Always nice to see AH getting positive press. Having done a number of game reviews myself, I can appreciate the difficulty of really getting to know a game in just a couple of weeks. Still, I found the review to be somewhat superficial, like the reviewer spent most if not all of his on-line time exploring only one aspect of the game. Without pointing out the most obvious (to us;)) errors, I offer the very statement Creamo hails in his post above. To wit,
”The aircraft are the big draw of Aces High. Let's dispense with the pleasantries, Aces High was intended as a primarily aircraft-based game. Therefore, it's no surprise that the flight model and selection of planes is top-notch. Since Aces High is not actually based in a real-world setting, all sides can choose German and Allied fighters, bombers and attack aircraft.”
Perhaps it's just a simple mental hiccup, but people reading the review might infer that German aircraft are the only axis planes available. I could also understand the reviewer mistaking the cruiser in a CVBG for a battleship (and getting the number wrong), but mistaking a half-track for a jeep, or the Me-110 for a "high performance" perk plane? His description of the strat and logistics in the game is a bit weak too. As Rip notes, the lack of mention of the other arenas and event options leads me to suspect that he didn't didn't research these or participate in them. He could also have expanded a bit more on the different types of missions people can run (level bombing, JABO, field gun manning, train/convoy hunting, as examples). I also think a few words on the community aspects of the game would have been nice, such as the squadron system, terrain designers, CM's, and other community volunteers would have rounded out the review. Finally, no game is perfect...even AH. Yet there is no mention of the things the review might consider areas of weakness, or things he felt were lacking.
In short, I felt the review really doesn't give a clear picture of AH in total, neither does it talk enough about the aircraft and flight model to claim that was the review's primary purpose. Over all, I'd give it a straight "B" grade. He obviously liked the game (or was smart enough to realize he didn't know it well enough to talk it down). Just my semi-professional opinion:).
