With the desolate multiplayer population to the side, Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China will help satiate those hungering for a little bit of air combat in a genre that is in need of a few more good titles. Controls are mostly comfortable on the Xbox controller, though it would have been nice to see support for the HOTAS. There’s enough diverse content on offer to justify the generous price tag, but don’t expect to be blown away.
Flying Tigers: Shadows over China is an aerial combat game with a clear arcade tendency, which although it has some shortcomings, will please fans of a genre that has been forgotten for some years.
If you’re craving an aerial combat title, as not many release these days, then Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China will certainly get you through a slow weekend with nothing else to play. The $18.99 CAD price tag isn’t completely out of the ballpark, but that’s as long as you know there’s essentially no community playing this online, which is why you would keep continuing to play after the brief campaign is completed. Flying Tigers is completely serviceable for what it offers, but don’t expect to be blown away, even if the premise of experiencing rarely depicted battles excites you.
The aerial combat genre is a very under-represented and niche genre on the console. FT:SOC is a budget-priced game and it does feel like this; it might not be the title to bring in new fans but it gives existing fans a new title to while away a few hours. There's a fair bit of content, and the combat can be intense and challenging. However, the lasting appeal of the title will depend on the multiplayer arena, and given that the virtual skies were already relatively deserted and there is unreliable network behavior, this doesn't look too promising. This is a shame, because when it worked, it was good fun. Casual players might enjoy picking up the relatively quick achievements that are available, but this is mainly a title for those fans of the aerial combat genre.
Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China may have proven to be a bit of a let down with its campaign, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that the combat is rather enjoyable.
SummaryAn air-combat action game based on the true events of America’s secret volunteer squadrons that defended China against Japan in the China-Burma-India theatre of World War 2.