Posted November 13, 2009
I will not be buying this game from GOG because I already own the DVD but if you do not already have this game I cannot recommend it too highly! I would not really call this a "Good _Old_ Game" as it is still in the shops and is quite capable of stretching a modern PC and graphics card to its limits when played at high levels of detail and high screen resolution.
The IL-2 game series still has a very large active online fan base, one of the best sites to try for user missions, aircraft "skins" and other goodies is "Mission For Today" at http://www.mission4today.com. This edition consists of the content of all the games in the IL-2 series since the second one, "IL-2 Forgotton Battles" and contains an absolutely staggering number of flyable aircraft. If you own the very first IL-2 Sturmovik game, you can copy missions from that game into this one and they work fine.
On the most realistic setting this game is the next best thing to actually flying a WWII aircraft so it is no suprise that it is very popular amongst real life pilots and aircraft enthusiasts. When I was lucky enough to really take to the air (and take the controls) in an ex-RAF light aircraft, the layout of the cockpit and the function of the controls was all so familiar from my IL-2 experience. The only thing that you do not get in the game is the sinking feeling as you are pushed back into the seat by G-forces as you do barrel rolls and loops!
The only downside to this game is that it is too realistic! Even taking off and landing takes skill, practice and patience, then you have to practice gunnery, bombing and strafing before you have a hope of being effective in combat. If you just want to whizz around and blow stuff up I would probably recommend something like the Descent or Freespace series instead.
The IL-2 game series still has a very large active online fan base, one of the best sites to try for user missions, aircraft "skins" and other goodies is "Mission For Today" at http://www.mission4today.com. This edition consists of the content of all the games in the IL-2 series since the second one, "IL-2 Forgotton Battles" and contains an absolutely staggering number of flyable aircraft. If you own the very first IL-2 Sturmovik game, you can copy missions from that game into this one and they work fine.
On the most realistic setting this game is the next best thing to actually flying a WWII aircraft so it is no suprise that it is very popular amongst real life pilots and aircraft enthusiasts. When I was lucky enough to really take to the air (and take the controls) in an ex-RAF light aircraft, the layout of the cockpit and the function of the controls was all so familiar from my IL-2 experience. The only thing that you do not get in the game is the sinking feeling as you are pushed back into the seat by G-forces as you do barrel rolls and loops!
The only downside to this game is that it is too realistic! Even taking off and landing takes skill, practice and patience, then you have to practice gunnery, bombing and strafing before you have a hope of being effective in combat. If you just want to whizz around and blow stuff up I would probably recommend something like the Descent or Freespace series instead.