Victory Wings: Zero Pilot Series Hands-On

TOKYO--Sammy is showing off a new flight combat simulator at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show. Victory Wings: Zero Pilot Series will let players pilot some classic aircraft in missions set against the backdrop of various real-life conflicts.

In the game's campaign mode, you'll fly missions set during the Battle of Britain, D-Day, and other World War II battles. The campaign starts with the Battle of Britain, putting you in the cockpit of a fighter plane and asking you to take out German JU-88s before they can cross over into British territory and start dropping bombs.

The game will also have a handful of more-straightforward modes, including practice, sky duel, air race, and a bombing-focused mode that lets you get your technique down just right. Victory Wings has the same basic look as games like Ace Combat 5, allowing for both first-person and behind-the-plane views.

The action in Victory Wings seems pretty straightforward. You have a targeting function that will guide you to an enemy, and when you come into gun range, the game automatically leads your target to make hitting your mark a sure thing.

Graphically, Victory Wings has put its focus on the plane models. Since that's what you'll spend most of your time looking at, that's not exactly a bad idea, but the version on display at TGS has some downright ugly ground textures. The flat ground is covered with blocky, low-resolution artwork. The game does maintain a pretty decent speed, and the control seems reasonably tight.

For more updates, be sure to check GameSpot's coverage of Tokyo Game Show 2004.