Close but no cigar. A great game that almost is. (
User
Rating
:
40 /50 )
After reading and hearing a raft of praise for this game, I finally went out and bought Obisofts IL-2 Sturmovik a few days ago. Being a huge fan of WWII flight simulators, I was eager to check out this particular piece of software based on...very positive word of mouth.
There is no denying that its the best WWII flight simulator to come out since MicroProses (now Infogrames ) European Air War, but in all honesty the overall game isnt quite as fun to play, or as engaging as EAW.
The graphics are quite stunning, but even with a moderately powerful platform (P4-1.4Ghz,512MB,Nvidia GeForce3 MX 64mb)theyre choppy and stall from time to time. The aircraft skins are the most detailed Ive seen, save for the missing swastikas on the German planes. While I understand the sentiment behind omitting this insignia, I am a WWII geek and it somehow detracts from the overall sense of historical realism. If youre going for historical accuracy...then be historically accurate.
The sound is okay, but nothing spectacular at all.
The flight, gunnery and damage models are all much more accurate than any WWII flight sim Ive played. Scoring a kill in this game definitely gives you a sense of accomplishment. The AI is also a vast improvement over its predecessors, hence the hard won aerial victories. On the down side, after flying over thirty-plus missions, Ive only been slightly damaged by enemy aircraft fire, and have never been downed by it.
The single missions are historically accurate and well thought out, but heres the whole problem with this game:
...For me an accurately based, dynamic campaign mode is the cherry on top of the pie of a quality military flight sim and it unfortunately falls flat in Sturmovik. For starters you cant continue in the campaign unless you successfully complete each mission, which is totally unrealistic and quite stupid. There is no ability to change squadrons or even aircraft if you play the German side (as far as I have played). Theres no humanizing of your squadron what so ever. No squadron roster. No kill sheet. No historical outside news of the war. These are all key factors that made games like Red Baron II and European Air War good and complete air combat simulators. I know this may all sound silly, but for me a realistic campaign is an integral part of a quality WWII flight sim, and despite all its technical advances IL-2 Sturmovik falls flat, if only barely. If they took the time to craft a solid campaign feature and fixed some of the problems with the graphics engine, I would not hesitate to give this game a 5 star rating.
If you could care less about campaign play, and are looking for the best WWII flight sim thats out there today...this game is a must have. If youre looking for the complete WWII flight sim experience akin to Aces Over Europe, Red Barron II or European Air War...take a pass on IL-2 Sturmovik, youll only be disappointed.
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