Heroes Over Europe features over 40 planes, each with different statistics that affect your damage, weight, and handling. As expected, lighter planes respond quicker and are more maneuverable, but don't do as much damage as the huskier heavy-hitters. Such differences certainly aren't unique to Heroes Over Europe, but it is all too common to play an arcade flight sim that doesn't have much in the way of selection, thereby putting players who want a nice blend of speed and power. Thanks to Heroes' impressive aircraft selection, every player should be able to find a plane that suits their particular taste.


Standard weaponry such as chain guns and missiles are available for most crafts, but it is the Ace Kill system that separates Heroes from its competition. Hovering your reticule over an enemy plane for a certain amount of time causes your view to zoom in close. Once the reticule glows yellow, you can aim at particular elements of the plane for a more precise method of dealing damage. Clip the wings to send the plane bobbing and weaving drunkenly through the clouds, or snipe the pilot for an instant kill. It is easier in some cases to simply open fire and whittle away a plane's health bar -- the common practice in this genre -- but the Ace Kill system rewards players who take the time to stalk their prey and get close enough to trigger the mechanic.

On occasions when enemy planes are grouped together, the Ace Kill system allows you to string together a chain of kills without ever leaving your zoomed-in, instant-kill view. Simply flick your mouse from one target to the next and squeeze the trigger to send the hostile crafts spiraling down to Earth.


Multiplayer dog-fights should be fast and furious, as up to 16 players can participate in the mayhem.

Heroes Over Europe is simple in execution, but the Ace Kill system looks to provide a nice differing play style that separates the title from the tried, true, yet admittedly tired arcade flight sim formula. Look for the game in early 2009 on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.