Secret Weapons Over Normandy Review

One of the most important things players should be aware of is that Secret Weapons Over Normandy is far from a classic flight simulation. Totally Games still clings to the traditional gameplay style of their highly regarded space shooters X-Wing and Tie Fighter, which obviously means that action is an intrinsic part of the gameplay. For one thing, experienced gamers will immediately recognize the X-Wing style targeting system. To my surprise, this system still works pretty well and I doubt there will be many gamers who won't feel comfortable with it. As for the controls, it may take a bit of practice for those of you who are unaccustomed to flight action games. Luckily, the developers made a praiseworthy effort to tweak the controls according to gamers' preferences - those who enjoy a more arcadish gameplay style, and those who are used to slightly more realistic flight simulation controls.

The visuals have their ups and downs. First of all, there are an admirable variety of detailed plane models, all of which seem to fit their actual counterparts in every single way. There are more neat moments, like the blurry cinematic camera effect when you swing your plane sideways. Sadly, the overall quality of the graphics could've been way better. Although the atmosphere of intense dogfights is perked up with explosions and planes leaving trails of flame and smoke, the game still suffers from scant particle effects and the environments don't look particularly impressive. No, scratch that, they look bleak and simplistic. The game also suffers from rather unconvincing in game physics that will frequently prove to be a problem during gameplay. While it is possible to perform death-defying stunts, you can never be sure when your aircraft will stall and refuse to acknowledge commands in mid-air. I don't wish to nitpick, but it quickly became clear that the Xbox version holds the smoothest frame-rate; you may have a difficult time on the PC once the sky fills up with more than a dozen airplanes. With all due respect to LucasArts and Totally Games, high resolution and additional details sometimes seem like pointless options given the inevitable frame-rate drop. Even our Radeon 9700 Pro couldn't do much to improve the situation.

On a more positive note, the sounds (such as explosions, plane engines, and cannon-fire) all create a convincing enough backdrops for a WW II-themed action game. The good quality of sounds, coupled with an excellent soundtrack and top-notch character voicing, helps convey a true sense of battle. This comes as no surprise since LucasArts always prides itself on first-rate audio.

We feel Secret Weapons Over Normandy would've received a higher score if the developers added in some type of multiplayer mode (the PS2 and Xbox version at least have the classic split-screen mode available). The action provides an excellent foundation for all the standard MP modes. Things are not so bad once you complete all 15 single-player missions because LucasArts also added a neat little bonus feature for Star Wars fans. Once you complete the single-player campaign, all aircrafts in the game will be unlocked and flyable, and you can also engage in intense dogfights with Tie Fighters and X-Wings.

After all that's been said here, I must admit that Secret Weapons Over Normandy did not leave any lasting impressions. Other than the thrills of fast-paced flight action, and occasional turret-oriented missions, the game doesn't demonstrate any particularly rewarding features. Through it all, it appears that the game also lacks overall depth, offering gamers a weak story and a simplified interpretation of aerial battles that went on during the Second World War. In short, it's simply another one for the pile, another title that you might play, but you won't be talking about it in a few years with your chums.