The game play is done very well. Everything else is equally or more worse. This game has a lot of unrealized potential.
The best thing about this game is the wii controls. The controls are spot on. They may have screwed everything else up, but they got this done right. The spot on wii controls make this worth a rental. Everything else isn't even worth mentioning.
* GRAPHICS *
It is simply amazing for ps1 standards in '96. The planes look good, like mediocre PS2 quality. Everything else is mediocre or bad ps1 quality. For example, during one of the cut-scenes it shows tanks and rocket launcher vehicles moving, but they look like sliding ice cubes with a blurry vehicle texture wrapped around it. When you're in the air you wouldn't really care about it but the game zooms into it for cut-scenes and you realize just how bad the graphics really are. They should have used pre-rendered cut-scenes.
* SOUND *
The music is generic rock stuff. I found it more enjoyable when I turned it off. The voice acting is bad. It gets annoying when they repeatedly say your name DownTown a million times over. All you hear is DownTown we're under attack, they're under attack, the next guy is under attack etc. When you get hit by a few bullets you'll hear your wingman say "DownTown is Hit!, He is going down!" even if it was just a little scratch on the paint.
* VALUE *
The only good thing about this game is the spot on wii controls and that's it! It's worth a rent if you're in the mood.
* FINAL THOUGHTS *
The sequel needs a complete overhaul. The graphics need to be updated. The sound needs to be better composed. The story needs to be more engaging. And the biggest feature missing is online and or offline multi-player. Codemasters has a lot of unrealized potential for this game. Whether or not they realize that potential is another matter.