When it comes to WWII plane games IL2 is known on the PC circuit as one of the best and most hardcore games on the market, so with the console version you know you are in for a treat. Rather than go for a straight port from the PC title, 505 games have decided to treat us with an amazing mixture of arcade and realistic plane fighting with loads of modes and fights available all on one disc.

 

 

The game has three main areas, campaign, single missions and online play. Before any of this you are forced to play through the tutorial, which I found a bit annoying as having played many console shooters in the past this is quite similar in the control method, but over such a huge game this was my only problem. The Campaign is split into 6 chapters with varying missions, taking place over some of the most breathtaking aerial battles that occurred during WWII. Surprisingly what is normally the high point of most games, the Battle of Britain, takes place in the first chapter. You are then taken around Europe fighting over places like Berlin, Italy and Russia. To keep things interesting there are primary and secondary missions, these range from clearing the skies of over 70 bombers as they approach Dover (this is an amazing sight), assisting ground forces by making bombing runs on Stalingrad and helping out wingmen when they are in trouble.

 

The Single missions are again separated into locations with planes locked. There are plenty of missions to play through and it will take you a while to complete as when you finish one level, more levels unlock to try out. The online mode was not available at the time of review but having played the local networked games last month this will be an impressive mode. There are 4 modes to choose from including dogfights, team modes and capture the base for up to 16 players with each game being adjustable to allow for certain planes, fair fights and even the time of day and weather effects.

 

IL2 has taken a more hardcore approach than most console gamers would be accustomed to but fear not as the modes can be altered, essentially giving you a few games in one package. The Arcade settings allow you to pull off crazy manoeuvres whilst attacking or performing evasive turns. You can also take a right beating and at the same time dish it out with unlimited ammo. The Simulation mode is a polar opposite of the arcade settings, the view is fixed to the restrictive but lifelike cockpit view, all of the assists have been turned off, no radar, no HUD and limited ammo, though this is for the pros only. Having tried a few of the missions on this setting I can say in all honesty that it is a real toughie, giving the impression of just how hard it must have been up there all those years ago.

 

As mentioned earlier, the controls are like most plane fighters out there, which is mainly due to the restrictions of the control pad. The LT will lock the camera onto your targeted enemy, allowing you to pull off some mad manoeuvres to get a lead on them. Firing is pretty simple and mapped to the RT, as you get close to an enemy a small crosshair will appear in front of them, aim here and you will be guaranteed hits. All of the rudders and speed controls are assigned to the control sticks and are easy enough to get to grips with.

 

There are loads of planes to take to the skies with, each one handling like their real life counterparts (supposedly) and recreated in amazing detail. Classics like the Spitfire and Hurricane are there along with the games namesake IL2 appearing once you are in the Russian campaign with its rockets, mounted machine guns and bombs. As you play through the missions you unlock loads more planes that you can use in the online modes plus there is a fully immersive hanger where you can walk around the planes and read up on all of their stats.

 

The presentation of this game shows it has been a real labour of love, footage from the war play as intros for each mission in the chapters, the plane models are stunningly realistic, taking real-time damage, so if you mess up an attack run your wings will be peppered with bullet holes, allowing you to see right through them. If you hit an enemy plane right they will start to smoke, keep it up and the real time damage comes into play again, causing wings to fly off and parachutes popping out to save the pilots (sorry, you cant shoot them down) and a cool in screen picture will display the plane as it plummets into the ground.

 

 

What really steals the show is the environment, you can fly for miles unhindered, allowing you to get right into a fight without worrying about annoying barriers forcing you back into the game. There is also no pop up or slowdown, you can dive at the ground from a huge height and just watch terra firma approach you at full speed. The layout of the buildings and trees are all real models based on aerial photography from the war, so when fighting over Dover you could essentially crash into a relative’s house, sorry Nan.

 

IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey is the pinnacle of WWII fighters on the current generation of consoles. The sensible approach to offering casual gamers the arcade functions and hardcore gamers the simulation modes will even lure the PC faithful over from their monitors and onto their home TV. This is a title that is well worth your time, if not convinced try out the demo available on LIVE and PSN now.