.gif)
Wings (computer game)
Encyclopedia
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
flying game, originally released in 1990 for the Commodore Amiga.
Wings features a mixture of gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
styles including 3D dog fights, top down bombing missions and scrolling strafing
Strafing
Strafing is the practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. This means, that although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with bombing or rocket fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the...
sections. It is arcade oriented, but featured the story narrative and atmospheric presentation that typified many of Cinemaware
Cinemaware
Cinemaware was a computer game developer and publisher that released several popular titles in the 1980s based on various movie themes. The company was resurrected in 2000, before being acquired by eGames in 2005.-Cinemaware Corp...
's titles. The game is not based on any real aircraft, but roughly based on the performance of aeroplanes of the era.
Wings 2: Aces High is a SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
release based on Japanese title Sky Mission. The Wings branding was only added to the game's US release, with the European version going under the name Blazing Skies. The title was superficially similar to the original game, with dogfighting and bombing missions, but was presented in more of an arcade format whereby the player was sent back and forced to complete failed missions. In Wings, by contrast, the narrative continues whether missions are passed or failed and even when the player pilot is killed the game continues with another.
Wings Advance is roughly the same game as the original, although it has been updated with improved graphics, new features, and increased gameplay options. The main difference is that the player can now opt to fly missions as a German pilot, experiencing the war from the opposite perspective. Wings Advance is available for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
platform.
In the opening scene of another Cinemaware game, The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges (video game)
The Three Stooges is a video game originally released by Cinemaware in 1987 for the Commodore Amiga personal computer, based on the comedy act of the same name. In the game, players control Stooges Moe, Larry and Curly in minigames based on classic Stooges films with the aim of raising enough...
, the Stooges are walking past a billboard
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
which advertises the game Wings as "coming soon!"
The gameplay looks similar to the action sequences of the 1927 silent movie also called Wings
Wings (film)
Wings is a silent film about World War I fighter pilots, produced by Lucien Hubbard, directed by William A. Wellman and released by Paramount Pictures. Wings was the first film, and the only silent film, to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Wings stars Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and...
. The story shown before each mission is, however, different from the plot of the movie.