Heroes Over Europe

"...offers armchair aces yet another reason to climb back into the cockpit.  Matt Cabral, GamePro
"...Heroes Over Europe does a lot very right...  Patrick Kolan, IGN.com
"Good graphics and entertaining missions...  Cynamite.com

Teletext GameCentral 6 of 10
After the unexpected success of IL-2 Sturmovik our eyes are suddenly open again, to the idea of flight sims on a console. Unfortunately this is the first new one we've played since then and it illustrates precisely why they're usually not a good idea. As with its predecessor Heroes Of The Pacific this is as much a flight sim as Ace Attorney is a lawyer simulator. In keeping with the previous game, and indeed most flight sims, the meagre budget hasn't been wasted on cut scenes or fancy presentation (although the '40s style pulp posters are nice). Dogfighting with Nazis is not the sort of thing that needs a lot of exposition though, so it's not a problem. It could have done with a less rigid mission structure though as you're forced along a single linear path. The game keeps the same twin control system as before, with the arcade version preventing you from rolling more than 90 degrees unless you also push the right analogue stick. The professional controls have no such limitations, plus full rudder control. On top of this is a sort of bullet time style effect which lets you zoom in and take out key parts of a plane, such as the engine and pilot, in one go. Although clearly very silly, and oddly reminiscent of Red Dead Revolver, the bullet time effect proves essential. And yet despite all the giant waypoint signs and other HUD displays there's no in-game map, which given the other liberties seems a very odd thing to suddenly get all realistic about. On the other hand the mission design is better orchestrated than before, even if it still lacks any real variety. Despite the arcade affections, the enemy artificial intelligence is actually quite adept and challenging. The graphics are also more than acceptable, but at no time does it ever seem as authentic, in atmosphere or simulation, as IL-2 Sturmovik. It's bad luck for the game that it's obvious rival came out in the same month, but if Sturmovik is Call Of Duty in the air this is only Medal Of Honor. - Roger Hargreaves

CheatCodeCentral.com 7 of 10
It's a bit of a head-scratcher. Why would 505 Games and Ubisoft both choose to release World War II flight combat games not only in the same month but within a week from one another? Was it a perfect storm or poor planning? It's hard to say. Regardless, air combat enthusiasts seeking to get in on the action will have a choice to make. Don't worry. We'll help make it easy for you...Practically nipping at the heels of Il-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey, Transmission Games ' Heroes Over Europe completely does away with any attempts to provide a realistic flight combat simulation experience like its competition and instead hones-in on the guns-blazing, full throttle arcade action that's already fairly commonplace in the genre. Some players may prefer to embrace simplicity and enjoy focusing on being in the moment while sending entire squadrons of bombers and fighters planes plummeting in a fiery demise. Heroes Over Europe certainly has all of that and more, but it's rough around the edges in more than a few areas...True to the arcade aesthetic, learning to fly is effortless and any plane you fire up seems to maneuver with an unnatural ease in the sky. Though there's a marked difference in the standard arcade mode controls and the "professional" level control scheme, both are pretty straightforward and simple to handle. You don't have to worry about stalls or spinning out of controls due to poor flying. This is fine for the average player, but the flight realism is going to be too limited for sim-level gamers. And while it's pretty awesome when your plane gets riddled with bullets to the point where you can actually see through the wings and tail of your fighter, it's pretty damn silly when you realize there's no way the thing would still be airborne in such a condition. Furthermore, there's not enough difference in the handling of the various planes you'll pilot to make unlocking them feel special...Multiplayer modes are limited, though the dogfights and team battles for up to 16 players are still quite fun. It's satisfying taking down an enemy plane when you know there's a human cursing you out from his burning cockpit on the other end. But this doesn't negate the game's underlying issues. Had it been released a bit sooner, it might be worth recommending for a quick fix of airborne mayhem. Heroes Over Europe arguably has some high points but fails to outshine the competition. - Nathan Meunier

TeletextGameCentral.com 6 of 10
After the unexpected success of IL-2 Sturmovik our eyes are suddenly open again, to the idea of flight sims on a console. Unfortunately this is the first new one we've played since then and it illustrates precisely why they're usually not a good idea. As with its predecessor Heroes Of The Pacific this is as much a flight sim as Ace Attorney is a lawyer simulator. In keeping with the previous game, and indeed most flight sims, the meagre budget hasn't been wasted on cut scenes or fancy presentation (although the '40s style pulp posters are nice). Dogfighting with Nazis is not the sort of thing that needs a lot of exposition though, so it's not a problem. It could have done with a less rigid mission structure though as you're forced along a single linear path. The game keeps the same twin control system as before, with the arcade version preventing you from rolling more than 90 degrees unless you also push the right analogue stick. The professional controls have no such limitations, plus full rudder control. On top of this is a sort of bullet time style effect which lets you zoom in and take out key parts of a plane, such as the engine and pilot, in one go. Although clearly very silly, and oddly reminiscent of Red Dead Revolver, the bullet time effect proves essential. And yet despite all the giant waypoint signs and other HUD displays there's no in-game map, which given the other liberties seems a very odd thing to suddenly get all realistic about. On the other hand the mission design is better orchestrated than before, even if it still lacks any real variety. Despite the arcade affections, the enemy artificial intelligence is actually quite adept and challenging. The graphics are also more than acceptable, but at no time does it ever seem as authentic, in atmosphere or simulation, as IL-2 Sturmovik. It's bad luck for the game that it's obvious rival came out in the same month, but if Sturmovik is Call Of Duty in the air this is only Medal Of Honor. - Roger Hargreaves