Attack on Pearl Harbor

It's certainly not a far-fetched idea to make the claim that World War II has become the video game battleground of modern gaming. Seriously, how many games out there have fixated themselves on the famous Battle of Normandy? The Ardennes Offensive? The Battle of Britain? Many of these games love to focus on the detail: the grit, the gunpowder, the guts and the gore.

Then comes Legendo's Attack on Pearl Harbor, an arcade flight shooter that does absolutely none of the above. Here is a game that takes everything that the World War II genre has founded, and throws it all away. A simplistic and enjoyable romp, Attack On Pearl Harbor places the pilot at the controls of the aircraft of both Japanese and American navies, for a no-holds-barred slugfest from Honolulu to Tokyo, and everywhere in between.

Attack on Pearl Harbor is presented in an entertaining comic book style that chronicles the adventures of the main character, which the gamer controls. While the style is definitely there, the delivery is a bit off. At the end (or beginning) of each mission, the player is greeted by a specific character (President Truman, some random nurse, etc) who has one line and then updates the player on your current rank and stats. This is both amusing and grating; it's irritating to see a blonde bombshell go "Oh, Ryan! When will it all be over? YOU HAVE 1250 RANK POINTS AND NEED 2000 TO CONTINUE TO THE NEXT…." You get the idea. From there, you select a mission from the available list, and you are instantly thrust into the action.

Controlling fighters and bombers is exceedingly simple - so much so as to be inhibitive to the overall experience of flying. There is no complicated method of throttle control, flaps, landing gear, ignition, or the like. There are three flying speeds available: fast, medium, and slow, with little variation in between. Taking off is as simple as pressing the "X" key. Landing gear is automated, as is completing the mission - simply fly off the map. While this certainly lends to being able to jump into the action, it would have been nicer to have at least a few moments to attempt a take-off or landing, even if it is grossly simple.

Maneuvering is equally brain-dead. Pitch and yaw only allow the pilot to move in general up, down, left and right directions, no more. Immelman turns, barrel rolls, loop-the-loops and other maneuvers are strictly prohibited in Attack on Pearl Harbor. This is a point that is largely irritating in the game. Much of the intensity in flight simulations, even arcade ones such as flight mode in the Battlefield series, relies greatly in the ability to out-maneuver the enemy in a battle of skill and wits. Attack on Pearl Harbor strips this away in favor of simplicity. Unfortunately, I suspect that in this process of simplification, they have also removed the larger portion of the World War II flight combat fanatics.

What does exist in favor of Attack on Pearl Harbor is the entertainment value of combat. Suffice to say, the explosions and gratification factor of the battles are intense, to say the least. Bombing runs against aircraft carriers and battleships are some of the best experiences in flight combat to date. Though, yes, the fiery explosions of doom that rise in demonic plumes of smoke and ash from the dying carcasses of the naval enemy are largely exaggerated, they do make it incredibly satisfying to play. Flight combat, similarly, is very much like the vintage 2D scrolling shooters of old in that the pilot is not simply fighting a one-on-one battle, but is instead faced - often on his own - against an entire squadron or two of enemy fighters and bombers! Wave after wave of buzzing enemy fighter planes come into the battlefield, and it is the pilot's job to make sure that they don't come back alive, using what little maneuvers they have available to them. The gameplay is very gripping, and will often result in verbal taunting left and right.

The mission play keeps the speed up, as no single level lasts more than five minutes or so. In addition, the mission selection offers the player several different types of missions, based on gamer preference. At any one time, the player will be given the option to bomb carriers and battleships, perform sorties against enemy bases, perform air superiority runs, or simply defend his or her own shorelines against waves of incoming aircraft. This keeps the gameplay of Attack on Pearl Harbor as fresh as possible, and alleviates the boredom of the lack of complexity in the gameplay. Furthermore, there's no lack of gameplay to be had here. There are two complete sides to take part in, both American and Japanese. Each side also has two whole campaigns, with about ten missions or so apiece, so this is no fifteen-minute game.

The multiplayer factor is also incredibly simplistic, limited to dogfighting or team dogfighting. However, this falls slightly shy of the marker, as games are incredibly laggy and buggy, and prevent any sort of enjoyment in-game. Lag-warping, inaccurate target detection, and an all-around lack of direction lend the multiplayer factor to being a very aggravating experience, with very little substance or satisfaction.