Heroes of the Pacific

With gads of planes and missions, a moving story mode, and total multiplayer functionality, Heroes of the Pacific sets it apart from the competition and puts this into the "worth owning" category.

I really liked the work done to give the game a 1940s feel and the overall quality of the game's graphics.

I'm not one for flight sims, but Heroes of the Pacific has given me a reason to enjoy the genre. [Sept 2005, p.57]

It is a very fun title, offering gamers a well-planned story with excellent graphics and enough simulator aspects to keep it fun but also make it a serious contender as flight sims go.

Beautiful and rather fun. Some missions are a bit too tough for their own good. [Oct 2005]

Though far from perfect, Heroes of the Pacific does a great job of combining a fun, loose aerial shoot-'em-up with real-life battles from the Pacific Theater of World War II.

The game boasts an excellent set of features. From a variety of authentic plane types to controlling wingmen to torpedo, dive bomb, and reconnaissance missions, Heroes stuffs in a healthy 12-14 hour single-player campaign and a functioning online component that works better on Xbox Live than on PS2.

Heroes of the Pacific isn't perfect but it's close enough for government work and the result is the most enjoyable dogfight you're likely to see on the current Xbox.

Relive those thrilling aerial battles in this low-key but surprisingly solid WWII flight sim, featuring plethora of aircrafts, modes and online support.

For those looking for a strict flight/combat simulator be prepared to be disappointed but if you're looking for a more arcade-like, high-flying action game with a healthy campaign mode the game has the goods.

For a game that captures the danger and heroism of wartime flying, look no further. [Holiday 2005, p.89]

While some of the missions are almost tooth-gratingly hard, the consistency and balance throughout makes these missions seem like a decent challenge rather than something that'll make you want to eat your controller.

The unwieldy mission structure and wonky planes take the edge off it a little, but this is ruthless, seat-of-the-pants stuff all the same, packed to bursting with breathtaking missions, throwing you into no-win situations with your plane half battered, forcing you to fight that little bit harder to survive. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The controls are fluid and the combat easy to get into which means players can jump right in and focus on completing the objectives without having to worry about fiddly controls.

I would have liked to see a few different modes or options on the online mode.

Every now and then, amidst the explosions, enemy fighters, and wispy clouds rolling by, you'd swear you were watching some CG re-creation on the History Channel. It's all pretty cool.

Some of the bombing runs in the solo campaign can prove quite arduous, but the dazzling pyrotechnics and adrenaline rush of flying your P38 Lightning through anti-aircraft fire make it easy to press the restart button if you fail your objectives.

A decent outing with decent air combat, but it's nothing you've never seen before.

"Underwhelming" is a word to describe Heroes of the Pacific as a whole. It's a game that is definitely competent but it just doesn't do anything special.

It might not revolutionise the Xbox and it won't appeal to everyone, but those looking to head to the skies and kick some ass will not be let down by the single-player campaign in Heroes Of The Pacific, while the multiplayer options add another dimension to the game, with the chance to send your mates hurtling into the drink with their tails on fire.

The game is easy to jump into and you'll be flying the unfriendly skies, issuing orders to Wingmen, taking down Japanese Betty bombers and Mitsubishi Zeroes in no time at all.

Unless you're tired of World War II games or really require your flight games to have extremely realistic controls, there is a lot to like in Heroes of the Pacific.

Some flight-combat buffs will probably dislike the game's loose style, but people who aren't necessarily looking for a pitch-perfect simulation of the conflict will enjoy Heroes of the Pacific.

The final marks I'm giving the game reflect my frustration with the defending aspects of the game and the poor implementation of Xbox Live, but if you're a fan of flight action games this is one of the better ones around.

A bit of a mixed bag. Astounding presentation, some very clever innovations (such as "Warp Speed" as standard on a 1940's aeroplane) and some very slick flight action is broken up by slowdown and a feeling that you've seen it all before.

If intense dogfights and Yankie banter sound appealing then Heroes of the Pacific is for you; sadly the repetitive gameplay is a major deciding for everybody else.

The sound in the game is as solid as it will get with engines sounding different on the varying planes, and the sounds of bombs and ammo flying all around you.

This is an extremely enjoyable blast fest that features a very slick 1940s presentation, a plethora of modes to check out, and plenty of real world planes to pilot.

A well put together play that is a vast improvement over most other flight sims of the genre. Whether or not you buy it depends on how dedicated you are to flight sims, or to historical gaming in general.

It's not quite the best of the best in its genre, but if you're interested in signing up, odds are you'll have an enjoyable tour of duty.

The most average flight 'em up we've ever played.