Bogie on my tail! I’ll just have to defy the laws of physics! Review

Bogie on my tail! I’ll just have to defy the laws of physics!

Gotta pull a loop-de-loop! Oh, shoot! I’m flying upside down! Shouldn’t my WWII plane stall? Maybe if I head straight for the ground . . . Nope, maybe if I hit the ground . . . Wow, those old WWII planes must be the toughest things ever. They don’t make things like they used to . . .

Actually, they never made planes

like that. Welcome to Wing Arms, perhaps the most unrealistic WWII fighter

simulation ever. Unlike its well made counter parts, such as Fighter

Duel for the PC, Wing Arms throws reality out the window in order

to make it easier to play. I won’t even bother telling you the plot of the game.

Suffice to say that your mission is to get the bad guy. While the graphics aren’t

bad, the game play leaves something to be desired. Hey, I wanna fly that plane

with the wings swept forward and the propeller in the back!

The graphics are the best part of this game. With an attractive textured ocean, dotted here and there with a few islands, the gamer does get the feeling that he is fighting in the south pacific. With several planes to choose from, this game is visually pleasing at times. Just like every other game on the market, Wing Arms offers several different views, allowing you to see the enemy plane that is right on your tail. When you damage the other planes, you can see a trail of smoke following them through the sky, making it easier to finish them off. Unfortunately, the best graphics are seen in the introduction, while the rest of the game’s graphics are just average.

Perhaps the most unrealistic part of Wing Arms is the actual gameplay. First off, you have an indicator telling you where the closest enemy aircraft is. Wow, I didn’t realize that radar was that sophisticated in WWII! Second, you cannot stall, period. No matter how hard you try, your engine will not cut out. Even if your butting your head against a mountain, your plane just kind of hovers there. In ‘expert’ flying mode, the designers do allow you to control your pitch, yaw, and roll separately, but it doesn’t cover up the other unrealistic aspects.

Unfortunately, Sega couldn’t decide who their target audience for this game was. If you don’t give a hoot about the obvious reality problems and just want a game where you fly around and shoot things up, Wing Arms may be perfect for you, but you might be annoyed by ‘expert’ mode. On the other hand, if you’re a WWII buff, you wouldn’t think there was enough realism. Either way, Wing Arms is an okay attempt, but definitely needs more work.