Warning: This may contain some spoilers.
In Pacific Assault, you experience the beginning of the USA's entry into the war through the eyes of Private Tommy Conlin, a recruited U.S. Marine. There are some especially tense moments in the game, and one of these stand-out moments is the Pearl Harbor level, where Jap planes fly all around your character, and you are lucky if you make it to the PT boat alive, as you don't know exactly where the Japanese planes will bomb next-will it miss or hit you? But, not everything about it is perfect. A few cons of the game include: --Loading times: There are ridiculously long loading times that break up certain levels, and it can be a real pain as well. You may be in the middle of a big level, and suddenly, you see 'loading'. We could have done without the long loading times needed for each section in each level.
--Mouse lag: Sometimes, there may be a noticeable mouse lag, but this shouldn't be too much of a problem if your computer is up to it (and I mean really up to it, as PA eats up the computer's RAM very fast).
--Audio synchronisation: In the cut scenes, particularly, there is a noticeable audio mis-synchronisation, as the characters' do not move in time with the words being spoken. Occasionally, there may be parts missing (especially in Tarawa level).
--Limited playability: I have played this a few times through, but at the end of the day, you can play it only so many times, before you want to move on. However, it is one of those which one may go back to later in the future.
--Short playing time: I was somewhat disappointed by the length of each level, and found that Now the good news: --Music: Played by a live orchestra, the music is very uplifting, moving and, not least of all, carries a very patriotic feeling with it. It has a very emotional feel to it, and enhances the emotional intensity of the various battles your character is involved in, from Pearl to Makin Atoll to Tarawa itself.
--Sound: The sound is clear, pristine and very accurate. The makers of this game went to great lengths to ensure that the weapons, etc had a realistic sound, even going so far as recording live sounds. You can hear the Marines (not soldiers) calling to you or the corpsman (Jimmy Sullivan) for help, and each word is enunciated clearly. However, it can get a bit repetitive sometimes, especially during battle when you might hear the same "Good shot, Tommy!" about five times in a single fight. They even have authentic Japanese speaking in the game as well.
--Storyline/Characters: For once, this has an actual storyline that helps you connect with and even grow attached to the characters. The characters of Frank Minoso, Willy Gaines, Jimmy Sullivan and Tommy Conlin are fleshed out, and you see them evolve throughout the game.
--Miscellaneous: The visual effects are a par above excellence, and the jungles, etc looks so real, it's almost like being in a film. Things actually fly out at your screen, and you might find yourself recoiling slightly on one or two occasions. You can almost feel the bayonets sticking into you, and almost feel the earth shake from an explosion. And you know what, things can get very intense when you hear the ominous "BANZAI!" and then next thing you know, Japanese soldiers are pricking bayonets into you.
All in all, this is one excellent game, and I would be very happy if there was a sequel to this after all, especially with Iwo Jima. Hope you found this review helpful!
In Pacific Assault, you experience the beginning of the USA's entry into the war through the eyes of Private Tommy Conlin, a recruited U.S. Marine. There are some especially tense moments in the game, and one of these stand-out moments is the Pearl Harbor level, where Jap planes fly all around your character, and you are lucky if you make it to the PT boat alive, as you don't know exactly where the Japanese planes will bomb next-will it miss or hit you? But, not everything about it is perfect. A few cons of the game include: --Loading times: There are ridiculously long loading times that break up certain levels, and it can be a real pain as well. You may be in the middle of a big level, and suddenly, you see 'loading'. We could have done without the long loading times needed for each section in each level.
--Mouse lag: Sometimes, there may be a noticeable mouse lag, but this shouldn't be too much of a problem if your computer is up to it (and I mean really up to it, as PA eats up the computer's RAM very fast).
--Audio synchronisation: In the cut scenes, particularly, there is a noticeable audio mis-synchronisation, as the characters' do not move in time with the words being spoken. Occasionally, there may be parts missing (especially in Tarawa level).
--Limited playability: I have played this a few times through, but at the end of the day, you can play it only so many times, before you want to move on. However, it is one of those which one may go back to later in the future.
--Short playing time: I was somewhat disappointed by the length of each level, and found that Now the good news: --Music: Played by a live orchestra, the music is very uplifting, moving and, not least of all, carries a very patriotic feeling with it. It has a very emotional feel to it, and enhances the emotional intensity of the various battles your character is involved in, from Pearl to Makin Atoll to Tarawa itself.
--Sound: The sound is clear, pristine and very accurate. The makers of this game went to great lengths to ensure that the weapons, etc had a realistic sound, even going so far as recording live sounds. You can hear the Marines (not soldiers) calling to you or the corpsman (Jimmy Sullivan) for help, and each word is enunciated clearly. However, it can get a bit repetitive sometimes, especially during battle when you might hear the same "Good shot, Tommy!" about five times in a single fight. They even have authentic Japanese speaking in the game as well.
--Storyline/Characters: For once, this has an actual storyline that helps you connect with and even grow attached to the characters. The characters of Frank Minoso, Willy Gaines, Jimmy Sullivan and Tommy Conlin are fleshed out, and you see them evolve throughout the game.
--Miscellaneous: The visual effects are a par above excellence, and the jungles, etc looks so real, it's almost like being in a film. Things actually fly out at your screen, and you might find yourself recoiling slightly on one or two occasions. You can almost feel the bayonets sticking into you, and almost feel the earth shake from an explosion. And you know what, things can get very intense when you hear the ominous "BANZAI!" and then next thing you know, Japanese soldiers are pricking bayonets into you.
All in all, this is one excellent game, and I would be very happy if there was a sequel to this after all, especially with Iwo Jima. Hope you found this review helpful!
