Pete and I have talked about some of the very special games that left imprints in our tiny little gaming minds, and for this Retro Rocks Review, this is one game that changed my life.
Cinemaware’s Wings…
This game, set in World War 1, took you on a journey that started with your recruitment to the airforce to pilot a Biplane…
In doing so, in a loose sort of way it took you through the events and happenings of World War 1, therefore educating you on the so called ‘Great War’.
For long time listeners of the podcast, you will know that I’m a big fan of games that do this… Pete, not so much.
Now, it might not look like much now, but back in the day (early ’90s), this game was revolutionary… in so many ways.
- Great narrative
- Great graphics
- Great gameplay
You were essentially a WW1 pilot, and you could participate in 3 types of missions. Bombing, strafing and dogfighting.
All had their quirks and nuances, and whilst only a choice of three mission types might seem repetitive, it never got that way… I think because every mission was a step forward towards the end of the game and the end of the war.
The personal highlight for me was the dogfighting. All through the game, the endless updates about how many Allied pilots the Red Baron had killed… so when you finally get to take him on, you’re absolutely pumped because you were so invested in the story.
Just the simple things about this game were spot on. I LOVED the fact that there was no radar or on-screen indicator as to where the enemies were… it was all conveyed simply by the pilot’s head. If he looked to the left, there was an enemy(ies) to the left.
Simple, yet brilliant.
As this Retro Rocks Reviews take off for GameOnAus, expect a lot of love from me for the company Cinemaware. They made truly some of the great games back in the ’80s and early ’90s, and I pretty much played them all.
Written by: @dantheinternut
