There are times when you just want to blow things up. Now I don’t mean that literally. You really shouldn’t be running around haphazardly detonating explosives but when it comes to taking your obsession into a digital dimension, it’s perfectly acceptable. Video games have long been a source for providing the ideal means of getting a chance to get rid of some of that pent up aggression. Generally the setting is an ultra-realistic battleground but there are developers who haven’t forgotten that back when video games first started hitting the arcades as well as homes, the focus was more on fun.
Rouge Aces is a return to that time when games were simply meant to be enjoyed and there wasn’t an emphasis on in-depth storylines, characters or cutscenes that ran too long. It isn’t that there is anything wrong with this approach and as much as I enjoy games of that nature, there are certainly times when I’d rather just dive right into a game rather than try and recall what mission I’m attempting to complete since the last time I picked up the controller. The game takes on something of a World War II inspiration, moving away from the concept of high tech weaponry so there’s no futuristic lasers of all-powerful nuclear warheads that will devastate everything on the screen. You take on the role of a pilot and your mission is essentially destroy whatever the commander has his attention on but if a few additional enemies get in your way, that’s completely fine as well. You also don’t have to concern yourself with things like civilian casualties because anything and everything you see is a viable target without penalty or consequence.
The game starts out with giving players the option to venture into a brief tutorial that will give you the general idea of flying your plane and firing your weapons. You’re armed with cannons which have an unlimited amount of ammunition but you will also be flying into the fight with missiles and bombs however these are limited. Unlike games which provide you the means to restock on the go, Rogue Aces will require you to make a return to your base where these will be stocked, your plane refueled, and any damages repaired before you take to the skies once again.
The Normal Campaign gives players some assistance with takeoff and landing, something which is stripped away in other modes of the game. Rogue Aces also may start you with three planes in your arsenal however there’s another catch. If you happen to be shot down and crash, your game is over. The solution is to eject and parachute to safety. Also, regardless of your score and success in the game, there is no means of earning additional planes. You have your starting three and nothing more.
It may sound as though Rogue Aces has a very systematic approach in terms of the overall stage design however this isn’t the case at all. With each new game you will be faced with a different layout as well as the missions in a different order. Your commanding officer will have you embark on campaigns to shoot down enemy places, making bombing runs on hostile battleships, destroy enemy munitions stockpiles, eliminate tanks, and take down bombers before they can reach your base. This also means you have every enemy within range taking shots at you and as you try and avoid damage you also need to be wary of your fuel. The missions continue to get further and further away from your starting point but there are some things working in your favor. The enemy has bases of their own that you can neutralize and take as your own while shooting down enemy planes will occasionally yield a power-up that will improve your fuel consumption, increase gun strength, give you a slight boost of speed, and even add more missile and bombs into your reserves and these are cumulative bonuses.
Rogue Aces also allows players to earn experience points. From what I’ve seen thus far in the game, the rewards are rather limited and merely provide the player with the option to select power-up’s when the game first begins. The number of slots available as well as the available tokens to use will increase as you build your level and every little bit does help. The game also begins with giving the player access to the normal campaign in the game but as you increase your level and accomplishments, new modes of play will unlock. The Frontline Campaign moves away from individual missions and instead lets you attack an island with all available objectives open. Survival moves the battlefield to only the skies as you attempt to outlast your opponents in an endless dogfight. There’s also a Bomber Defense mode as well as Rogue Age, neither of which I have unlocked at the moment.
Rogue Aces definitely manages to capture a great old-school look and feel, something that is going to appeal to those who have been involved in gaming for many years but it doesn’t try and be too retro for its own good. It goes beyond just being a no-brainer shooter and provides quite a challenge as well. Add in the fact that players need to unlock other modes of play and aren’t simply given everything right from the start and you have a shooter that quickly becomes fun to play as well as rewarding at the same time.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.