IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey

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I have been a casual fan of flight simulator programs for over 20 years. Not a hard-core simmer, by any means. But I usually buy the latest iteration of MS Flight Simulator and Combat Flight Simulator and have logged more hours than I care to admit in the PC cockpit.

So I was very excited when the PS3 came out. At last, a console with the innards to handle flight simulation! Powerful CPU? Check. Great graphics chip? Check. High definition? Check. High capacity Blu-ray game discs to handle mountains of terrain data? Check.

Imagine my disappointment when, upon purchasing the PS3 two years ago, I found the flight-sim category to be virtually non-existent. The last two years have been slow to fill the gap. I got "Blazing Angels 2" and it was a joke. The irritating bravado of the characters, the silly missions, and the unrealistic physics--you could fly a plane straight up, indefinitely, until you hit a magical glass ceiling that defined the boundaries of the game--made it more like a cartoon than a simulator. HAWX was not much better.

Il-2 is different. This is an extremely well-done combat flight SIMULATOR. It is easy to learn, fun to play, and nearly impossible to master. It is the PS3 game that I have been waiting for--a combat flight simulator for grown-ups.

For starters, the whole tone of this game is different from the other PS3 combat flight sims. The presentation is understated and respectful of the historical events it recreates. There are black-and-white news-reel clips that introduce each of the "chapters," which are excellent. The "encyclopedia" gives the historical background of the events. And at the end of each of the missions is a journal entry of the character you are playing. All of this is very well done. The sober good taste does not detract from the fun of the game. It enhances it.

The graphics, too, are top-notch. There are a million tiny details that the developers got right, creating an extremely realistic landscape to fly though. The fields and hedgerows of southeast England have a believable patchwork irregularity to them. The habitations are realistic, too--with the cities organically fading into suburbs and then into farmland. Topographic features like the cliffs of Dover are convincingly rendered. And the sea and sky, what beauty! Seeing the streaked reflections of mid-summer cumulous clouds in the English Channel, a sunset reflected in the Volga near Stalingrad, or a frosty morning over Bayonne is alone worth the price of the admission. Unlike "Blazing Angels," you feel like you are flying through a real world that extends indefinitely in all directions, not a movie set.

As a bonus, the night skies are rendered accurately, too. On one night mission, I saw a familiar "V" in the sky, which I suspected was the Hyades in Taurus. Sure enough, it was. Close by were the Pleiades, Orion, and Gemini. And I soon located the Big and Little Dipper. I spent a whole mission stargazing--to the consternation, no doubt, of the bomber flight for which I was supposed to act as fighter cover.

Although the game is playable on the standard PS3 Sixaxis controller, it really cries out for a joystick. I got the $30 Thrustmaster stick and have been pleased. I would really like a force-feedback stick--to get a better feel for the control surfaces and get a jolt when hit by enemy rounds--but I am not sure the game supports force-feedback.

The game has two main single-player modes: "campaign" and "single mission." They both progress through different chapters--i.e., theaters of war. So you start out with "Battle of Britain," which has four campaign missions and a dozen or so single missions. Then you proceed through the Battle of Stalingrad, Sicily, Korsun Gap, Battle of the Bulge, and Battle of Berlin

There is a good mix of scenarios. Not every mission is a dogfight. Some involve ground attack with a fighter-bomber using rockets and bombs. Others involve providing top cover for a bomber flight. Some missions don't involve any fighting at all, but just require you to navigate to and land at different airfields. And there is just about every permutation of day/night, sunny/cloudy, summer/winter, urban/rural that you can think of. If those variations are not enough, you can create your own missions with the "training" option, where you can choose your plane, time, weather, theater, enemy planes, enemy skill, etc. The various "trophies" encourage you to explore the different possibilities that the game affords.

The developers have done an excellent job at making Il-2 playable for novices, while still retaining the feel of a simulator. The "arcade" mode gives your plane very forgiving aerodynamics (you do not get into a spin if you pull back too hard on the stick), unrealistic performance (your Spitfire can, with "War Emergency Power," exceed 500 mph--way beyond actual performance), and over-the-top lethality (a single short burst is often all it takes to down a Stuka). But it still feels real. You still have to maneuver into firing position and "lead" your target--a targeting aid helps you with that, too, though. The game is easy enough to learn that my 8-year-old son has completed several of the missions already.

If you are experienced at PC or console flight sims, it probably will not take too long to get through the missions on "arcade" mode. But that's where the fun begins. Once you move to "realistic" mode, the game takes on a different character entirely. Suddenly, your plane isn't Superplane--it's just an ordinary fighter. It takes more bullets to down an enemy, and you have to calculate the lead yourself. Your plane also becomes aerodynamically unforgiving. Pulling back too hard on the stick will stall your plane and, more often than not, send you into a vicious spin. And with just an ordinary engine, it takes some skill to get into firing position with an enemy fighter. I have just completed the Battle of Britain on realistic mode, and it was tough.

If that weren't enough, the game has "simulator" mode, where ALL computer aids are turned off. You no longer have on-screen labels or a "tactical map" showing where the enemy is. You have to use your own eyes. I haven't even been able to complete the tutorial for simulator (I keep losing my instructor and the Bf 109 I am supposed to shoot down) so it likely will be many more flying hours before I can step up to that. The game really is as difficult as you want it to be.

I suppose that any review has to include some "cons." But there are not many with this gem of a game. First, the voices in the game are repetitive, which is annoying. Not a big deal, though. Second, there is no two-player mode. I would like to go head-to-head with my son but, alas, the only multiplayer mode is online. Third, you cannot tweak the realism settings. There are only three options, Arcade, Realistic, and Simulator. Small, Medium, and Large. I would have liked an option to have retained all the aspects of Realistic mode, except for the diabolical tendency to enter into spins. Though I understand and respect the decision to simplify the interface for the general console-playing public. And I am getting better at avoiding and coming out of spins, so no big deal.

Overall, though, this was Christmas in September for me. I have annoyed my wife by staying up `til the wee hours on many nights fighting off Messerschmitts and Stukas. And the game has prompted my 8 year old to say the three magic words that every father longs to hear from his son: "Awesome kill, Dad!"

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This review might be tailored for the more hardcore sim gamers. Also this is specifically and only for the PS3 version, not the PC or XB360 versions.

Just a few words to everyone else: Simulator mode is, by design, very frustrating. An actual simulation is not as much "fun" as an arcade flight game. A real WWII Era aircraft has the following characteristics: No Radar (except for dedicated night fighters and specialty aircraft, but then certainly not as luxurious as the Arcade radar!), Machine guns and cannon with a relatively short range. Only a handful of real pilots could score hits and kills at long range. Far fewer still at a maneuvering target. It takes a long time to develop a USABLE sense of lead and deflection. There were some computing gunsights that require significant training to use. The lead computer in arcade mode removes the need to train. WWII Era fighters ALL required some 'work' to fly. A major design characteristic of most of the excellent fighters was that they required less "work" trimming, fuel mix, charger settings, even compensation for high speed flight characteristics like buffeting, torque roll, some even had a complex radio I can't recall them all but this just gives you an idea. WWII fighter excellence depends on many, many skills. Aircraft development over the last 65 years has compensated to a limited extent.

Situational awareness is of primary importance. Without going overboard, situational awareness means "Where am I? Where is the Enemy? Am I threatened? Is it safe to attack? Am I losing speed? Gaining speed? Am I in a safe position? Do I have enough fuel/ammo?" This was all done with basic guages (horizon, altitude, airspeed) and the Mark I Eyeball. In 'Simulator' mode, you do not have a radar. You have to use your eyes. Your eyes are stuck in your head, and they can only look in one direction at a time. You must be comfortable with looking around constantly to maintain your awareness of your situation. You must become skilled at looking for clues in the enemy aircraft is he closing? what rate? can I maneuver? will I get a worthy shot?

You have limited ammo. A few short bursts, then done. You have one or two bombs. 6 or 8 rockets. Yes. Reality IS frustrating. If it were totally realistic, you would play for years and only get a handful of kills. Richard Bong is the top scoring American Ace of all time. He got 40 kills in World War II, all in the Pacific. Erich Hartmann is the top scoring Ace of all time with 352 claimed kills. He flew 1,404 missions. The ratio is 1 kill every 4 missions [In Hartmann's case, he had several "multiple kill" missions which means that you may fly 10 or 12 with no kills and still be on 'Ace of aces' progress...]. Understand that many pilots never got even one kill. Accept it If you are ONLY excited by kills, then a true simulator will not make you happy. Most funseekers do not want a realistic simulator. Perfectly understandable why that is.

In this case, even the 'simulator mode' is a wee bit Arcadey.

The 4 stars is because this is a fantastic console game. It still does not enter the realm of computer-realistic-flight-sim. If you have never played a realistic flight sim on a computer in realistic/simulator mode, then you will not probably fully understand my comment. No offense is intended, it is a great game, and it is a ton of fun, and it does a very good job of presenting all of the MOST FUN aspects of WWII aerial combat while minimizing the frustrating parts in Arcade and Realistic mode. It truly is an excellent balance. I think it is much more fun with a joystick, but it still isn't quite a simulator. A true simulator takes a really long time to master, and then only if you are training in a way that allows you to improve your skills.

Also, I might have given it 5 stars if it had a Kursk scenario. Kursk was not only a triumph for the Red Army, but also the Red Airforce. The Russians took much higher losses but they had more planes to spare, and they used different tactics because they realized that in general they had inferior equipment and basic ability. The PS3 game does not convey that feeling. Compare the number of Russian Aces to the number of Russian air combat casualties to undertand what I mean.

So: Great arcade action! Awesome graphics! Good feel for realism and 'simulatey' stuff graphically -4 stars!

But: Kursk? and Not Quite a sim! (again BUT Unless you are a purist you DON'T WANT A TRUE SIM)

Buy IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Now

This game far surpasses any existing flying experience previously found on any console system. It IS as close to a perfect gaming experience as I've seen. My wife yelled at me for 3 nights running because I didn't come to bed until almost dawn as I was up playing all night long.

The campaign is robust and as more players get the game the online experience will be a blast. The airfiled capture is great fun.

Flight dynamics are real enough that you'll want a stick to go with it (I bought the Hotas for $37). Even with the sixaxis/dualshock it is a hoot to play. One thing is for sure, you must get this game.

Read Best Reviews of IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Here

Sturmovik is a solid WWII game from 505 Games and worth a look if you like flight games.

Story The story behind this game is basically the retelling of personal experiences from a variety of pilots across the European theater of WWII. I wouldn't say the story is particularly compelling and the narrator has a bit of an accent which can make it difficult to understand. I assume most people don't look for a strong story in their WWII aerial shooters so no big deal.

Visuals & Sound Players should be quite content with the sights and sounds of this game. The world is bright and colorful with plenty of detail. I am pretty confident in saying that this game looks better than Ace Combat 6 and Blazing Angels. The sound is excellent with all of the exciting engine sounds and explosion effects. I noticed quite a bit of screen tearing in the cockpit view and am not sure if this is primarily a PS3 issue. There were some frame-rate issues during the more epic battles.

Controls The controls are pretty terrible and will take you quite a while to get used to. Clicking the stick to look around is awkward. Could have used customizable controls.

Gameplay This game is fun but can be slow and difficult at times. You are not flying a jet so it takes a while to get around the enormous maps. I would advise sticking to the arcade difficulty unless you really prefer more of a simulation level experience. The realistic and simulation difficulty levels are quite a challenge and you will spend a great deal of time trying to shoot down enemies.

Multiplayer Didn't try it out.

Overall this is a solid, well made game but it isn't for everyone. If you like flying games I would highly recommend this title. If you prefer more fast paced shooters like COD4 or Halo then it probably isn't for you. .

Want IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Discount?

Overall this game is entertaining if you enjoy the genre. Even if you don't im sure there is plenty of fun within. The single-player aspects are extensive. Fairly large campaign with 3 different difficulties/realisms. Arcade mode makes it easy to just hop in and fly around dogfighting fairly easily. Simulation for the hardcore enthusiasts, and realistic for the in-between. Something for everyone. I find the realistic to be the perfect blend of difficult flying and adrenaline fueled fun. It really feels like im flying these planes. Cranking the throttle up and pulling some barrel rolls, stalling engines and pulling out of spirals at the last moment. I went with the recommended T-Hotas flightstick for thirty some bucks. Works pretty good. Brings me that much closer to the PC realism. All the single player missions and planes unlock as you progress. Nice training section. Huge list of trophies to strive for with a large number geared for online bragging rights I guess. Graphics and sound are as good as you currently get on the PS3 I suppose. Not 1080P I dont think, but you know what I mean. lol

I havent hit the online play yet but will this week. Probably incredibly fun dogfighting other players. The realism here will allow for legit piloting skills to prevail and dominate. There will be some people becoming feared aces in these skies. After a tough decision between this and the other recent WW2 fighter sim, I decided on this because I had actually played this company's similar title on the PC in my past. With the release of the PS3 I've decided to convert back to a dedicated console gamer. Even though consoles still havent caught up completely to PCs, it's getting fairly close. The low cost and ease of play, not to mention being able to lay back on the couch in front of a 52" HD monitor while gaming.

I give it 4 stars because in order to be a 5, it needs to blow me away. For this price, the game is well worth it and should provide a lot of enjoyment.