- Publisher: LucasArts
- Release Date: Nov 18, 2003
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 2
Buy Now
| Buy on |
|
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
As a standalone game you will find at least 15-20 hours of quality gaming waiting for you between the missions and the challenges.
-
In terms of shoot-'em-ups we can't recall a more enjoyable one, and any game that causes someone who's supposed to be holidaying from videogames to not only complete every single campaign and challenge mission, but go back and replay some of them as well has to go down as a one of the games of 2003.
-
Great stuff, with the most intense dogfighting and most spectacular production values I've ever encountered in a flight-action game.
-
While I would have liked to have seen online gameplay (and I do take off points for that), the single player campaign is very stong, and the storyline will keep you sucked into it. The controls are great, and the presentation is great.
-
Unfortunately, there's no online support, but SWON is packed with enough diverse gameplay with a heavy challenge level that you won't lament the online absence too long.
-
The mission variety and complexity, with multi-tiered goals and mixtures of dog fighting, bombing and strafing, make Secret Weapons Over Normandy a long-lived, rewarding experience.
-
Play MagazineThankfully, LucasArts have traded in realism for arcade action and the end result is a joyous ride through history. [Dec 2003, p.84]
-
GameNowPlays great, but ultimately doesn't compare to "Crimson Skies." [Jan 2004, p.62]
-
Xbox Nation MagazineA rare take on World War II that doesn't involve storming a beach. [Mar 2004, p.94]
-
Edge MagazineIsn't a game that does anything obviously or overtly clever or innovative. But any game that takes such a simple premise and polishes it, hones it and refines it until it's this engrossing, this absorbing, and this much fun, is quite obviously doing something very clever indeed. [Christmas 2003, p.114]
-
Flight-sim purists will be horrified by SWON's simplicity, but everyone else will be too busy having fun.
-
Casual flight fans will find lots to love here, but true flight jockeys will crash and burn in despair.
-
I can appreciate it as a fun action game but it holds little of the weight you'd expect from a World War II dogfight game. The lack of a compelling narrative enhances this pick-up-and-play mentality and detracts from my own involvement in what's going on.
-
TotalGames.netAlthough the AI is good having a human wingman can be a great help. It's just a shame that this can't be extended onto live.
-
Military buffs and the hardcore flight fans will gobble this one up, but I think most causal gamers that have Live will sadly pass over this one.
-
The game is fun, the graphics and music are solid, and the multiplayer mode is lots of fun.
-
I can't help wishing that Totally Games and LucasArts had gone in for a penny, in for a pound, and made the whole thing Live-compatible. If we're not going to get "Battlefield 1942" from EA, this could have been the next best thing.
-
Its instant accessibility, great overall presentation and tremendous historical feel make this game a secret worth spreading.
-
Game InformerIt fails to really capture that edge-of-your-seat feeling due to its slow combat. What it does do, however, is stir your emotions a little, which isn't easy. [Jan 2004, p.151]
-
PlayboyThe confusing gauges have been banished and the pesky laws of aerodynamics relaxed, freeing you to focus on sending Japanese and German pilots to their graves. [Dec 2003, p.44]
-
The "Medal of Honor in the air" description is fairly apt, actually -- although most of your missions (all 30 or so of them) are the standard dogfights and bombing runs, the package it's all presented in makes it feel much more fulfilling than Luftwaffe and the other old flight sims.
-
By no means a stand out in the genre, SWON does a decent job of providing a fun WWII shooter that is easily accessible to all.
-
The action is fast and furious. This game moves along at a break-neck speed. Missions include escorting ground units, protecting Allie communication posts, destroying Axis installations, bombing bridges, even manning ground gunners to shoot down enemy planes above.
-
The lack of difficulty levels, imbalanced gameplay mechanics and lack of multiplayer support reduce this game from being much more than a rent for anyone other than the most hardcore flight fanatic.
-
If you love WWII aircraft and storylines this may be worth a look, but if you want a fun and long lasting aerial combat game you may want to look elsewhere, perhaps to "Crimson Skies."
-
While it accomplishes its goal of providing a fun WWII-themed shooting gallery, it doesn't really shine in any one particular area, resulting in a game that's competent but not very compelling.
-
Official Xbox MagazineAs you progress through the game's 15 missions (and 20 challenges), the action often deteriorates into essentially chasing giant icons as opposed to enemy aircraft. The monotony isn't alleviated by anything innovative or daring the gameplay. [Jan 2004, p.83]
-
Electronic Gaming MonthlyFor the first half of the game, varied missions keep the action interesting. After a dozen sorties, however, it get old, and all but the most patient pilots will want to pop the canopy. [Jan 2004, p.109]
-
Secret Weapons' assortment of bombing runs, dogfights, and detail missions fly by thanks to an emphasis on arcade-style ease-of-play, but one simply leads into the next.
-
Gives a strong performance on a lot of levels, but finds itself stuck in the hangar when it comes to the actual feel of flying. It's a fun, challenging game, but far more attention should have been given to the physics and plane mechanics.
-
netjakStick to Star Wars, Mr. Holland.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 5 out of 5
-
Mixed: 0 out of 5
-
Negative: 0 out of 5
-
DanL.Feb 3, 2004Great kill jerrys and cause mayhem over germany. nearly as good as halo.
-
BenH.Dec 3, 2003Fun game. Some missions are ridiculously hard while others are kind of easy. It keeps you guessing.
-
MarceloE.Nov 4, 2003quiero que me recomienden juegos de batallas de la segunda guerra mundial.