LucasArts' Secret Weapons Over Normandy revealed

LucasArts has announced Secret Weapons Over Normandy, an action-oriented, story-based flight game set during the major campaigns of World War II. The developer, Totally Games, was formed by Lawrence Holland and others who created LucasArts' Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe series and later went on to produce the X-Wing and TIE Fighter games. It was one year ago to the day that LucasArts revealed that it had partnered with Totally Games on a new WWII flight game.

Secret Weapons Over Normandy will feature more than 30 air-to-air and ground-attack missions in 15 theaters of operations, including Europe, North Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. As a member of an elite secret squadron, players will relive many of the war's most critical battles, ranging from the evacuation at Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain to the Battle of Midway and D-Day. Players will be able to take to the skies in more than 20 historically modeled aircraft, including the workhorses of the US forces--the twin-engine P-38 Lightning and the P-51 Mustang--as well as more-exotic experimental craft such as the Me 163 Komet rocket plane and the Me 262 turbo jet fighter. There's even the possibility of manning the guns in a B-17 Flying Fortress.

"LucasArts' first generation of World War II flight action games, like Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, served to define the genre back in the late 1980s and early 1990s," said Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. "Given the current resurgence in popularity of World War II games, we're confident Secret Weapons Over Normandy will have strong appeal not only to fans of those acclaimed original games, but also to a whole new generation of players who are seeking a fun and accessible flight action experience."

"Totally Games' development of Secret Weapons Over Normandy draws on many of the techniques we used so effectively in the X-Wing series--epic missions tied to a dramatic plot, immersive combat, distinctive characters, and cool aircraft and weaponry--all of which will add up to a compelling World War II air combat game," said Lawrence Holland, chief executive officer and creative director of Totally Games.

Secret Weapons Over Normandy is being developed for simultaneous release for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC at the end of 2003. The PS2 and Xbox versions will have co-operative multiplayer, while the PC version will include a scenario editor. The game will be present at next month's E3, and we'll have more details on it in the coming weeks.