Air Conflicts Secret Wars

Yet it tries to do something more than just put the player in the seat of an aircraft and point him in the direction of the nearest Luftwaffe patrol. On some levels, it gets things right, while on others it falls a little short.

Air Conflicts: Secret Wars tells the tale of a group of pilots during World War II. However, instead of being the flying aces of this air-force, or cadets taking to the skies for that nation, it tells of a group of partisan warriors; not members of any particular army, but allied with one none-the-less.

It makes for an interesting backdrop, one that hasn't been explored much in the past. But it doesn't have too much bearing on the game, other than giving the missions a slightly different flavour.

See, instead of the normal dog fights and bombing runs that one would expect from a game like this (and that are present, none the less) the game will also have the player doing sneaky supply runs and the like, adding a bit of variety to the mix.

The variety does get a bit stale through the game's 49 missions, though - although not to a degree that you wouldn't want to play them. And there's still a bit more to do here than your average World War II arcade flyer has on offer.

What scuppers the game to a degree is its lack of polish. A little more would have seen this one being really great, instead of its current status of 'fun distraction'. The missions are enjoyable, but sometimes the controls feel just a little off. The story is interesting, but would have benefitted from a little more depth, and some animated cut scenes.

That said, the game is fun, and the visuals are not bad at all, with detailed models and good effects. The controls aren't bad, although sometimes the hit detection seems to vary a bit, particularly when going for ground targets. The planes are responsive and fun to fling around, but some of the missions get a little too pedestrian. And sometimes the consequences of messing up don't seem to be severe enough.

For example, a stealthy mission in which the player is spotted results in having to shooting down a few more fighters, rather than in a nail-biting, 'how am I going to get through this' situation.

There are a lot of different planes to try out, and the arcade nature of the game gives the player some leeway in the ability to get airborne and have fun, without having to stress too much about the actual, real world physics of the situation.

It allows the player the satisfaction of blasting their way through droves of enemies with relative ease, instead of bogging down in pedantic detail. Basically, it's lots of fun, without becoming burdensome.

But it doesn't rise into the realms of being remarkable, when all is said and done. It's not a disappointing title - in fact, it can deliver lots of enjoyment in both single and multi-player modes - but it doesn't do much to make the player sit up and say 'wow'. It's good fun, and an enjoyable distraction%u2026 it will even deliver the player a satisfying gaming experience. But it isn't a revolutionary game-changer. And that's OK, really, because not every game can (or should) be one.