IL-2 Sturmovik Preview
Who says the flight sim genre is dead? We take Maddox Games' IL-2 out for a spin.
A few short years ago, World War II flight sims were all the rage. European Air War, Combat Flight Simulator, Screamin' Demons Over Europe, Nations: WWII Fighter Command, and Luftwaffe Commander all competed for shelf space and flight time in the hands of sim enthusiasts, but unfortunately, they all modeled the same thing: the air war over Western Europe. While Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 2 recently filled a long-standing void in Pacific theater sims, the last Sturmovik sim (by Electronic Arts) modeled the modern Su-25 jet version--and, apparently, it was released ages ago. With IL-2, sims are truly branching out into uncharted territory. And judging from IL-2's build--which we received from Blue Byte, the game's publisher outside of Russia--it is territory that's well worth visiting.
While Maddox Games won't be a familiar name to most North American gamers, the recent merger of 1C and Maddox Games paired one of Russia's largest publishers with one of its most respected developers. Together, they are creating a comprehensive flight simulator that will depict air combat over the eastern front of World War II, with Germany and the USSR as combatants. The game will include a wide range of single-player missions, such as ground attacks, fighter sweeps, escort and interception missions, and even antishipping duties. You will be able to fly in career mode as either a Russian or German fighter pilot or as a Russian bomber pilot. IL-2 will model the entire air war over the eastern front and will also let you design your own missions with a robust mission builder.
In keeping with its title and country of origin, IL-2 Sturmovik will provide focus on not only the IL-2 but also several other types of Russian aircraft, including the LaGG-3 and MiG-3. There are several variants of each aircraft, and each varies in its specific weapon loadouts. In addition to these three planes, you'll be able to fly the American-built P-39 Airacobra as a Russian pilot. The P-39 was provided to the USSR in large numbers under the Lend-Lease Act. As the Germans, you'll be able to fly three versions of the Messerschmidt Bf-109 (the F and two G variants). Furthermore, the developers have suggested that several other aircraft may be designed to allow for fully flyable versions to be released at a later date. These additional aircraft include the FW-190, several models of Yakovlev (the Yak-3 and Yak-9), as well as the famed Ju-87 Stuka dive-bomber. All of these aircraft will be available in the release version as nonflyable AI planes and will include the Ju-52 transport aircraft (a workhorse at Stalingrad) and even the Fiesler "Storch" Fi-156 scout plane. Other AI planes will be German bombers, such as the He-111 and the Ju-88, and a variety of Russian aircraft.
Since the Sturmovik was a two-seater, IL-2 will permit you to fly either as the pilot or as the tailgunner with an AI pilot for assistance--and you may switch from pilot to gunner at will. Cooperative play will let two players fill the pilot and gunner seats. Maddox Games hopes to release subsequent add-ons to allow for even more aircraft with dual positions, such as the pilot and a turret gunner in the Ju-88 and Tu-2.
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- GameSpot Score9.2Editors' Choice
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IL-2 Sturmovik Review
IL-2 Sturmovik is destined to be a classic. This is one of those simulations that reminds you why you love the genre.
- Dec 4, 2001
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