Ever wanted to be a British Spitfire ace? Well, you can't be. Why? Read on...
This game makes the mistake of trying to string together a limp storyline through many theatres of war. You will fly as the same American pilot - with the few same American wingmen - in Europe, Africa and the Pacific. While I don't think a storyline is necessary in a game of this type (what greater story is there than World War 2?), it is at least carried off with great presentation in games like Heroes Of The Pacific. It is not here. It might have been better to merely cut the storyline out and let us enjoy each conflict individually. Why was I not allowed to be a British pilot dogfighting above London and an American pilot cutting his way through Zeros in the Pacific? How come these same characters badly voice their way through every major air conflict of the war? Surely the title said 'Squadrons' plural?
The voice acting, mercifully, can be muted. Redneck Joe will immediately grate. And if you think the put-on German accents are bad, just hold on for the Japanese. Several people in their reviews mentioned that, actually, they just found this downright racist. I would've been happy to hear actual German and Japanese lines. In fact, I would've been even more happy with radio silence.
Gameplay-wise, I knew this would be an arcade-style game rather than a simulation, but there is just no challenge and no atmosphere here. It would've been great to genuinely feel like a dogfight could've gone either way (if it wasn't for your ace skills). You won't feel like part of an airforce; it will be you versus the luftwaffe and you'll always win. The single-player missions, while diverse, are disappointing. Another reviewer suggested that you should instead be able to set up the mission much like you would a multiplayer game. This is not a bad idea at all. I did not get to try multiplayer games as there was always so few players online.
The graphics start off shaky, but London looks fantastically moody. It's also nice to see iconic aircraft from all angles during dogfighting - the left trigger camera was a great idea, sadly wasted in a game like this. The game also suffers from tearing, but would certainly be tolerable if the rest of the game was up to scratch.
I wish a developer would take all this into account, and perhaps spend 200+ hours playing my childhood WW1 favourite Knights Of The Sky for inspiration, but I'm not so naive. Regardless, I took this game back in the hope that one day someone will produce a far better effort.