I have not played a good arcade flight sim in a long time; in fact I have not played a great one in a long time. Enter The Wingman Project. I love this game so much I went out and bought a Thrustmaster flight control package for it. This game takes me back to the good old days when there were flight sims like this being released every month. I don't have much to complain about, I can forgive the so-so voice acting and the sometimes-campy content. Ultimately, flying the jets, dogfighting, and taking out ground targets to complete a mission is an absolute blast! No need for those silly g-forces damaging your jet or knocking your pilot out, just take it to the danger zone (speaking of campy). There are lots of great jets to choose from, but you will have to complete missions to purchase them. The performance and weapons array for each jet are very noticeable and will affect the outcome of your mission. Look at the mission briefing and choose carefully. I love the freedom to complete a mission as I see fit. Want to focus on all the ground targets first? Go right ahead. Feel like locking on to whatever jumps in front of your HUD, go for it! Your team is with you and will help but really you are the star fighter pilot and must carry the team to complete the mission. There are lots of interesting and a wide variety of targets that you must deal with in this game. I recommend playing this game on Hard mode. I am an experienced sim pilot but normal is just too easy for things like dodging missiles, enemy planes and ground fire.
A third person shooter that plays and feels like a good indie game. Levels are nicely crafted, while being low detail. No ray tracing options so my RTX rig hardly breaks a sweat, but it is still nice. This game will challenge your ability to outshoot and outmaneuver your enemies. Every level starts off with your character being surrounded by enemies as you advance through the level. Every level has a challenge room that will reward you if you complete it. Choose one of three interesting characters with long upgrade paths. Not much to the story here, shoot everything and don’t die. When you die, no worries, you can apply for some upgrades you’ve earned. The player will have to start back at the beginning but with new upgrades. The music is seriously lacking as are any interactive objects in the levels. I would like to see version 2 of this game with the cons below being addressed. The pros: Controls are not too complicated. Pick from 3 interesting characters with different abilities. My favorite is the Ninja right now. Characters have a long upgrade path with lots of options. Dying in this game is almost a good thing as it allows you to apply upgrades to your character. Levels are interesting albeit repetitive, but I still have not gotten that far in the game. There are lots of things to attack and use against the enemy. Enemies are diverse and will challenge your abilities. The cons: The music gets old as there seems to be only one track. The sound effects don't change at all. No real story other than shoot everything that moves. No interactive objects in the levels. Only being able to carry one weapon is, well, odd in a modern game. Loot boxes are few and far between and sometimes offer you what you already have. Only boss enemies offer health when defeated. Some nanite upgrades are way more useful than others so you wind up picking the same ones at the end of a level. Again, I have not gotten that far in this game, but the level challenges are repetitive.
For the most part this game is a blast. The combat is realistic, the AI pretty challenging (most of the time) and the levels are beautifully designed. The plot will keep your attention if you are into the "Something went wrong in the science lab" genre of FPS games. This game is not only about shootouts though. There are puzzles to solve and a lot of the time, just trying to figure out how to complete some of the missions requires the player to think hard (or at least consult youtube). This was a little frustrating for me at times when I could not understand what exactly I was supposed to do based on the title of a mission. Jessie is a nicely designed character and fun to play. She starts out as a badass and only gets more so. If you are so lucky as to take advantage of Ray Tracing, this game really starts blurring the lines of reality. The rooms, buildings and levels all feel like you are really there sometimes. One major con of this game is that the upgrades you can get to your weapons and Jessie's abilities don't seem to matter much. Maybe a slight boost in energy or a slight reduction in energy cost but nothing that affects the outcome of a battle. The good stuff is awarded at the end of levels and that is what really matters. Speaking of battles, this game can be outright exhausting. The difficulty level gets harder as you progress through it. I often find after facing wave after wave of snipers, grenade launchers, troopers and boss characters I am just done and need to walk away. A better balance of problem solving to endless battles would be better. But I am an older player so take that with a grain of protomolecule. I look forward to what future versions of this game might look and play like.
I will give credit where it is due. The levels are beautiful and extensive. The story line is remarkably interesting, and you will get creeped out while playing this game (in the dark with headphones). Weapons and upgrades are nicely done and the villain is truly scary. What is annoying about this game is all the darn locked doors and places you cannot get into until you pick up a key 2 levels later and then must go back. You can also go anywhere in this game and it is easy to get lost or not be able to figure out what exactly you are supposed to do. The game also claims not to be just a shooter. They say you can find other ways around your enemy. This is not true. It is extremely hard to avoid a shootout. I have tried so many times to creep around the villains and duck out of sight, but they still see you and kick your butt if you're not armed to the teeth. Ammo is hard to come by as well. I went back to a level and then got hunted by the Nightmare which is basically impossible to evade so I am kind of done with the game. Maybe I will go back and start it again some other time.
I was looking for a simple FPS to dive into and this is almost perfect. Graphics are fabulously done. Story is somewhat interesting but I do not really care about that, I just love BLOWING UP ROBOTS. If you enjoy that too, you'll love this game. The music is unique in that it responds to the amount of action going on. The music is quiet and calm when walking around but when you get ambushed it rachets up to a heavy metal score. Very nice touch. The inside of the building is beautifly done. I only wish I could interact with more of the consoles and switches on the walls. Some cons for me: The fact that you have to start over at the beginning of a level when you die is a little annoying (but practice makes perfect). Also there are so so so many upgrade options for your character that it is a little overwhelming deciding what to pick. There are still some things about the environment I do not quite get but that is OK. Just run through the levels and shoot everything. It is a blast! The amount of weapons seems a little lacking but perhaps there are more coming? Love this game!
