Posted March 29, 2009
Years ago, when Lucas Arts still cared about gamers, they released a title called Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe. At the time it was the best World War II flight simulator to be found. Since then, I've looked for one that came close in terms of realism, variety and action, and have so often been utterly disappointed by superficial titles. IL-2 Sturmovik not only matches but surpasses all titles previous to it. The game features a steep learning curve. Those used to more arcade style simulators might have trouble dealing with torque, flutter affects and the spins that come from misusing the chosen aircraft. Once you do however, you're rewarded with an incredibly accurate experience. The planes handle realistically even when damaged, and trying to limp a damaged bomber back to base with a hole in the wing and a smoking engine is a tense experience. Each plane has its own unique handling and weapons, and you'll likely soon find a favorite among the huge array to choose from.
1946 is definitely the best bang for your buck as you get all the previous titles: Original IL-2, IL-2 Forgotten Battles, the Ace Expansion Pack, the Pacific Campaigns, The Pe-2 Campaign, the IL-10 campaign Sturmoviks over Manchuria, and the new 1946 campaign, which tells a compelling and somewhat plausible what-if story that lengthens the war for another year, and lets you play the weird and wild secret weapons that Germany and Russia came up with, including an experimental helicopter. This game lets you fly every side of the war, even the esoteric ones you've probably never heard of. You can pilot Finnish Buffaloes in the Continuation War, shoot down Hurricanes with the Imperial Japanese, pilot American dive bombers at Midway, German rocket planes and jets, and of course the titular IL-2, a heavy Soviet ground support plane that lets you rain death from above.
The game does have a few flaws, but all are easily remedied. The less than realistic engine noises are fixable through a community made sound patch, and if you don't like the static campaigns, there is a dynamic campaign generator available that gives you direct control over the future of the war. Few other games have such a dedicated modding community, even years after it was released, and the amount of campaigns, missions, skins, and tweaks available for the game are staggering, perhaps matched only by the original Half Life.
The long and short is, if you're a fan of flight simulators, or a history buff, this is an absolute must have.
1946 is definitely the best bang for your buck as you get all the previous titles: Original IL-2, IL-2 Forgotten Battles, the Ace Expansion Pack, the Pacific Campaigns, The Pe-2 Campaign, the IL-10 campaign Sturmoviks over Manchuria, and the new 1946 campaign, which tells a compelling and somewhat plausible what-if story that lengthens the war for another year, and lets you play the weird and wild secret weapons that Germany and Russia came up with, including an experimental helicopter. This game lets you fly every side of the war, even the esoteric ones you've probably never heard of. You can pilot Finnish Buffaloes in the Continuation War, shoot down Hurricanes with the Imperial Japanese, pilot American dive bombers at Midway, German rocket planes and jets, and of course the titular IL-2, a heavy Soviet ground support plane that lets you rain death from above.
The game does have a few flaws, but all are easily remedied. The less than realistic engine noises are fixable through a community made sound patch, and if you don't like the static campaigns, there is a dynamic campaign generator available that gives you direct control over the future of the war. Few other games have such a dedicated modding community, even years after it was released, and the amount of campaigns, missions, skins, and tweaks available for the game are staggering, perhaps matched only by the original Half Life.
The long and short is, if you're a fan of flight simulators, or a history buff, this is an absolute must have.
