Their Finest Hour: Battle of Britain Hall of Wayne Review PC-DOS
Without a doubt, this was one of the greatest flight sims of all time. When this game released in 1989, it was simply amazing.
BoB took what made Battlehawks 1942 great, and made it better. This was the first flight sim that had a dynamic campaign, and the first one that I can remember that let you create wingmen to fly alongside you. Your wingmen could earn medals and promotions just like you. They could also die, just like you.
The game shipped with another fantastic manual that was more of a Battle of Britain history book than anything else. It included sections on basics of flight and tactics, but it was the history parts that made you want to read it.
What I Liked: (from a 1989 perspective)
1. First flight sim with a dynamic campaign.
2. Ability to create wingmen.
3. Flight model was simple, but felt “right”.
4. Great selection of flyable aircraft. You could even man the gunner positions on the bombers.
5. Custom mission builder and saved replays.
6. Absolutely amazing late 80’s flight sim experience.
What I Didn’t Like:
1. If you quit the mission over the English Channel, the game would assume you ditched your plane. You wouldn’t die, but it was annoying. Probably affected your score also. If you quit the mission over enemy territory, you would be captured.
Final BS Rating: +5 FUCKIN’ BADASS!
Spot on review – still have this game and Battlehawks 1942 and still play them – and trust me, it’s not nostalgia that people always go on about! Nostalgia is the first 5-10 minutes. After that it’s the gameplay that come to the forefront, the graphics and sound fall to the background and the fun just grows as you re-learn the game controls, etc and master the game!
By: John on May 18, 2008
at 12:48 pm