Heroes Over Europe (XBOX 360)

Gamecow’s Price	RRP $99.95     Save $10.00 $89.95
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Genre	General: Flight
Platform	XBOX 360
Release Date	17/09/2009
Rated

Heroes Over Europe (XBOX 360) Product Information

On September 1st 1939, German forces invaded Poland. A storm that had been brewing since the end of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles had broken. The German military engaged in a new type of warfare the speed of which stunned the world: Blitzkrieg. In the face of this ‘lighting war’ Europe collapsed with barely a whimper. In less than nine months Europe had fallen. How long would it be before the storm front plunged the whole world into darkness?

In the air things too were changing. Based on their experiences in the Great War, veteran pilots believed that the speed of the new aircraft would make dog fighting impossible. The marvel of human adaptability would prove them wrong. In the burning blue skies above Europe, a new age of air combat was born. It was unlike anything pilots had experienced before – or would experience again.

Heroes Over Europe features 14 planes of WWII, all fully customisable with localised damage. Fight ove Berlin and London, using contrails, clouds and the sun to hide and evade. Experience the thrill of a dive bomb attack and master the ace kill to blast your enemy with one shot.

Heroes Over Europe (XBOX 360) Review

Heroes Over Europe is another of those World War II games where you're given a classic war-time aeroplane and squadron after squadron of Nazi fighters to shoot down. After stalling in the hanger for a while, the game has finally been set loose on shelves for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Anyone with a hankering to experience ye olde dog fights of yesteryear can now pick up and play the game, but does Heroes Over Europe aim for the stars or bomb out before the pre-flight checks are complete?

In Heroes Over Europe, henceforth referred to as HoE (no, this isn't the first review to use that label), you get to play from the perspectives of four difference aces-in-the-making. You began as a rookie being taught the ropes by the British, before moving on to New Zealand and United States pilots doing their part in the war effort. Unlike the Ace Combat series, playing on the easy difficulty really is a walk in the park. Things are also certainly helped along by a healthy dose of checkpoints. Hamming up the difficulty can extend playtime somewhat though, with enemies becoming slightly more aggressive and evasive.

The single-player campaign begins over the green pastures of mother England. Mission locations constantly change as you delve further into the game. Each level begins with a lengthy briefing, where you get a run-down of the current state of affairs. Upon transferring to a new fighter squadron, different World War II-era planes become available. The number of machines in the hanger also grows as you tick off secondary objectives, and while this provides some incentive to replay HoE, the game is rather short with just over a dozen levels to complete. Players spend the bulk of their time behind the crosshairs dog fighting and bombing the enemy to kingdom come. However, after the third or fourth level, the prospect of downing another squadron of enemy fighters or performing one more bombing run becomes a very dreary affair.

The one feature unique to HoE is a gameplay mechanic known as ‘ace kill’. In effect, it slows the action down to Matrix-style bullet-time and allows players to zoom in on an enemy plane. And just in case you aren't unable to think for yourself, the game kindly paints the weakest points on the enemy's craft – such as the cockpit and engines – to ensure a quick and easy kill. Similar to sniping in Splinter Cell, your aim steadies over time so you place the reticule over the exact spot where a single shot is all it takes. It's fun using ace kill for the first half-dozen or so times, but it quickly transforms the game into a sniping festival. The feature also becomes a win-all button in what was already a very easy game.

Full review PALGN