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Wings Over Europe

Lots of chaff, not much flair.

Dark blue icons of video game controllers on a light blue background
Image credit: Eurogamer
Review by Oliver Clare Contributor
Published on

WINGS OVER EUROPE KEY COMMANDS

  • A - Admire accessibility
  • B - Toggle boredom/excitement
  • C - Toggle complexity/simplicity
  • D - Despair at the uninspired presentation
  • E - Enthuse about the fact that the campaign missions are randomly generated
  • F - Fly around for ages in search of a hill
  • G - Grimace at the lacklustre terrain visuals
  • H - Hover in the Harrier jump-jet because you can
  • I - Ignore the A-10 Thunderbolt and F-15 Eagle because you've been flying them for years in other games
  • J - Jettison drop-tanks in readiness for a ruckus
  • K - Use keyboard rather than joystick (totally practical)
  • L - Limp back to base in a flak-ravaged Hawker Hunter
  • M - Marvel at the wealth of excellent community-made mods that are available
  • N - Download the free NATO Fighters enhancement pack
  • O - Order wingman to cover your six
  • P - Pause game and ponder the sad lack of atmosphere
  • Q - Question the absence of flyable Russian planes
  • R - Master radar modes in five minutes
  • S - Smile after nailing MiG with last few cannon rounds
  • T - Tut after watching one bandit's lazy attempts at evasion
  • U - Underestimate another bandit and get shot-down as a result
  • V - Vandalize bridge with well-placed stick of 500lb bombs
  • W - Wonder if you shouldn't have saved your money for the upcoming Jet Thunder Or Lock On: Black Shark
  • X - Expire instantly after being struck by a SAM
  • Z - Doze after flying eight campaign sorties on the trot
A sight that chills the marrow of all British tank commanders.
  • (Not assigned) - Activate Ace AI
  • (Not assigned) - Activate flyable choppers
  • (Not assigned) - Activate superlative realism
  • (Not assigned) - Activate high fidelity avionics
  • (Not assigned) - Activate IL2-quality damage modelling
  • (Not assigned) - Activate Falcon 4-style strategic depth
  • (Not assigned) - Activate Falcon 4-style head-scratching
  • (Not assigned) - FSX framerates
  • (Not assigned) - Period atmosphere
  • (Not assigned) - Freshness
  • (Not assigned) - Frills
  • (Not assigned) - Imagination

Menu Screen Controls

  • 1 - Select dynamic campaign Red Thunder (1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis escalates. The Soviets launch an invasion of Western Europe.)
  • 2 - Select dynamic campaign Red Hammer (1968. Emboldened by the weak NATO response to the Czech invasion, the Reds attempt to forcibly re-unite Germany.)
  • 3 - Select dynamic campaign Red Lightning (1978. Anticipating decades of demonisation at the hands of decadent Western flight sim developers, the Russians mount a pre-emptive strike on 'Free Europe'.)
  • 4 - Select flexible quick mission generator
  • 5 - Select meagre single sortie selection
  • 6 - Select dogfight or co-op multiplayer (maximum 16 players)
  • 7 - Select instant action
  • (Not assigned) - Select interactive tutorials
  • (Not assigned) - Select unit encyclopaedia
  • (Not assigned) - Select gun camera films

Loadout Screen Controls

  • S - Select Sidewinder AAM
  • P - Select Sparrow AAM
  • N - Select BLU-1 napalm bomb
  • N - Select another BLU-1 napalm bomb
  • N - Call me Papa Barbecue
  • M - Select TV-guided Maverick AGM
  • P - Select Paveway laser-guided bomb
  • R - Select Rockeye cluster bomb
  • (Not assigned) - Select crate of African killer bees
  • (Not assigned) - Select Steinway grand piano
  • (Not assigned) - Select live donkey
  • (Not assigned) - Select Toyota HiLux
  • (Not assigned) - Select canister full of 'Please Surrender' leaflets
  • X - Cycle through the dozens of other available weapons
  • (Not assigned) - Cycle through nuclear munitions

View Controls

  • F1 - Display nicely modelled aircraft interior
  • F2 - Display nicely modelled aircraft exterior
  • F3 - Chase view
  • F4 - Fly-by view
  • F5 - Weapon view
  • F6 - Tower view
  • (Not assigned) - Breathtaking view
  • NumPad 4 - Look left
  • NumPad 6 - Look right
  • NumPad 2 - Look back to Third Wire's last two sims (Strike Fighters and Wings Over Vietnam) and note the series' relatively slow rate of progress
  • NumPad 8 - Look forward to Third Wire's next sim - the imminent First Eagles - The Great War. Maybe that one will have more character and charm

Graphics settings

  • F12 - Toggle detail level (Shocking/Dated/Not half as pretty as Lock On)
  • Alt + V - Turn on vapour trails
  • Alt + G - Turn on glinting bare-metal fuselages
  • Alt + P - Turn on fiery pyrotechnics
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on canopy reflections
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on convincing cities
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on glittering, reflective Baltic
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on handsome forests
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on villages
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on seasons
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on fluffy volumetric clouds
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on fluffy volumetric cloud shadows
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on road and rail networks
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on power-lines
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on airbase bustle
  • (Not assigned) - Turn on infantry
Don't worry about learning the panels. All the important info is in the HUD.

Miscellaneous Controls

  • Print Screen - Take screenshot
  • Delete - Take screenshot of swooping shark-mouthed Thunderbolt spitting rockets at a column of Red armour
  • End - Take screenshot of Sparrow air-to-air missile turning an Il-28 Beagle bomber into a blazing meteorite shower
  • Insert - Take screenshot of Harrier lobbing 1000lb bomb into the hold of a Soviet ship
  • Scroll Lock - Take screenshot of F105-D Thunderchief doing victory rolls over devastated enemy airfield
  • Home - Take screenshot of SAM missile closing on a desperately jinking F4 Phantom
  • Ctrl + X - Exit the game
  • Shift + X - Exit the game entertained but underwhelmed
  • Alt + X - Exit the game and go back to Lock On: Modern Air Combat
  • Ctrl + Alt + X - Exit the game, take deep breath, and go back to Falcon 4: Allied Force
6 / 10

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