Head upwards in this fun, addicting but repeative flight simulator.
Have your flying goggles at the ready, as your about to dive into a world of stall turns, props, rudders, ailerons, flat-spins, yaks and meteors. If all of these terms seem familiar to you, then you may already know about IL-2 Sturmovik and its heritage in the PC flight simulation scene. So how well does IL-2 carry over onto the console's tiny thumbsticks and limited control interface? Well, the answer is pretty well in fact. This is mostly thanks to the game's default Arcade mode that features throughout the game. First time flyers, casual gamers and novices best stick to this option if you wish to enjoy what this game has to offer in the game. Should you wish to venture beyond the Call Of Duty, whilst giving yourself more of a challenge, then you can enter missions under the Realistic or Simulation modes. In the Realistic mode your flying aids that previously supported you in Arcade are now reduced. Not only is it much easier to stall and enter a flat spin (far too many times) but you'll also be kissing a lot of foreign soil thanks to the harder enemy AI, who do very well to out manoeuvre themselves away from your sights. Simulation mode turns this experience up to eleven, as all the visual aids are also removed along with your vision being forced to the cockpit view. This means you have to control, navigate and fight purely using sight, feel and pure fighter ace skills. Controlling your plane outside of Arcade takes some getting used to as you really have to babysit every manoeuvre in fear that you will not enter into another stall turn or flat spin. For most console gamers new to the genre you'll find yourself chipping away at the campaign in Arcade mode, for that simple pick up and play approach to the game. But don't let this easy route put you off, as you will have a lot of enjoyment out of this game thanks to the well planned missions, great presentation, gorgeous environments and models. This is teamed with a fantastic musical score and realistic effects that zoom, boom and wizz around your TV sound system. The single player campaign alone will set you back a few good hours while you take to the skies fighting in The Battle of Britain and Stalingrad campaigns to missions over Sicily and Berlin. The campaign is fought in a chronological order, which helps guide the gamer through the allied involvement in World War 2, and more specifically its tales of the sky. This is helped by the gravely, yet distinguishable voice of British actor, Joss Ackland, who provides the narration and journal extracts from real-life fighting aces throughout the WW2 campaign. Yet, I do belive the game is short, as while writing this I am on the last mission already, which is dissapointing, because a few more missions would be a great treat.
The missions in the game's campaign tip their cap towards these real life reports, where you reenact real allied sorties that took place during the war. Each main campaign is Introduced with real war footage captured during the period, which helps set the mood in the game and makes you feel part of the historical seat of the pants flying that the allied pilots encountered. Completing key periods in the campaign unlocks additional craft, encyclopaedia and journal extracts from the war. On top of this there are additional small single missions. These single missions feature outside the main campaign and lets you dip in and out of particular set mission types, ranging from convoy attacks to escort missions. But, I find it still isn't enough. Coming from a prestigious PC heritage you can rest assured in the safe knowledge that each flyable craft has been perfectly modelled, from handling through to how it looks on the outside, and what a sight that is. As your craft is perforated by bullets and flak shrapnel, you soon begin to see your wings and fuselage full of bullet holes and torn canvas. This isn't just visual either, as your handling is seriously effected too, even more so in realistic and simulation modes. Aces fighting in the Arcade mode will be able to relish the auto revive feature, should you ditch your craft into the dirt; this keeps the game's tempo flowing at a good pace, even if it does feel a little kamikaze like. Trophies can also be unlocked, and there are a good selection, with some rather hard ones to go by, but it will last you a little longer than the campaign, thank goodness. If unlocking trophies are your thing, then you're well served here, as there are plenty to be earned by just playing through the single player campaign. The rest of the rewards remain locked up in the different realistic and simulation modes along with a few online ranking goals to achieve. IL-2 builds on existing simulation titles that have been landing onto consoles recently, and is probably the best combat flight simulation title I have played on consoles to date. With its stunning visuals, audio score, well structured campaign and insightful exploits from our WW2 heroes, IL-2 will certainly send any budding fighter jock into a flying frenzy.
---------------------------------------
Good Points: Great graphics and music scores, good unlockables, amazing detail, well structed missions and some great planes to fly.
Bad Points: Repeative, too short, some re - cycled ideas.
8/10