ith a significant library of World War II games already released to its left and the fact that developer Totally Games gave us the storied X-Wing title on the PC on its right, Secret Weapons has a thin line to tread. While it largely succeeds in being a game that keeps you coming back for more, it doesn’t come out unscathed.
The fly-boy missions won’t take you by surprise in the least, but the game does an excellent job setting the stage for you. Not only does it utilize the musical score of Michael Giacchino, but it uses historical footage and a strong narrator. The effect is a rousing mood that is rivaled only by Medal of Honor itself. The dogfights themselves, however, can be less dramatic. The main problem is the snail’s pace of your craft (of which there is a wide selection – including some prototypes). Moreover, I never really got that frenzied I’m-going-to-die-at-any-moment-because-there’s-so-much-action feeling like you’d encounter if you actually were at the Battle of Britain or Midway. This is an unfortunate failing since Secret Weapons really tries to immerse you in the experience through gameplay sounds and overall attention to detail, and the combat is otherwise worth it.
The flight-sim genre itself is hard to make your mark in. Although this game is well rounded enough to at least give you an enjoyable experience, it fails to grab you by the stick with enough G-forces to set the seat of your pants on fire.