Description:
WWII Fighters lets players strap themselves in a variety of American, British, and German aircraft and fight their way through a reenactment of the Battle of the Bulge. Gameplay ranges from single missions to a series of campaigns, and though the game isn't entirely realistic (you switch to new types of planes often during the campaigns), it still is a blast. WWII Fighters is beautiful to behold. Planes are modeled in great detail--when viewing your plane through the external views you can watch the flight surfaces respond to your commands and see the pilot in the cockpit crane his neck to track targets. Inside the cockpit everything is modeled in 3-D, and you can even adjust your virtual seat to get a better view over the instrument panel. We marveled at the real-time lighting effects, watching the orange rays of the setting sun glint off our wings as we twisted through the sky. It's a treat to watch tracers fly and bombs flash on the ground during a pitched nighttime battle. The flight model in this simulation is very forgiving, and it is nearly impossible to stall, but that doesn't detract too much from the excitement of a dogfight. The damage model is particularly impressive, making it possible to whittle an enemy plane to pieces with near-surgical precision. A shot in the right place will do anything from severing a rudder control wire to causing an entire engine to explode. Just remember that it works both ways. There are more realistic WWII flight simulators available, but few are as fun or as graphically appealing as this one. Novices and virtual pilots of intermediate skill will enjoy the fact that they spend more time fighting enemy aircraft than fighting their own controls, and WWII aficionados will love the CD-ROMs' historical content, which includes such goodies as interviews with aces like Francis Gabreski and Günther Rall. --T. Byrl Baker Pros: - Outstanding graphics--damage and explosions are rendered especially well
- Booming sound effects
- Ability to fly a variety of planes
Cons: - Forgiving arcadelike flight model with no real stalls
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