Not having heard too much about this title I was unsure what to expect, the PC version is a hard core flight sim with ultra realistic controls and is well known in PC circles as a dead tough challenge, so what does the console version offer?

 

Well from what I have seen so far IL2 is turning into a gorgeous looking WW2 fighter plane game. It is set during the war and therefore includes some of the largest air battles that took place, such as Stalingrad and of course the Battle of Britain. The single player mode is boasting 50 missions, equating to roughly 60 hours of gameplay, there seems to be a good mixture of game modes thrown in like escorts, supply drops, recon, bombing runs and of course huge dogfights and battles with ships and enemy planes.

 

IL2 shows off some amazing graphics, the landscape has been painstakingly copied over from satellite photos and maps from the period to give the most realistic interpretation of what it was like back then, from a height it looks great, but as you dive down to the ground all of the blurry little green and grey bits turn into realistic looking forests, rolling hills and towns. Even in the sky the clouds look very realistic, allowing for some of the braver pilots to use it as cover. What impressed me even more was the detail on each plane; it feels like you are looking at the real thing, as you pull of a sharp manoeuvre you will have a great blurring effect and wisps of air coming off the wings. Even during battle the planes look great, get too close to a shot up plane on its way down to earth and your cockpit screen gets hit by debris and oil and with real time damage you can see holes appear on your wings as you take hits, hell you can even shoot the wings of a plane and watch them plummet.

 

 

To stay true to the reputation of the IL2 franchise, rather than make a straight copy for the console market 505 Games have catered for both the casual and hardcore gamer with a range of flight modes, the Arcade mode allows you to take a beating and pull off very hard moves with ease, Realistic offers harder handling, no radar but thankfully enemy model numbers and distance on the HUD. The Simulator mode will please fans of the original games as it is as realistic as it can get, no radar, no help, only a cockpit viewpoint plus a few more areas to control like flaps.

 

The multiplayer is what we were brought to play and when finally let go at it the game is beginning to show signs of it being one of the best WW2 plane fighters on the market. It will boast 16 player fights (we had only 8 for this play) and handles the action really well with everyone trying to get a lead on each other. The action is fast paced and fun whilst you are all fighting in close proximity, the only problem I found was that when you got carried away with a one on one battle you lose track of where you are and flying back to the pack can take some time.

 

IL2 is definitely a game to keep an eye on over the coming months, with the title offering realistic graphics, great action and over 40 planes to unlock and fly.