With a more active online community, Blazing Angels 2 could overcome the flaws of its single player campaign and offer a compelling experience. The fundamental aspect of its combat system--tight controls, variety in aircraft and weaponry, a sense of excitement--are well-designed. Until that happens, however, the game is hardly a step above mediocre. A steep difficulty curve destroys the campaign, which is sad given the attention paid to mixing up gameplay with elements of action and stealth. The game comes so close to hitting its mark, but its unforgiving difficulty simply can't be ignored.