Verdict: Uninspired graphics and limited options, but still a fun and entertaining game.
Attack on Pearl Harbor is an arcade shooter that attempts to recreate the epic dogfights between the Empire of Japan and the Allies - predominantly the USA - as they slugged it out over the Pacific during WWII.
Unlike Battlestations: Midway, which allows you to command ships in addition to aircraft, Attack on Pearl Harbour is focused on dogfighting. You can play as either USAF gunner turned pilot Douglas Knox, or fighter pilot Zenji Yamada of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service.
The game kicks off with the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December, 1941, when Japan's carrier group launched a surprise assault on the US base in Hawaii, resulting in a US loss of 188 aircraft, five battleships, one minelayer and three destroyers, along with the loss of 2,000 lives. The Japanese, in contrast, lost 29 aircraft, five midget submarines and 64 men.
At the start of each level, you're presented with a 1940s-style comic strip storyboard that gives you some basic background and helps with the character development. Of course, you can skip this and get straight into the thick of the battle.
The game takes you through the entire Pacific campaign, from the early battles at Pearl and Wake Island, to the end-game missions in the Philippines and Japanese mainland. The campaign mode also has a twist; if you fail a mission, you can't just reload and try again. Instead, you lose one of your aircraft (there's a finite pool) and move on. Lose enough missions and it's game over. This makes the whole experience feel more realistic, and with more than 25 levels (per side), this isn't a game you'll get through in a few hours.
The game has been squarely pitched at the casual gamer since there's little in the way of physics or damage modelling. However, while moving an aircraft around the sky isn't too challenging, knocking the enemy out of the sky is a tougher task. Even the most ardent dogfighting aficionado will struggle to destroy sufficient aircraft to qualify for bonus medals or awards in the early stages.
Our only major criticism of the game is the limited choice of aircraft; there are only nine in total, which limits you to simple dogfights or torpedo/bombing missions. It would have been nice to have a little more variety, such as the experimental aircraft that were fielded later in the war.
Attack on Pearl Harbor is a fun, if uncomplicated, shooter-cum-flight sim that manages to maintain its simplicity without becoming pointless. The campaign mode is well thought out and the low system requirements mean that it can be played on virtually any system. There are far worse ways to whittle away the rubbish summer.
