new Nintendo Wii: WWII ACES
Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:53 am
Exclusive Preview: WWII Aces
Valerie Gorchinski - Military.com
Dec 21, 2007
"WWII Aces" for Nintendo Wii
Military.com was recently given an exclusive preview of the upcoming Wii title: "WWII Aces". The game is a historical arcade shooter with real planes, real missions and more aerial acrobatics than you can shake a Wii Remote at.
While what I saw was focused on the campaign mode, there are also co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. At the start of campaign mode, players are given a choice to fly for the Royal Air Force, the Soviet Air Force, or even the Luftwaffe and are then launched into historical missions flying actual aircraft from the era. Each plane is balanced differently depending on type (bomber, fighter) and model. New planes become unlocked for use as missions are completed (missions are replayable, for a new experience with different planes) including some experimental aircraft that I was shown (but can't talk about- you'll have to uncover those for yourselves).
As players progress through the (more than) 72 missions, they get a taste of several types of missions and advance through the ranks of command. Real aces earn actual WWII medals if they have what it takes to get through the bombings, paratroop drops, dogfights and other, as yet unknown mission types.
Perhaps the most exciting part of our WWII Aces preview was the controls. The developers took advantage of the motion sensor capabilities of the Wii and created intuitive motion controls that have planes rolling and looping, literally with a flick of the wrist. The Wii Remote is held sideways with both hands, as though the player was holding a steering wheel, a slight tilt to the right and the plane dips right and turns; a quick flick towards the player and the plane goes into a dramatic backwards loop. The best part is that the fancy flying isn't just for show; a well-timed barrel-roll could save your skin in a fire-fight.
Other innovative features included camera controls that allow the player to follow a bomb to be sure their target was hit without doubling back and doing a fly-by; and a Matrix-esque bullet time that slowed everything down to allow for better accuracy in close quarters.
WWII Aces is set to launch in early 2008 and looks incredibly promising so far. And while it isn't your only choice for virtual aerial combat, it may quite possibly be the most fun.
Valerie Gorchinski - Military.com
Dec 21, 2007
"WWII Aces" for Nintendo Wii
Military.com was recently given an exclusive preview of the upcoming Wii title: "WWII Aces". The game is a historical arcade shooter with real planes, real missions and more aerial acrobatics than you can shake a Wii Remote at.
While what I saw was focused on the campaign mode, there are also co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. At the start of campaign mode, players are given a choice to fly for the Royal Air Force, the Soviet Air Force, or even the Luftwaffe and are then launched into historical missions flying actual aircraft from the era. Each plane is balanced differently depending on type (bomber, fighter) and model. New planes become unlocked for use as missions are completed (missions are replayable, for a new experience with different planes) including some experimental aircraft that I was shown (but can't talk about- you'll have to uncover those for yourselves).
As players progress through the (more than) 72 missions, they get a taste of several types of missions and advance through the ranks of command. Real aces earn actual WWII medals if they have what it takes to get through the bombings, paratroop drops, dogfights and other, as yet unknown mission types.
Perhaps the most exciting part of our WWII Aces preview was the controls. The developers took advantage of the motion sensor capabilities of the Wii and created intuitive motion controls that have planes rolling and looping, literally with a flick of the wrist. The Wii Remote is held sideways with both hands, as though the player was holding a steering wheel, a slight tilt to the right and the plane dips right and turns; a quick flick towards the player and the plane goes into a dramatic backwards loop. The best part is that the fancy flying isn't just for show; a well-timed barrel-roll could save your skin in a fire-fight.
Other innovative features included camera controls that allow the player to follow a bomb to be sure their target was hit without doubling back and doing a fly-by; and a Matrix-esque bullet time that slowed everything down to allow for better accuracy in close quarters.
WWII Aces is set to launch in early 2008 and looks incredibly promising so far. And while it isn't your only choice for virtual aerial combat, it may quite possibly be the most fun.
