Developer: Acme Interactive Publisher: Namco Release: 1992 Genre: Action
When the SNES released Mode 7 was the talk of the town. For the first time on a home console a 3d playing field could be simulated convincingly. Nintendo did an excellent selling us on the technology with Pilotwings and F-Zero. Pilotwings in particular began my fascination with flight simulators, a genre that for the most part was the domain of PCs. That game led me to rent Wings 2: Aces High, a game that I would have otherwise ignored. While Wings 2 was not everything I expected it was much better than I anticipated as well.
Wings 2 takes place during World War I. As a member of a British squadron you receive various missions to stymie the efforts of German commander Kaiser Wilhelm II. You have five pilots and the game is interesting as it tells its story from an international perspective. Hardcore flight sims traditionally avoid consoles. While the occasional Top Gun or Flight of the Intruder hit the NES they were usually dumbed down and arcadey. Wings 2 is a little closer to the PC flight sims which means its controls are more difficult to manage. Those that put in the time to learn its mechanics will find a unique title from that generation.
Every pilot has four stats: flying, shooting, mechanics, and stamina. There is no difference in performance between each character so pick whoever you like. In addition between missions based on your performance you can raise their stats using points based on performance. Completing missions successfully earns a lot and in dogfights how fast you kill your rivals earns more. If you are good you can max out one pilot after three or four missions although it is not likely.
Missions come in three categories. The most common are dog fights. Here you are placed in an arena and tasked with shooting down one or more enemy planes. Although there is no clock on screen there is a time limit before they simply fly away. Bombing missions take place in an overhead view. You are shown a photograph of a target that needs to be destroyed in one bombing pass. Strafing missions are the hardest. These are straightforward; fly in a (mostly) straight line and bomb the targets given. But the controls and speed in general make this complicated. In fact the game’s controls might be its most divisive element.
The handling in Wings 2 is more realistic than the arcade style titles that populate the genre. In the dog fighting missions you have to manage throttle and altitude while trying to maneuver. You can fly upside down and at a 90 ° angle but at high speeds these can cause you to stall out and crash. You can use L + R to make tighter turns but in general the controls are not very intuitive at first. Once you adjust they are manageable. Strafing runs are not as bad; using the shoulder buttons is more effective for moving to the side than the D-pad. Bombing missions are straightforward for the most part; you only need to take into account momentum when dropping bombs. It sounds like I am making excuses but after the initial adjustment they did not bother me much.
The difficulty curve in Wings 2 starts high and only progresses from there. Even though I have done them dozens of times strafing missions still feel hit or miss. Even the slightest movement is enough to throw you off and if I’m doing something wrong hell if I know what it is. Dog fighting missions are the most prevalent and start simple. But once you face two or three opponents they become harder. When I say harder I mean you spend more time finding them than attacking. By the mid-game nearly every mission will have two or three consecutive parts that end in a dogfight and it grows tiring. Even with a cheat code for onscreen radar they are still tough. They try to spice things up but the game could certainly have used more mission types. More variety never hurt anyone.
I will say you have some leeway in terms of success or failure. As you complete missions you go up in rank. But the game continues even if you fail but will lead to a demotion. Fail too much and that character is dishonorably discharged. Your squad mates essentially act as your lives. It sounds like a lot of rope to fail but those honorable discharges come quickly. While it is nice you get to move on you do not get the chance to go back and build up the other characters, making an already steep hill that much higher. You won’t see the end of this one too soon.
In Closing
Wings 2: Aces High is a good game with some rough spots. It will not be for everyone as it has a high learning curve and punishing difficulty. I will admit there were times that I almost gave up on it. Stick with it and the game is incredibly rewarding however.
