Review of IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey

The IL-2 series of WWII flight combat simulators is one of the most respected and acclaimed games on the PC.Finally we console junkies get to have our own version and it delivers.

Birds of Prey puts the player at the controls of various WWII fighter and bomber aircraft on historically accurate missions from five theaters of war.The game tracks the air war in Europe from the Battle of Britain to the Battle of Berlin, by way of Sicily, Stalingrad, and Korsun.The locations are detailed and beautifully rendered, however the aircraft are the stars of the show.There are dozens of British, American, Soviet, and German examples that look great inside and out.Fans of WWII history will find plenty to love here.

Speaking of history, while the game is light on story, it includes videos that set the stage for the various battles using a combination of rendered footage and real historical film.Despite the fact that the various players in the game are basically nameless, the informative videos provide ample motivation for the struggle against Germany.I would even call the experience educational.

A cool new feature of the console games is the difficulty settings.The game can be as easy to fly as you wish, with the default Arcade setting providing an experience that everyone can pick up and enjoy immediately, and the Simulation setting that will challenge players to even keep the planes in the sky, let alone fighting.

Players attack various air and ground targets, while trying to protect their allies.Gameplay is engaging although not as exciting as 'after-burner' titles like Ace Combat.What you get instead is a very well crafted flight combat sim that feels more satisfying when you manage to send your enemies down in flames and come home in one piece.

By the way, the Ace-Edge flight stick that comes in the Ace Combat 6 bundle does work with this game.Works great.

Overall, this is the best game in its category.I'd recommend any fan of WWII or flying games to try this title immediately.Also, parents take notice: it's like the History Channel that you can play!



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