GamesRelay

Name: IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey

Picture yourself in some of the greatest air battles during World War II, flying some of the most recognised aircraft during the period and dogfighting it out for supremacy of the air, in IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey you get to do just that.

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey is a game which first debuted on the PC garnering itself a huge following from the flight simulation enthusiasts, the issue here for Gaijin Entertainment was how to bring such a successful game to the console platform, not everyone enjoys playing simulation games with a controller on a console. Thankfully the developers realised the issue and while not reducing the overall experience of simulation they introduced an arcade mode and a realistic mode which happily sits between arcade and simulator. The arcade mode makes the game highly accessible to anyone and thankfully the controller works wonders while flying in this mode even if a little confusing, however, moving up to the realistic or simulation mode with a controller is frustrating more than enjoyable. To really take advantage of the game you need to purchase a joystick, the difference is immeasurable once you move up to the realistic mode and later onto simulation. Unfortunately herein lies one of the flaws from the games control setup, while the joysticks do work - each have their own problems associated, the Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X for instance doesn't allow you to check your six (looking behind your aircraft), also taking the position of the rear gunner is controlled by the hat switch (the little tiny thumb joystick) which as you can imagine is extremely difficult to take down an enemy plane with. Word is that the developers are looking at fixing the issues with joysticks but many fans are awaiting an announcement on it and maybe waiting some time.

The game itself is set during World War II, you take the role of a number of different pilots from Britain, Russia and America each having their own story to tell. The story consists of a brief description of the mission before selecting it, an in-game cutscene and a final cutscene after the mission is over, at the start of a major campaign and the introduction to the game you are shown a brief clip of actual footage from the War which in itself is extremely good, while the War isn't entertaining, it shouldn't be, the small clips of film you are shown - show what they had to deal with and what lay in wait for them during some of the key battles of WWII.

Upon launching the game, you can choose to jump into the tutorials which take you through the basics of flight, combat, landing and other useful techniques. These are all set within the arcade mode difficulty except the last two tutorial missions which are realistic and simulation thus once being completed - unlocking the relevant difficult mode for you to play during the campaign. Since these last two are an accumulation of the other tutorial missions in a more realistic mode, it is quite daunting especially on simulation when you realise you have no flight aids at all, just your eyes your stick and your wits about you. It would have been better for everyone if each tutorial mission was able to be played in each difficulty but unfortunately it is not. For the majority of players except those die-hard simulation enthusiasts, you'll probably end up playing through on Arcade first anyway since the other difficulties make it quite difficult.. You'll soon see why it took only five kills to become an Ace during WWII.

The realistic option itself looks like the arcade mode, letting you choose targets, use bombing aids, target aiming help as in where to fire at a moving aircraft, but it does take away some of the help in controlling your aircraft, now your engine will stall and you will spin out of contorl as you try and make a tight banking turn, it makes the game quite a bit more difficult but still gives you the help you need to complete the mission. Simulation mode throws everything out of the window however, in simulation you don't get any assistance at all, your aircraft is difficult to control which is just as it should be, limited ammunition, no mini-map showing your targets, you can't select targets and judge the firing distance either. Simulation is for the true fan of flight sims giving you a taste of what it would be like flying one of these aircraft during the war, you are forced into the cockpit of the aircraft during simulation mostly limiting your view while flying. The missions do become extremely difficult in simulation, while they are the same and have the same objectives, you're not only battling other aircraft or ground targets but you're also battling out the controls for your plane making it that much more difficult. One of the main issues encountered while playing is the bombing runs and dogfighting which make up the majority, trying to spot the correct buildings, tanks, trucks or other features you need to bomb is unbelievably difficult where as dogfighting is much the same, when the action gets thick it's difficult to tell who are your allies and who aren't, most likely what the real pilots of WWII faced on a daily basis.

Regardless of the difficulty you play the game on, the experience you'll receive is second to none. The way the planes interact as you try to fly them is excellent, people will say realistic, but then it's difficult to judge something which you haven't flown yourself for real. Regardless, it feels right, there is enough difficulty to challenge you at realistic and simulation to keep the game from getting stale all too quickly.

IL-2 is set over six scenarios and twenty missions from WWII, these are; The Battle of Britain, Battle of Stalingrad, Invasion of Sicily, Korsun Pocket, The Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Berlin. Each allowing you to have a slice of the action during the mighty push to Berlin where the heart of Nazi Germany awaits. The campaign is fairly short, being able to complete it in just a few hours on arcade mode. The missions involve various bombing runs, escorts, dogfights with most missions having a secondary objective to complete which is optional, most of these secondary objectives involve you simply leaving the battlefield which is no less than boring, while understandable when playing realistic or simulation, there are certainly better things which could of been done than flying off the battlefield such as mopping up the remainder of the axis forces.

Aircraft wise, the game was at first supposed to only come with 12 flyable aircraft with the rest being AI only, thankfully the developers let players fly the rest of them as well so now the game has 40 aircraft to choose from. Such aircraft include the German Messerschmitt, British Spitfires and Hurricanes, American P-51 Mustangs, B-17 Flying Fortresses and of course the game name itself, the Russian IL-2 Sturmovik. These are just a taster, many of the aircraft are unlocked from playing through the single player campaign, where as a few are unlocked through online play. Since the game was only going to ship with 12 playable aircraft you'll find the majority of the aircraft don't have cockpits and instead just show you the crosshairs instead, while it's definitely a great addition being able to have the extra aircraft, you cannot help but feel short-changed that only 12 of them actually have the cockpit, especially in simulation when you're forced into that view. Each plane does handle differently though, some having there pro's others their con's, these aren't selectable during the campaign however, you are stuck with what you are given. The planes themselves are beautifully modelled each with their own unique look and while some of the aircraft are just reiterations of ones you already have such as the different type of Messerschmitt and Spitfires, each have their own unique colours and armaments for you to use.