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IL2 Sturmovik (360, PS3, PSP, DS)
• Publisher: 505 Games
• Developer: IC Company
• Release Date: Fall 2009
• What We Saw:
We watched a demo consisting of four different aerial battles from various points during World War 2, each with a different plane, different objectives and different enemies. The game's impressive terrain modeling was also shown off as was the level of detail given to each aircraft. 45 planes have been recreated from the original engineering drawings and schematics, with 12 of these planes playable as you take on 50 missions over six WWII battles. The game offers three different modes ranging from an Arcade mode with unlimited ammo to a simulation mode that requires a steady hand and sure aim. In the middle is the realistic mode which takes parts from the other two modes to offer a mode that's more realistic than arcade, but not as punishing as the simulation mode. Players that want to unlock all that the game has to offer will need to tackle all of the modes though. The game will have at least four competitive multiplayer modes, however that's all the information they were willing to give out.
• What We Think:
Brandon: I'm not one who is able to comment intelligently on flight simulators (or anything really) but on a technical level, this game is very impressive. The level of detail both on the planes and on the terrain is really amazing. Having the various difficulty modes is a plus as the arcade mode looks plenty tough, especially when considering that a single mission can last over 45 minutes with no way to save your progress mid-mission and walk away. The DS and PSP versions sound interesting however they weren't available to see. Honestly though, I would probably fail every mission I was assigned to as I'd be too busy just skimming the treetops and checking out the impressively rendered landscape before slamming into a church.