Secret Weapons Over Normandy
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| Secret Weapons Over Normandy | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Totally Games |
| Publisher(s) | LucasArts |
| Designer(s) | Lawrence Holland, Mike Hawkins, Tony Evans, Jess VanderWalker, Aaron Keppel |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC |
| Release date(s) | November 18, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Flight simulation, action |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer, internet |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Input methods | Windows (PC): keyboard, mouse, joystick (recommended)
PlayStation 2: DualShock 2 Xbox: Xbox gamepad |
Secret Weapons Over Normandy or (SWON) is a World War II-based arcade flight simulation video game released on November 18, 2003. Published by LucasArts and developed by Totally Games, the game is composed of 15 objective-based missions set in 1940s European, North African, and the Pacific theatres of war. The story was written by Derek Chester, who is also famous for his work in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as work on Star Trek videogames.
[edit] Gameplay
The player controls James Chase, an American pilot volunteering to assist the British, who stand alone at this point of the war. He flies in the classified squadron known as the Battlehawks. Over the course of the game, the player has opportunities to: earn or capture new aircraft, add upgrades to his/her existing aircraft, and as the game puts it: "halt the most insidious plans of the Third Reich." The player's principal opponent is the Luftwaffe, in particular the enemies being the Battlehawk's counterpart, the elite squadron of top German pilots, known as Nemesis (similar to the real KG 200), commanded by Oberst Krieger. The player will also face off against the forces of the Japanese Empire.
It is notable for the presence of many prototype designs that never flew in combat, or were used in small numbers: the XP-55 Ascender, XP-56 Black Bullet, Chance-Vought Flying Pancake, the Junkers Ju 390, and the Daimler Benz C. Several German weapons projects that were either never completed or failed to make a significant impact on the war also feature in the game, such as the Mistel and the Wasserfall missile launcher. A brief controversy was also created when the first previews of the game were shown with copyrighted images of ace pilot Erich Hartmann being portrayed as the main villain. Hartmann's family subsequently threatened legal action, but the images were later removed and replaced with those of Hans-Ulrich Rudel for use in the actual game.
[edit] Aircraft
Throughout the course of the game, the player will have the opportunity to fly many types of WWII aircraft into combat. Here is the list of every aircraft and missile that makes an appearance in the course of the game:
Allied aircraft:
- P-40 Warhawk
- P-38 Lightning
- P-51 Mustang
- F4F Wildcat
- SBD Dauntless
- TBD Devastator
- XP-55 Ascender
- XP-56 Black Bullet
- Chance-Vought Flying Pancake
- B-17 Flying Fortress* (Possible to operate in one as a ball turret gunner)
- C-47 Skytrain*
Unlockables:
Axis aircraft:
- Messerschmitt Bf 109
- Messerschmitt Me 262
- Focke-Wulf Fw 190
- Messerschmitt Bf 110*
- Junkers Ju 88
- Heinkel He 111*
- Messerschmitt Me 163
- Junkers Ju 87 Stuka
- Daimler-Benz Projekt C* external link
- Dornier Do 335
- Junkers Ju 390*
- Mistel*
- Wasserfall*
- V-1 flying bomb*
- V-2 Rocket*
* It appears in Campaign mode but is not flyable in either Campaign or Instant Action mode.
Unlockable only after completing all 15 missions and all 20 challenges, and only available in Instant Action mode
