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Pearl Harbor Trilogy - 1941: Red Sun Rising Wii
Metascore
70 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
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  1. NintendoWorldReport
    85
    Red Sun Rising is one of the better WiiWare games released yet, assuming you can adjust to the game's awkward style of controls.
  2. GamingTrend
    84
    The key word throughout this review has been "surprising." Pearl Harbor Trilogy: 1941 - Red Sun Rising is way better than it has any reason to be. Legendo, the developer, is definitely on the right track with this one. If any of this sounds interesting to you, this game can be purchased for only $7 on WiiWare, and I guarantee you'll have a good time with it.
  3. Nintendo Life
    80
    For those who survive it, Pearl Harbor Trilogy: Red Sun Rising offers a thrilling experience that will encourage returning to replay it again and again until the next game in the trilogy is released.
  4. PALGN
    80
    An immensely rewarding challenge, well implemented controls and a fair amount of bang for your buck make Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising one of the better Wii aerial combat games, and not just on WiiWare.
  5. Vandal Online
    80
    This adaptation of the PC game Attack of Pearl Harbor has achieved very positive results, and has a noteworthy duration for a downloadable game.
  6. Official Nintendo Magazine UK
    74
    Surprisingly deep given how in-depth and graphically impressive it is. [Sept 2010, p.93]
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  7. Cubed3
    70
    For the price, this is one flight you might want to take, but best strap yourself in for what is an initially rough ride.
  8. IGN
    70
    A problem I do have (and where I'll agree with Charles) is in the game's difficulty level -- this one's a bit too tough to get into, with an opening mission that's sure to send you to the Game Over screen more than once before you figure out how to fly through to success.
  9. Multiplayer.it
    70
    Good controls and visuals are the bright sides for Pearl Harbor Trilogy: 1941 - Red Sun Rising. Given the fact of the small price and the lack of competitors on Wii, this game can be interesting for lovers of the aerial combat shooters, but its flaws in terms of gameplay and level design can be very restraining also for the most firm virtual pilot.
  10. XGN
    70
    This game has a lot to offer but the difficulty is ridiculously high and it will take a while to get used to the game. If you love a challenge, the fair price of 700 Wii Points shouldn't bother you.
  11. D+PAD Magazine
    70
    Ultimately, whether or not Red Sun Rising succeeds or fails is a question of how much the player is enticed by either its historical setting or relatively niche genre. Awkward controls and a thunderous difficulty may threaten to spoil what is a WiiWare title of unrivalled depth and value, yet if you're ready to battle unforgiving AI, you'll find plenty of bang for your buck.
  12. Gameplanet
    65
    If you want the full flight/action WWII experience on the Wii then pick up a copy of Blazing Angels: Pearl Harbor. However if you've got a tenner to spare or some Wii Points to use up – and from the perspective of value for money – this is well worth a look.
  13. Everyeye.it
    65
    Pearl Harbor Trilogy - 1941: Red Sun Rising is a mixed-bag: it has variety, frantic action and solid graphics, but it's flawed by poor difficulty balance. Still a quite funny arcade, but not a must-buy.
  14. Eurogamer
    60
    With a bit more substance to the missions and a few control refinements it would have been a must-buy. Let's hope Legendo gets it right in time for the next two parts.
  15. Kombo
    55
    An air combat game with potential, marred by its own identity crisis.
  16. GamerNode
    20
    If you like jet shooters, WWII games, or games that you can play at all, avoid 1941: Red Sun Rising.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Vicsor
    9
    All in all this game is great value for a Wiiware game, with 2 campaigns to play, several planes to fly and a couple of extra game modes. Considering the limitations of the service, the graphical representation is surprisingly good. There's definitely a learning curve as far as the controls go, specifically the nunchuck's motion capabilities used to steer, but once you get used to it they work wonderfully. On the other hand the difficulty curve oddly seems to go in a downwards manner, in which the later levels of the campaign are surprisingly easy compared to the challenging first levels. A multiplayer mode however is sadly missed.… Full Review »
  2. WiiAndTheKid
    8
    So I remember my early experience with war flight simulators. The exact game escapes me but the controller is pretty typical. Big bulky flight stick with a million buttons and triggers and the suction cups on the bottom. First person point of view. Nothing but a pretty blank blue sky. A radar system I didn’t understand and the intense feeling of moving in slow motion. Waiting intently for anything to appear on screen to shoot at or clumsily launch a missile towards. Falling asleep during an all too slow chase of an enemy aircraft. Firing off every round of ammunition, and every tomahawk sidewinder in my arsenal and still not hitting as much as a wing tip. From that experience I learned to stay away from such mundane experiences as the flight simulator. I resolved that it just wasn’t fun for me. So from that experience you might wonder why I would drop $7 on “Pearl Harbor Trilogy - 1941: Red Sun Rising” by Legendo Entertainment. But I did. Initially the great artwork of the game drew me in, and then actually witnessing the action on the screen made me want to take the leap. It looked exactly how I imagined a flight fighter simulator should look; like WAR! Add in the use of motion control and it felt like a great gamble. The atmosphere of the game is spot on with 40’s style fonts and brown and copper color schemes. The story is told through comic book style cut scenes. The battles themselves are a blur of gunfire, smoke exhaust and explosions. Conquest music booms, as sirens blare and rattling gunfire flitters all around you. Legendo does an awesome job of dropping you in the middle of an era. You really get a great sense of being in the midst of a skirmish in the skies over Japan in 1941. You have several options at your disposal as far as control. There’s setups for the nunchuk and regular controllers, but for me the game shines when you use the motion control. To be able to control the pitch and yaw of your plane via the Wiimote is an extremely satisfying experience. It adds a great sense of connection between you and your plane. An interesting omission from the game is a health meter. You never really know when you may die in a fiery descent into the far east seas. All you get is a warning of “Critical Damage” when you’re about to find yourself in the middle of a fiery plane crash. Although this is very annoying when you start the game, due to the fact that you’re dropped in the middle of a losing battle in the opening level and are forced to survive and figure out the game at the same time, but it really adds to the reality of the experience. Real planes don’t have a health meter. In the midst of a real battle, you never know what that next bullet that hits your fuselage will do. A small, outside of the box idea that goes a long way to adding to the realism. A negative point of the realism may be the difficulty level of the game. I’m sure flying a plane in a war is just as hard, and harder as than the game makes it, but it could use a better learning curve. It took me at least 10 tries to even figure out how to make it through the first level, much less actually make it through. A training mode or a little more lightweight battle to begin with would have been extremely helpful to ease the player into the experience. You have to exercise patience and determination to continue to play a game that’s beating you down. Of course once you make it through that initial wall, this game is a very rewarding experience. The biggest downfall with this game is a lack of a multi-player mode. If you take this experience and make a 2 player dogfight mode and/or a wifi connect mode, it would be unstoppable. In time all things mature. So let it be the same with the flight simulator. As it grew, so did I. And now we have a great common ground to share in “Pearl Harbor Trilogy: 1941 - Red Sun Rising”. If only we could bring some friends along for the ride. 4…Sight…visuals 5…Sound…music and effects 5…Touch…controls 3…Engage…gameplay Score 4.25/5 http://www.wiiandthekid.com… Full Review »
  3. blondowl
    9
    This is the best action game available on WiiWare and one of the best flight games on the Wii. The controls are perfect and really helps add to the fun, and the aerial battles are very impressive with a large number of opponent enemy aircraft and friendly wingmen combating each other. The first mission in the game is Pearl Harbor which is quite difficult but very satisfactory, then again I guess that is what one would expect from a historical game such as this. For only 7 bucks this is a no-brainer as it easily trumps many Wii retail games both in terms of fun and quality.… Full Review »
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