Snoopy Flying Ace Review

7.0

Review Score:

As soon as the first online dogfight loads up and the chaotic scene of an online community just days old hits you, the 800 Microsoft Point investment will have been fully justified. For an Xbox Live Arcade title priced at the lower end of the spectrum, the graphics and sound will immediately grab the player’s interest and never let go. Smart Bomb Interactive have had something of an uninteresting past, consisting entirely of spin-off’s and licenses, so it’s a surprise to see the polish applied to their latest effort. Past the graphics lie an already-bustling online community and a variety of objective-based modes, leaving only one more piece for Smart Bomb Interactive to get right for this to be a game worth noticing; the actual gameplay.

It’s worth mentioning before going any further the premise of the game. If you hadn’t already surmised, Flying Ace is an aerial combat game, in the style of many other WWI games. There are multiple modes on offer here, all of which work pretty effectively across the game’s 16 maps. There is the basic Dog Fight mode, seeing you take off as any of the Peanuts gang in one of 16 aeroplanes with a total of 15 possible weapons (which can be switched out with one another upon respawning, as the player is limited to a couple of weapons to carry at any one time). Dog Fight is essentially the death-match equivalent,  the other modes also featuring all of the weapons, characters and planes from Dogfighting in a variety of situations. Team Dog Fight is team deathmatch; Capture the Flag is, well, capture the flag. So far so basic, but all of the modes work well within the game’s structure- however standard.

It is with the more objective-based modes where Snoopy really comes into its own, however. Dog Pile is a kind of spin on capture the flag, seeing the player attempting to maintain ownership for as long as possible of a bone, the other players trying to shoot it out from them. There’s is also a team-based version of Dog Pile, and a mode entitled ‘Pigskin’. Pigskin is essentially an uncomplicated, aerial version of American Football (hence the name), and both mode types offer a refreshing twist on the normal formulas. It’s not wildly original, but it sure is fun, and the inclusion of AI bots to fill in empty team spaces is a nice touch.

The game’s modes are complimented by a ranking system, however this is pretty basic, the only real incentive being achievements for levelling up.

The graphics and music are pitch-perfect, suiting the theme of Snoopy WWI perfectly. The game’s music may not leave you humming it after playing, but it helps build the atmosphere and is genuinely enjoyable to listen to, the graphics emulating the Peanuts style in 3D to a great standard. The controls work greatly to the game’s advantage too, offering everything expected from a simple flight combat game, allowing quick access to barrel rolls, loops and the like. This is handy, as throughout playing all the different abilities can and will be required of you.

For a game based on the Peanuts franchise, make no mistake: this game is no cakewalk. The online community appears to have matured by months in the mere days since release, posing a real threat to any new players. Despite the cutesy visuals, this game can genuinely be a challenge to play online. There is no real matchmaking system to speak off, and the most novice of players can easily end up with an array of experts on their first game. This is where the Single Player mode comes in, acting as more of an extended primer to the main game more than a real, meaty mode. The single player missions mode takes the player through objective based missions, fully preparing them for the challenge of online mode. That is, if the player can even be bothered with it. The single player isn’t up to a whole lot, and anyone without an Xbox Live subscription should at no point consider purchasing for the single player alone.

There is a local multiplayer mode and a co-op mode accompanying the basic single-player missions for the Xbox Live-less player, which may provide a point of interest. These modes are fun enough, but are superior played over Xbox Live due to the always-obstructive splitscreen doing its usual thing of making games half as playable on smaller TVs.

The whole game comes together as a package that, for the price, should not be missed by flight fans looking for an online fix. However, a game so multiplayer-centric is only ever as good as the community, and given the superior options available for little more price (Battlefield 1943, for example, offering foot combat and equally as impressive visuals for just 400 MSP more), it is uncertain whether this game will be able to hold onto your attention for more than a few weeks of fun. The game won’t please all, but appears to have grasped a few peoples attention if the already highly-ranked online players are anything to go by.

NXT Score: 7/10

Pros

• Variety of modes, maps, weapons and planes
• Avatar support
• Great graphics for a low price
• A currently bustling online community…

Cons

• …that might not last for long
• Little for single-players to enjoy
• Superior alternatives