It's very arcade, so if you're after a serious sim, this isn't it. You can't do rolls, your ammo is unlimited, and mid-air collisions are nearly impossible. Health is semi-regenerating, in that keeping your plane away from harm will bring you from the brink of explosion down to mere smoldering.
There are two campaigns which take a little over an hour each to complete. Some of the missions will present different objectives depending on the plane you choose (eg, pick a Zero and you're intercepting enemy bombers, pick a torpedo bomber and you're going ship hunting). Beyond the campaigns, there's a dogfighting mode that pits you against waves of incoming fighters until you reach either a kill limit or a time limit.
If you need external goals to keep you playing a game, this game isn't for you. There is no scoring, achievements, leveling or hard mode. For the most part, the game is pretty easy as long as you evade enemy fire and kill your targets before too many waves of fighters fly in.
One of the reasons why the campaign is so short is because it's extremely action-packed. There's not much flying time between blasting at targets, and battles are chaotic, often with twenty or more aircraft around plus ships and other surface targets.
The graphics are very snappy for WiiWare, although some details are lacking -- such as moving control flaps on the aircraft -- and framerate is usually pretty high, though there are some noticeable dips when the skies are at their most frenzied.
The motion controls work great, and are very responsive. There's an option for wiimote nunchuk and classic controller, but I've been using the wiimote exclusively and I think it's fantastic. Plug in whatever controller you like and it will switch without any need for further input.
In conclusion, this game could use a scoring system and difficulty levels, and I would have preferred it to be more of a sim and less of an arcade shmup. But I still had a good amount of fun and I don't regret the price at all. When part 2 comes out, I'll probably buy it, too.
"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event." — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.
