Immersive, challenging, and fun. Missions are long, interesting, and constantly evolving. The is a great game.
While it's hard to say the overall look of HP is stunning, the amount of detail and the fluidity of it all is outstanding. Clouds looks realistic, the sun blinds you when flying into it, and the land masses and water have enough detail to appreciate that you don't want to crash into them. More importantly, areas are teaming with life, from anti-aircraft batteries, to prison camps, to landing strips, buildings, and even jeeps moving from place to place. And while you don't spend a tremendous amount of time looking at the other aircraft close up, when you do they are detailed enough to know what each is and to enjoy a well crafted digital replica of a real-world World War II aircraft.
Cinematics start each conflict, and there are many interludes whilst in flight. You are constantly updated on the current situation, from radio chatter, to on-screen indications about progress, to check points, and of course, to new objectives being given you. These keep you abreast, and although it can still sometimes be confusing to know what you are supposed to do next, the check point system means that even if you fail, you can always pick up at the last check point and complete the mission.
Each mission can have many check points, and although you usually begin with just one primary objective, you are often given secondary objectives, or given new primary objectives after completing the first. You can pause the game at any time and review radio chatter, as well as view a map of the surroundings. Your in-game HUD provides a compass with way-point markers, and everything is clearing delineated, which means it's not difficult to keep abreast of the proceedings.
Although many will be happy with just downing countless Zeros (you can easily shoot down 20+ per mission), others will likely want to know about the simulation aspects of the game. This is not a true simulation of course, and even the Professional controls are hardly so. It's an arcade style game pure and simple, but the controls feel right. They aren't so light as to be lifeless, but the planes are tough to stall, and considering the mayhem one must endure for each mission, it's a good thing the planes are nimble and responsive.
The game provides three views, two external and one inside the cockpit. The cockpit view is fine, but it is far easier to have situational awareness with an external view. Not only is your field of vision far superior, but you can easily see how your aircraft is situated in comparison with others. There is an option that provides you with the ability to see the locked on enemy from your vantage point, which makes it much easier to know which way to turn. You can also zoom the view to get a better look at what's in front of you.
Missions are long and provide great variety. You will of course shoot down countless enemy planes, but you will also torpedo enemy subs and ships, perform dive bombing, shoot jeeps on land, and destroy countless other stationary and moving objects on land and at sea. The variety is staggering, and sometimes one mission can have you switching from one type of target to another in only a matter of minutes.
Overall Heroes of the Pacific is an excellent game. Some of the voice acting is off, and sometimes the story is a bit contrived, but the historical aspects are quite interesting, and the game play is spot on. The game is challenging to say the least, even at the easiest difficulty level, but you don't have to be an action game or air combat simulation expert to succeed. Patience and effort and of course an interest is all that is required.
Gord_Mose