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DOGFIGHT 1942 (X360)
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Publisher: City Interactive Games.
Developer: City Interactive Games. Released: September 2012. Genre: Flight Combat. Other versions: PS3; PC. Posted 24th February 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
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For many years, flight combat games were aimed mainly at the die-hards. Their emergence at the tail-end of the eighties opened the floodgates to a world of exhaustive detail. Carrier Command, F-22 Interceptor and the like helped sculpt the genre into a meticulous, super-technical and immersive pursuit, with games typically accompanied by lists of commands and options that were dauntingly comprehensive. Following the release of Star Fox and later Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, however, gaming started slowly to establish a more accessible middle ground for the genre. Dogfight 1942, the fifth and final outing for the Combat Wings series, proved a high-quality entry to the Xbox Live Arcade line-up in 2012, ensuring City Interactive’s lineage would go out on a high.
The game does what it says on the tin. Set across a pair of World War II campaigns totalling 17 levels, the player pilots a range of Allied planes in battles against the Axis. Inspired by real conflicts, but with a lovable dose of hammy dialogue and game-friendly mission objectives, there are a bunch of evocative settings. The first half of the game sees the player embroiled in the Battle of Britain, defending London amid a busy, patchwork urban landscape and the River Thames populated with bridges that allow those with a death wish to fly under their arches. For the second half, focus switches to the other side of the world (also moving beyond the 1942 of the title) where the US and Japan fight in the Pacific. Missions predominantly take place at sea, with occasional islands thrown in for good measure, with the campaign visiting Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
For many years, flight combat games were aimed mainly at the die-hards. Their emergence at the tail-end of the eighties opened the floodgates to a world of exhaustive detail. Carrier Command, F-22 Interceptor and the like helped sculpt the genre into a meticulous, super-technical and immersive pursuit, with games typically accompanied by lists of commands and options that were dauntingly comprehensive. Following the release of Star Fox and later Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, however, gaming started slowly to establish a more accessible middle ground for the genre. Dogfight 1942, the fifth and final outing for the Combat Wings series, proved a high-quality entry to the Xbox Live Arcade line-up in 2012, ensuring City Interactive’s lineage would go out on a high.
The game does what it says on the tin. Set across a pair of World War II campaigns totalling 17 levels, the player pilots a range of Allied planes in battles against the Axis. Inspired by real conflicts, but with a lovable dose of hammy dialogue and game-friendly mission objectives, there are a bunch of evocative settings. The first half of the game sees the player embroiled in the Battle of Britain, defending London amid a busy, patchwork urban landscape and the River Thames populated with bridges that allow those with a death wish to fly under their arches. For the second half, focus switches to the other side of the world (also moving beyond the 1942 of the title) where the US and Japan fight in the Pacific. Missions predominantly take place at sea, with occasional islands thrown in for good measure, with the campaign visiting Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Whether the backdrop is a patchwork of fields, the pacific ocean, or stormy skies, Dogfight 1942 looks splendid
Streamlined gameplay is aided by a litany of nice features. A mini-reticle provides a handy hint that you must often aim and shoot in front of the plane you’re chasing, pre-empting its flight path. Now and then, it tasks you to land on an airstrip, where a controlled, shallow angle of entry is required and, depending on the difficulty, deployment of the landing gear. Accounting for the fact the plane will need a bit of runway to slow to a standstill, it’s also important to avoid landing at an angle, as you might end up smashing into a barn. Smart touches, such as designating red markers to enemies involved in the current mission objective, and attaching additional (but potentially non-crucial) foes with yellow outlines, help lend some order to the chaos.
Importantly, the combat is a good deal of fun and a strong foundation upon which to build. Planes are satisfying to pilot, with the various machine guns and rockets landing with real weight. Various options allow different degrees of assistance, with an option for sim controls dictating that pitch and rotation are handled separately. On the default setting, the game takes care of these factors together, allowing gamers to focus on the shooting. Nerves and accuracy will be tested via engaging bombing runs, targetting ships with torpedoes and destroying air defences on land with rockets. With assured, responsive controls and hugely busy combat zones, City Interactive’s experience in the genre shines through.
Importantly, the combat is a good deal of fun and a strong foundation upon which to build. Planes are satisfying to pilot, with the various machine guns and rockets landing with real weight. Various options allow different degrees of assistance, with an option for sim controls dictating that pitch and rotation are handled separately. On the default setting, the game takes care of these factors together, allowing gamers to focus on the shooting. Nerves and accuracy will be tested via engaging bombing runs, targetting ships with torpedoes and destroying air defences on land with rockets. With assured, responsive controls and hugely busy combat zones, City Interactive’s experience in the genre shines through.
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Whilst a very respectable single-player experience, it’s local co-op that sees Dogfight 1942 come to life. It’s classic buddy action fare, as friends team up to assist each other with the shoot-outs. The game fairs incredibly well in split-screen, coping with very little reduction in visual fidelity or performance. Shooting your colleague results in them replenishing health, and though purists may baulk at this incongruous feature, I found it a clever inversion of the age-old friendly-fire dilemma.
Dogfight 1942’s war record harbours just a few small blemishes. Due to a lack of clarity, it can often be easy to lose track of the numerous target markers, obscured either by each other or the often-busy backgrounds. Occasionally, you’ll meet an objective involving a feature or approach the game has neglected to explain. The clearest example appears late on as you attempt to rescue a downed pilot after identifying an SOS message on a beach. Having been instructed to set down near the crash site, you’ll spend a good deal of time baffled by the plane’s inability to land on the small island. As it turns out, the plane must put down in the sea, something that happens only this once. Whilst this doesn’t spoil the game, it is one of those instances that will lead to exasperated sighs. Bigger targets, such as ships, require specific weapons to tackle and some planes aren’t well equipped for certain missions.
Dogfight 1942’s war record harbours just a few small blemishes. Due to a lack of clarity, it can often be easy to lose track of the numerous target markers, obscured either by each other or the often-busy backgrounds. Occasionally, you’ll meet an objective involving a feature or approach the game has neglected to explain. The clearest example appears late on as you attempt to rescue a downed pilot after identifying an SOS message on a beach. Having been instructed to set down near the crash site, you’ll spend a good deal of time baffled by the plane’s inability to land on the small island. As it turns out, the plane must put down in the sea, something that happens only this once. Whilst this doesn’t spoil the game, it is one of those instances that will lead to exasperated sighs. Bigger targets, such as ships, require specific weapons to tackle and some planes aren’t well equipped for certain missions.
Take-offs and weather effects add weight and theatre to the action-packed missions
The difficulty is gauged just right, with the middle setting offering an engaging challenge that will keep players in suspense as many levels demand a degree of efficiency. Tardiness in taking down targets dooms missions, but encourages you to stay sharp. 17 levels, medals, optional objectives and three skill settings mean that, whilst the game doesn’t outstay its runtime, there is scope for those wanting to return for a tougher challenge. This design approach is ideal, encouraging players to get the most from this well-crafted experience.
It’s hard not to like Dogfight 1942 because it goes about its business in the right way, engineering a blend of involved gameplay and good old-fashioned excitement. Somehow, without pretence or the bells and whistles of bigger games, it delivers a raft of qualities. D1942 looks marvellous, features top-notch combat, and throws in a technically fantastic couch co-op option for good measure. If you’ll pardon the pun, it’s a game that continues to fly under the radar. Released during a time when online multiplayer was all the rage, a few hours of perilous social fun with a friend counted for a lot. An underappreciated title that’s well worth revisiting.
It’s hard not to like Dogfight 1942 because it goes about its business in the right way, engineering a blend of involved gameplay and good old-fashioned excitement. Somehow, without pretence or the bells and whistles of bigger games, it delivers a raft of qualities. D1942 looks marvellous, features top-notch combat, and throws in a technically fantastic couch co-op option for good measure. If you’ll pardon the pun, it’s a game that continues to fly under the radar. Released during a time when online multiplayer was all the rage, a few hours of perilous social fun with a friend counted for a lot. An underappreciated title that’s well worth revisiting.
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VERDICT"Without pretence or the bells and whistles of bigger games, Dogfight 1942 delivers a raft of qualities. Excellent controls, fun combat and great couch co-op help deliver a super action game. An underappreciated title that's well worth revisiting." OVERALL: 8/10 |
OTHER FLIGHT GAMES REVIEWED
Carrier Command (1988, ST)
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Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (2003, Xbox)
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