from the sky releasing a 1000lb bomb and sinking an enemy flat top. As well as having to choose different models of plane, some missions require that you take charge of your own wing.
The commands you can issue to your wingmen are very basic, attack, defend, break and form up. However, some of the later missions do require that you use them effectively. This is a bit frustrating as your wingmen aren’t actually that good and you do find yourself taking on the lion’s share of the work. The fact that they get very excited when they take out a single enemy says it all really. On the other hand, the AI of your enemies is excellent. It can be really difficult to shake off enemy fighters and most targets don’t just sit there waiting to be destroyed but do a good job of defending themselves and evading you.
Making History
The professional controls can take some getting used to as the right analogue stick controls both the throttle and the rudder. However, persevere with these and it can be very satisfying. If you can’t be bothered to spend a few hours in the games excellent Practice Mode, there are arcade style controls available which are more than capable of taking you through the missions.
In addition to the Campaign, Multiplayer and Practice modes there are five Historical missions to be unlocked that allow players to take part in missions that actually occurred during the war. When you see how tough some of these missions are you begin to wonder how those pilots actually made it out alive.
If your idea of fun is to spend an evening blasting enemies out of the sky and sinking carriers whilst coming under fire from all comers then Heroes of the Pacific is the game that you have been waiting for. It is reasonably addictive and is challenging enough to make you want to complete it. It will definitely appeal to fans of combat flight sims but I think that any gamer will enjoy playing this game. A sequel is already planned and I must say that I am looking forward to it.
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Heroes of the Pacific review
Then laugh at you and hate you
Then they fight you, then you win
When the truth dies
Very bad things happen
They’re being heartless again
I know it’s coming
(Want you to love me)
There’s going to be violence
I’ve taken as much
(Want you to be)
As I’m willing to take
Why do you think
(The heavens above me)
We should suffer in silence
When a heart is broken
(Eternally)
There’s nothing to break
You’ve been mixing
With some very heavy faces
The boys have done a bit of bird
They don’t kill their own
And they all love their mothers
But you’re out of your depth son
Have a word
I know it’s coming
(Want you to love me)
There’s going to be violence
I’ve taken as much
(Want you to be)
As I’m willing to take
Why do you think
(The heavens above me)
We should suffer in silence
When a heart is broken
(Eternally)
There’s nothing to break
All is wonderful in past lives
Dreaming of the sun she warms
You should see me in the afterlife
Picking up the sons of dust
When you think we're lost
We're exploring
What you think is worthless
I'm adoring
You don’t want the truth
Truth is boring
I got this fever need to
Leave the house leave the car
Leave the bad men where they are
Leave a few shells in my gun
Stop me staring at the sun
I know it’s coming
(Want you to love me)
There’s going to be violence
I’ve taken as much
(Want you to be)
As I’m willing to take
Why do you think
(The heavens above me)
We should suffer in silence
When a heart is broken
(Eternally)
There’s nothing to break
:trippin!!!
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