Heroes Over Europe

Europe quakes under the weight of the Third Reich, and it’s up to Allied airmen to keep Nazis from rolling up on Buckingham Palace. Cheesy stock-footage montages elaborate on the war effort, and cut-rate cutscenes dramatize the lives of three pilots, but Heroes Over Europe focuses mostly on 14 missions of arcade action.

Each of the sharply rendered planes offers forgiving controls and a differing balance between weapon strength, flight speed, agility, and armor. Some missions require a particular bird, but often you’re free to hop into any unlocked craft. Lead a squadron of the RAF in a P-51A Mustang? Hey, why not?

Sadly, despite varied planes and objectives, the forgettable dogfighting engagements all blur together. The Alps glisten and London burns bright, but the graphics are far from spectacular. The framerate drops any time the action threatens to heat up, and the display fails to give even basic feedback about overheating guns and recharging “war speed” thrusters. The only element that generates any genuine excitement is the ability to slow down time for Ace Kills, which let you take out engines, pilots, and tail gunners with deadly accuracy. You can also chain your kills to become a one-man terror of the skies, and while this gimmick saves many missions from ignominy, it isn’t a strong enough hook to hang an entire game on.

Heroes Over Europe is shallow and dull, but it’s also inoffensive and marginally enjoyable. Dedicated pilots might find a few hours’ amusement, especially if a full crowd of 16 lights up one of just four maps in simple online battles. Still, there are too many superior alternatives for this game to be worthy of much consideration.