Heroes over Europe
Preview
Become one of the heroes
by Marko Susimetsä
previewed on PC
The campaign
The missions in the skies of London include the burning of London, blitz by day and blitz by night, the Eagle Day – a Luftwaffe campaign to destroy the air defences of England – as well as a mission to defend Dover from German forces. France provides the setting for recon patrol, bombing and bomber escort missions as well as the epic Battle of the Bulge. Naturally, the mission list also takes us to Germany, not only to wreak havoc in Berlin, but also to escort the American 8th Airforce's attack on Schweinfurt ball-bearing factory on September 17, 1943.
Graphics
There was a time in my life when I looked down on games that offered graphics over content. Fortunately, many of today's games manage to offer great graphics alongside content rather than instead of it. And where else would you enjoy HD graphics more than when you are frying a plane over beautiful scenes? Heroes over Europe treats us to highly detailed landscapes and landmarks that stretch all the way into the horizon. You'll be able to fly over the White Cliffs of Dover, the French Alps, English Channel, as well as the cities of London and Berlin, with their own recognisable landmarks, such as the Big Ben and Reichstag.
What's more, many of the elements in the landscape will be destructible. I just wonder if the developers have been brave enough to make the major landmarks such as the Big Ben destructible, or if it will be the only thing standing after you've levelled the rest of London...
Multiplayer
Heroes over Europe offers four modes of online multiplayer for 2 to 16 players. The online game modes are Dogfight, Team Dogfight, Conquest Battle (destroy enemy base) and Conquest War (5 successive mission maps). It is unclear to me if the multiplayer always sets you up against your friends, or if you can team up with friends to fight AI controlled enemies. I hope for the latter, naturally.
The multiplayer setting also gives you the chance to customise your favourite airplane. You can paint your plane freely and add whatever stickers and insignia that you'd like to be included. This will make it easier to separate friends from the enemies when the action gets hectic.
Overall
Heroes over Europe may be a disappointment to anyone looking for a flight simulator. However, it will certainly offer attractive flying action to those who aren't that much bothered by the lack of realism in their games. Personally, I'm still waiting for the perfect WW2 air combat game that would mix a hefty doze of simulation and ease of play into one perfect package. Heroes over Europe may not be the answer to my prayers, but it will certainly help me tide over until such a game arrives to the market.
