IL- 2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey. A 505 Games title.

Flight-sims have always had a place in my heart, somewhere between sleeping and food. Ever since I first took control of a Spitfire in Microsoft’s Combat Flight Simulator I knew it was my type of game. Unfortunately, since I quit gaming on PC in favour of the Xbox nothing has really come along to fulfil my need to shoot down planes. OK, there has been a few on the current generation of consoles that are a worthy mention, these being Ace Combat 6 and Hawx, but the arcade like nature of these games just didn’t feel quite right. Then IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey came along. Published by 505 Games (not Ubisoft like it’s PC based cousin) this game starts to cross the line between PC and console flight games that I’ve been after.

Set in WWII, IL-2 Stumovik takes you into the skies over the southern English coast, France, Germany, Russia and Italy. When you begin the single player mode you are greeted with tutorial, campaign, single mission and training options.

You can choose to jump straight into the campaign mode on arcade difficulty but if you do you’ll miss out on what this game is truly about. As such you must play the tutorial. This gives you a great introduction to the gameplay and also unlocks the realistic and simulation difficulty settings.

Realistic mode introduces some features such as stall, and recoil from weapons as well as flight surface damage affecting performance. Simulation takes things a little further and is for the truly hardcore. Removing all radars and on screen indicators it’s just you and one of the cockpit views (no 3rd person in this mode). To find your enemy you have to look for them. A mode most will never use but it’s nice to have the option! Unlike arcade mode, you also lose the targeting function in higher difficulties, which means you have to lead shots yourself.

Viewpoints take the usual range of 3rd person, in cockpit and virtual cockpit. To me the 3rd person mode is only good for looking at the beautifully modelled aircraft or when on a bombing run.

Cockpit mode provides the best simulation although bombing runs are harder.

If you want to get the most out of the game then it’s hard to beat the Saitek Aviator flight stick and this game works beautifully with it. On saying that, you’ll have no problem enjoying the game via a controller, with the right stick controlling throttle and flaps and the left stick controlling pitch and roll. Each plane feels different, with small fast planes being highly response while large hulking bombers respond in a sluggish and calculated fashion.

The campaign is spread out across 20 missions and you will fly a variety of aircraft from the iconic Spitfire to the powerful and devastating IL-2. Mission are generally a mix of dog fights, intercepting bombers and bombing raids on land or sea targets. The variety is a little sparse though and can seem repetitive, on saying this, what other choices could there have been! Upon completing the primary objectives of each mission there is a chance to try the secondary objective. In early mission this involves returning to base and landing safely. This is challenging and enjoyable for those that want a more sim like experience and as it is optional the action seekers don’t have to worry. In later missions the developers seem to have gotten lazy and you simply have to fly to a waypoint. These are pointless and boring.

Despite the limitations, missions are challenging and fun with bombing missions sometimes requiring you to hit very small ground targets, something that’s not easy in arcade mode never mind simulation! Arcade mode is a little bit too easy but enjoyable none the less. Upping to the realistic or simulation mode will test you as a pilot and the lack of any auto lock weapons really tests your skill. The satisfaction of taking a plane down with a carefully placed stream of rounds from a wing mounted cannon and then barrel rolling through their debris is hard to match in any other game. In A-Team style, the enemy never truly die, parachutes will fall out of the sky and no matter how hard you try they can’t be shot down. A sign this game is not about killing people, just shooting down planes.

That isn't 2, it's just hard to take a photo while flying!

The single mission mode allows you to select from additional mission which are unlocked during the campaign and are really more for those wishing to enjoy the simulation. Along with some fighting missions others include escorting, recon and inspection missions including one where you must perform touch and go landings to inspect airfields. Not all of these will appeal to all players although each has their place within the game and it’s nice to see something that encourages you to fly and not just hold down a trigger.

Each of these modes score you depending on how well you do, you get additional bonuses for adding in difficulty such as limited lives, fuel and ammo. Not something I found myself caring much about although it can allow you to increase the challenge.

Training mode is a practice mode that allows you to select a variety of variables from locations, weather enemy skill and number etc. This is great for to those wishing to practice skills offline before they take the game online and fight the world but it is also a lot of fun and allows for some quick action.


Online is an area of this game that should have been excellent. Basically Call of Duty: World at War in planes! But alas for me this crashes and burns. I got this game on release and kept receiving a nice little message. Even as I type this I’m getting it no matter what game mode I search for.

The one time I did get a game I waited for 10 minutes until the host decided to start. When he did I got kicked! This could have been longer if they’d wanted it to be as there is no time limit on game lobbies and this was highly frustrating. I have read it is due to the limited number of players online, so if you've got a lot of people on your friends list with it then you might be able to co-ordinate a game to suit you. Still a better choice of words on the error message would at least give a hint as to whats going on. As it stands I can only think to blame the game.

There is a range of game options but I never got to try them. Other people may have had a better time online but I can only speak for myself and I find it poorly implemented and a major flaw in this game. The less said the better.

The Profile option in the main menu provides you with a chance to view the planes you have access to via the hanger. Not all are available to begin with and are unlocked as you progress through the single player mode. This is ultimately a highly limited feature as you really want to view them in the air not in a hanger. It will provide you with some information on them but a free flight option in this section would have been brilliant. Instead you have to back track through the menus and go the training mode to fly the thing.

There is also an encyclopaedia which provides information on the history, tactics etc. The stunts section is nicely implement showing you how to do them. Actually performing all the stunts in game is an entirely different thing though!

Looks easy doesn't it. Well just try and get it perfect if you can!

The final bit gives a brief history of the pilots you fly as or with during the game. This doesn’t really serve much purpose and it’s hard to tell if they are real people or fictional characters although a quick google I did find Glen Duncan so maybe they do exist.

http://www.clan-duncan.co.uk/glenn-duncan-ace.html

Graphically this game is hard to beat in the genre. With beautifully modelled planes and damage modelling, showing holes in the wings and other surfaces to a point where you wonder how you are still in the air, is fantastic. Shooting enemy planes in different areas also affect how they go down. Sometimes you’ll see a wing fold up like paper while the fuselage nose dives. Other times you’ll see smoke streaming out of the plane. If you happen to fly into this trail in cockpit mode, your view becomes obscured by oil and fuel forcing you to take action so you can clear your vision. A very nice touch. Unlike some other flight games the landscapes are excellent with modelled houses, trees and ground units it is not a simple 2D picture with a few 3D objects designed to be viewed from above. They also used satellite imagery to create the landscapes so it all looks amazingly real making risky low level flying visually rewarding and exhilarating. With all this attention to detail the strain sometime shows, frame rate can really suffer when there is a lot of action although it’s is never for too long.


The sounds are great and the engine notes and gun sounds vary for each plane. The orchestral score is often exhilarating however when you complete a mission the same bit plays every time and will grate on you very quickly. The voice over during each short FMV sequence is well performed and, delivered in the format of a journal extract, adds a nice level of personality to the pilots featured in the game.

Despite some flaws, particularly with the multiplayer, IL-2 provides an excellent flight experience for the Xbox 360. Teamed up with the Saitek Aviator flight controller it is possibly the closest thing to a true flight simulator available on console and the single player mode offers a lot for more than just fighting. For someone that has tried other games in the genre but wants a bit more depth then you’ll be hard pushed to beat IL-2. The arcade mode makes this game accessible to all players although the harder difficulties are where the heart of this game lies. Maybe the multiplayer experience will improve in future until then I’m more than happy with the single player mode.

Graphics : 8.5G
Beautifully modelled planes and the most detailed landscapes of any current gen flight sims. Frame rate issues are the only thing stopping me giving this a 9.5.

Sound: 8.5G
Sounds for planes and gunfire are amazing. Really benefits from a 5.1 system where you can here bullets fly past your cockpit and the deep hum of the engines is enhanced.

Gameplay: 8G
As a console flight sim nothing else does it quite as well. Unfortunately many of the console generation may find missions a little slow and repetitive and not really appreciate the finer details the game has to offer. Limited multiplayer is also a real shame but maybe that will improve. A really solid flight game play mechanic makes this game a diamond in the rough of console based flight.


Overall: 8G (Not an average)
The best alternative to PC flight sims available for the console. Flawed match making and lobby systems made online play impossible although maybe that’s just me. If I were to consider this purely as a console flight sim then I would have to give it a 9.5 but taking account of all factors I’m forced to limit myself. Accessible to players of all levels with the arcade mode but the game really shines when you up the difficulty to realistic. Simulation presents a massive challenge that few will be able to match though.

Good reveiw mate, have some rep.
I could quite fancy this, but might have to wait a bit due to other games coming out soon.

Another I have still in its shrink wrapping desperate to be played . Nice review mate

another epic review from you bob, nice one, your love for the game really come through. i didnt fancy it much but may give it look after reading it.

Excellent review Bob, can't see myself ever playing this game though tbh.

Tbh honest with the poor multi player there is no reason to rush out and buy the title although to miss it completely would be a shame for most gamers. Definitely one for the collection if you enjoy flight games and it sits very well beside Hawx offering a different slant on the genre.

I got the joystick for £29.99 from play.com although out of stock at present you can still pick it up from Amazon market place for about £35 when you factor in postage costs. I found it works well with Hawx and am trying to persuade my brother to lend me Ace Combat 6 to give it a try. Going to get my hands on some of the older flight and fight titles like Blazing angles to check just how versatile the stick is, although I think that all future flight titles will have a control system designed with the Saitek stick in mind.

Expect a review for it soon.

Great review mate. I have been thinking about this game for a while, the only reason I haven't got it is becaue of new games beeing released and I still have a few games that I still need to get through but I will definately consider this game when it's a little cheaper.