IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey for Xbox 360

GF Rating

9

Excellent

It's All About Simulation

posted by DokWyzzOne (BROOKLYN, NY) Oct 2, 2009

Member since Sep 2009

47 out of 47 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey is arguably one of the strangest releases in recent years, as the core of the game, simulation, is an unlockable and not immediately available on booting up. Forget Arcade mode, it shows you none of the series' genius as every plane handles like an F-22 and is armed and armored like an M-1 tank. Its in Simulation that BoP stands out, by faithfully reproducing the flight characteristics of tons of beautifully modelled WW2 warbirds. Quite simply there isn't another game like BoP in the history of consoles, EVER. Sure its not easy, but when you actually pull off a rolling scissors without stalling and your opponent rushes past you and into your gunsights, you know that you've really achieved something. The multiplayer has its hiccups (though the BoP dev team has been very responsive to the community and is working hard on improvements) as of now, but on the whole its a lot of fun and remarkably free of obnoxious 13 yr olds. Long story short, if you are looking for a game that plays itself for you, DO NOT RENT BIRDS OF PREY. However, if you belong to that shrinking category of players whom maintain the now quaint notion that good games take time to become good at, then you should absolutely rent this title as soon as possible. Also it looks real pretty.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

For Flight Simulation Fans

posted by HSAlphaWlf (FORT MYERS, FL) Sep 15, 2009

Member since May 2006

18 out of 19 gamers (95%) found this review helpful

IL-2 Sturmovik is a well-crafted, and impressively executed flight sim. While the option of an arcade difficulty is included in the game and makes it slightly more accessible to the Crimson Skies/Blazing Angels crowd, the game is definitely geared toward those who like their flight games as realistic as possible. The plane selection is excellent, with a good variety of Axis (German) and Allied (British, Russian, and US) birds available to use. The planes handle very well, and based on the input of a real-life pilot I am friends with, pretty accurately. There have been some reviews complaining about "jerkiness" in the planes, but that is a characteristic of the era. With a decent mission variety, and a decent story, the game pulls you through the campaign, although you won't be hanging on every word in the cutscenes. If you enjoy cutthroat dogfighting, and WWII period aircraft, this is definitely a strong contender. I would recommend that any serious ace consider getting a flight-stick, as it greatly improves the experience.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

- Worth It If You're Into It -

posted by Ostrich (ABERDEEN, WA) Sep 24, 2009

Member since Mar 2009

18 out of 20 gamers (90%) found this review helpful

Their is nothing like getting into a realistic type game and it actually being realistic! Get behind your favorite WW-II plane, mine being the liquid-cooled supercharged V-12, 1,490 hp, North American P-51 Mustang D up against the Luftwaffe it a all out dog fight over the battle of the bulge! Now the game has a lot of good things about it, if you're into realistic games, but it also has the basic arcade future.

Arcade - You know you're basic controls, can do un-realistic stuff such as climb as much altitude as the game will let you, turn on a dime, recover from a stall faster, unlimited ammo/fuel and just basic things like that.

Realistic - It's slightly harder, controls a little more shakey but not all that bad to get used to, you won't be able to turn as quickly with out stalling, stalling spins your plane out of control and must get control back, and you have a option for unlimited ammo/fuel or limited.

Simulator - Is that hardest and probably should have been called "Realistic". I have not learned this mode yet but I practice from time to time. It's always in the cockpit view, no radar, no target indicator, you stall very easily even in a slight turn or climb. But I am determined to get the hang of this game.

I can not judge on online elements because of my current situation of where I live, for this I am sorry.

The story line takes you from Battle of Briton, the skies over Stalingrad and back over Berlin. Their is single mission, this is more of what it would it would be like to be a real pilot. You don't always go fill the sky with with lead but perform tasks but most of the time it's attacking but sometimes you get to do other things. For Example, on the Battle of Briton their is one where you have returned from a bombing and you just have to fly to the air field, but another is you defend against a bunch of Stuka Dive Bombers.

I give it a 9/10 because it didn't it didn't have a high resolution cut scenes, it just has game graphics, which is still good!

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

You'll get what you Play for...

posted by Hoggle (TILLAMOOK, OR) Dec 30, 2010

Member since Dec 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

If you want an arcade flight game, this title will adjust to your style of play on the lowest difficulty setting. If you want to play a good simulator, just select the simulator level. If you are like most people I know, you will choose the realistic (middle) setting afer becoming comfortable with the training level.

As a former peacetime pilot (strictly recreational), I noticed a few things not readily apparant to some gamers. Stalls on realistic level seems to ocurr entirely too often, for example. Bomb ordinance locations can throw off center of gravity enough to make the aircraft unstable, but it just seemed too predictable for me. Visibility in some warplanes is poor, a point not lost in simulator mode, but perhaps over used.

This is, however, a very solid game which far exceeded my expectations. The graphics look good, and it remains fun to fly. This makes up somewhat for the unrealstic amount of ammo used and "one pilot against the entire enemy airforce missions"'

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

If you like aircraft.

posted by iostream (GARLAND, TX) Dec 17, 2010

Member since Dec 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

If you like arcade style flight sims.... where you can shoot down enemy planes and be ace of aces without knowing much about how aircraft really fly. this is the game for you. While I enjoyed playing this game, and shooting up bad guys, this game took arcade flying to the next level. if you are looking for a realistic aircraft sim.... do not get this game. If you are looking for a game that throws you into action gives you a gun and says shoot boy. than this is the one for you.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

outstanding

posted by ABOM420 (SHOREWOOD, IL) Oct 1, 2010

Member since Oct 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

neverending missions, literally at least 20 single missions unlocked for each campaign set which there is about 5 or 6 of. Not to mention for knowledgeaholics like me the endless info on each battle of each campaign and plane in the game. Also encyclepedia of all aerial maneuvers and stunts for those new to flight or still a good refreshment to aces. simulator mode is beyond great, on PC games cud never turn off tags because couldnt see ground forces or differ friendly or foe in dogfighting. The edging and color in this game makes it finally possible, nothing like flying over stalingrad with graphics so good you can see the tank commanders faces before you bomb them.
Also must mention all the old terrible truths are here,
most American missions are disadvantaged and annoying like in real life because the P-51 is historically a brick with wings, the old WW1 birds the Russians used in stalingrad defense would stall out every 4 seconds and engine cuts out when fuel lines drain cause of gravity. Makes for very aggravating challenging missions, which is exactly what veteran pilots wanted. Maybe 20% of missions are like this in the beginning of the war. 10 out of 10, for $15 I will most likley be keeping it.

(also i havnt gone online yet,
hence why its not in here.
but I do expect the best hoping others like me come on regularly.)

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Everyone should become a "bird of prey"

posted by SumJwshkid (NASHVILLE, TN) Aug 8, 2010

Member since Jul 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I'm more of a first person shooter fan myself, but when a good flying game comes out, I can't resist. This is one of those games. All of the fighting you do in this game is in the ETO. No missions in the pacific. Many games focus on fancy graphics and emotion-evoking cut scene's, but lack in the actual game play. This game is just the opposite. Every single plane in this game looks as if it were crafted by the gods of console and PC games. The selection of Aircraft is one that you won't see in ANY other game. You have your standard fighters, like the P-51D, Me-109, and Supermarine Spitfire. But that wasn't enough. There are more unique, and less well known aircraft, such as the Yak, Bristol Blenheim, A-20G Havoc, and a host of other planes you just don't see all the time. This factor alone gives this game a huge advantage. Along with outstanding graphics, detail, and variety, the tasks you are given are accurate to WWII. Such as close air support for Russian troops at stalingrad, Pre-Assault bombardment during the Italian Campaign, and even a fighter escort for one of the most revered bombers of all time, the B-17 flying fortress. This game offers an experience for those of you who are looking for more than just a point and shoot flying game like Ace Combat or Blazing Angels.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Great Game

posted by jddyess08 (VALDOSTA, GA) Apr 6, 2010

Member since Apr 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

This game is a really good game. The graphics are amazing. Its one of the few WWII games I like to play and flying simulators at that. I would recommend this game to other people.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Great SIMULATOR!!!!!

posted by xboxoshea (LAKE ELSINORE, CA) Sep 13, 2009

Member since Jul 2009

9 out of 11 gamers (82%) found this review helpful

The game is a more realistic take on games such as blazing angels one and two. The game play is fantastic besides the A.I. which is slightly lacking. Some people would complain about the "jerkyness" of the planes but it is realistic for planes of that time. I applaud the makers of this game for trying to really get a good sense of realism into the game. If you want one of the Best flight SIMULATORS on xbox this is your game if not you can go back to blazing angels.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

this is a new level for flying games

posted by scottyspam (BAKERSFIELD, CA) Sep 12, 2009

Member since Mar 2008

14 out of 18 gamers (78%) found this review helpful

i may be biassed because i like these old plane games, especially of the modern flying game where you just aim a missle and shoot. but this is a step further for these flying games because of the realistice feel they try to give you. if is less cartoony where 1 plane overcomes all odds. but the a.i. is still lacking a little bit. its not whether or not you can beat the game but how difficult you can fly the plane.. you start with a standard third person mode which is noticibly touchy( maybe you downloaded battlefield 1943)? bu the difficulty goes to a third person where the plane stall if you accelerate to fast, and finally " flight simulator where you only have a cockpit view with no game assistance like target identification or radar. you will try the training for this mode and i spend forty minutes shooting down 2 plane and two trucks!!!!!! the planes and andscape are amazing ... thought they tend to use it them for a few missions each. the sounds are grate and you can finally crash into other planes. overall the game is more a test of flying skills then killing everything in site. if you die you just respond. it has less of a cartoony feel. it is like skate 2 vs tony hawk. this is definatly a more realistic type of feel

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Good flight game

posted by SergeantPope (CHARLESTON, IL) Sep 21, 2009

Member since Apr 2007

4 out of 6 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

There are very few flying games for 360 out there. But this is a really nice one. Its set in WWII. The campaign is pretty good, but i noticed very fast that if you dont really try to keep your team mates alive, then you have to restart the mission. And the videos between missions are acutally really good, and on a lot of games theyre terrible. One of the most shocking things about this game are the graphics. Most flying games graphic's are really bad, but these are top notch. The online is really good too, and the online in this flying game is much better than most. So overall this game is a really good quality flying game, and deserves your rental. If you like flying games, you must rent it. Only if you dont like flying games should you not rent this game.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Great flight simulator

posted by giantsrule (LAKE ARIEL, PA) Sep 20, 2009

Member since Apr 2006

2 out of 3 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

I've played many WWII style flight simulators, but i have to say out of all of them this one is the best. I looked at some of the other ratings others have given it and the reviews the wrote for it. Yes the AI could use some work, and the aircraft's are jerky but if you remember its a FLIGHT SIMULATOR, which means its going to simulate actually flying a aircraft of the time, and the aircrafts of the time were very hard to control and were extremely jerky with the handling. I have to say with the amazing graphics, the inside view of the cockpit which is nothing new you always had that in the ace combat games, but for a WWII flight simulator thats a first and the graphics of the cockpit were extremely nice but it was often difficult to get used to and you lost the aircraft you were chasing easily, and lastly with everthing going on at once in the game made it a very intense game at times, all in all i have to say once again that this game has been one of my all time best flight simulators and its worth renting and playing, cause i know as soon as i got the game i was addicted to it

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

I Stink, The Game Doesnt!

posted by jaguar7676 (TITUSVILLE, FL) Aug 2, 2010

Member since Nov 2004

2 out of 4 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

I stink at flight sims!! That being said, this is one of the better ones I have stunk at.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Reasonable game - but fundamentally flawed

posted by ErnestEga (CHARLESTON, SC) Dec 10, 2009

Member since Dec 2009

2 out of 5 gamers (40%) found this review helpful

This as things go is a pretty good flight sim. It introduces you into the action pretty fast and allows an arade and more realistic simulation mode.

The thing that really hacked me off and SUCKS big time about this game though was that I was stuck on the "Hornets Nest" level where you have to down dozens of JU-52s with your Sturmovik. It should have been the easiest as well as they don't shoot back! It's just you need to kill all of them before they reach their destination. Whatever mode I played I couldn't get past it. There is also no "skip mode" or cheat I could find that would get me past it. So in the end I just gave up.

Sad ending to what could have been a much better planned game.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Not Exactly!

posted by MoSkillz (Highland Park, MI) Sep 19, 2009

Member since Mar 2007

2 out of 6 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

Someone needs to hurry up and write a Fly-through for this game. It's is frustrating to have to figure out what to do next in some situations. If you finish a assignment to fast. The AI dosesn't recognize it and will continue as if your not done. I had to restart a couple of missions because I had overran the mission. What I mean by that is. I completed a few assigned task or operation. Quicker than the games AI figures I should have. So I end up just flying around trying to see if I had missed a target. Also the targeting controls are hit or miss literally. No matter how tight you adjust the controls yourself. The games sometimes calls direct hit. When you know it was wide left or right. And miss when you know it was a dead on strike. Overall it's not exactly the polished game I was expecting. Maybe the online features improve the playing or not. If so I'll change my rating. But for now it's not looking good.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

This is for certain people...

posted by TheZeeMan (ROSEVILLE, MI) Dec 4, 2009

Member since Jun 2006

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

I'm an avid gamer and play all types of games and I dig realism. This game is more of a flight sim than an arcade game, however my problem with it all in all is that yes its fine to make a flight sim, but let's be real.

If you want realism, don't play a flight sim on your 360. The devs are trying to use the 360 controller as a flight stick. No wonder people are having a heck of a time trying to play in Simulator mode. The 360 controller resembles nothing like a flight stick you can get for a computer. So this was a bad idea in my opinion, if you want to attempt to fly planes that are very sensitive with the itty bitty sticks on the 360 controller, then by all means, other than that, the arcade mode is somewhat boring as others have said, it's very repetitive and dragged out. I typically finish games that I don't care for either (ie. GI Joe, Terminator, LEGO games, etc) just to get the main achievements and be done with it, but this game is so boring that I don't think I can keep an interest to finish it.

So as my title says, if you want a real flight sim without a flight controller, then this game is for you.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

What is up these Flight Sims!

posted by LSU1Miller (FORT MYERS, FL) Sep 16, 2009

Member since Apr 2006

3 out of 15 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

Well, I’m kind of critical with these flight simulators. I fly RC airplanes all the time and, well, the right thumb stick is elevators and ailerons and the left thumb stick is throttle and rudder. The planes in Battle Station midway and even the old crimson sky are this way but sadly, this game has the thumb sticks reversed and I just cannot retrain my brain, nor do I want to because of the RC planes. There isn’t an option to switch this. If you can get past this or do not mind this it looks like an awesome game.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

Meh

posted by RogueWRX (LONE TREE, CO) Jan 4, 2010

Member since Jan 2010

1 out of 5 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

The game was alright, but it seemed to slow paced for my taste. I can admit that it was well done and beautifully crafted, however, I prefer the faster paced games, and this one just took too long to get into.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

Definately a flight simulator

posted by HEYxNUKE (WEST PLAINS, MO) Nov 14, 2009

Member since Oct 2009

1 out of 5 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

What else is there to say. It is just like most simulators. I gave it a rating of 6. Decent enough to play one time through.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

MEDIOCRE!!!!

posted by beaker (CLEVELAND, OH) Oct 21, 2009

Member since May 2009

1 out of 7 gamers (14%) found this review helpful

not really worth renting to be honest , i found this game very 2 dimensional and very repetitive.I have 250 hours of flight time in single engine aircraft and 4000 hours in rotary wing and the realism setting on this game is almost obscenely flawed , the stall points are laughable , and it is almost impossible to fly on this setting in combat with out spending the entire flight fighting the aircraft to stay in air and struggling for altitude!!.
Also very stingy with achievements !!

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey

posted by Fuuton (YAKIMA, WA) Oct 4, 2009

Member since Jun 2009

1 out of 7 gamers (14%) found this review helpful

This game is really awesome. The graphics are really good and you can fly in the pilots seat.

4.5 stars

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

zzzzzzzzz...

posted by Solafar (OAKLAND PARK, FL) Sep 18, 2009

Member since Sep 2009

1 out of 14 gamers (7%) found this review helpful

Maybe my problem is that I really like the IDEA of a flight simulator, but have yet to find one that's really entertaining. Between missions the voice over droned on about history, diaries, and "bla bla bla"This game can be added to the long list of flying games that look real cool in the trailer, but just doesn't deliver.

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

not worth the postage it was sent with

posted by gregwalker (MARIETTA, OK) Sep 13, 2009

Member since Sep 2009

1 out of 25 gamers (4%) found this review helpful

i would love to go into a long tirade about the sub par AI or the lack of good controls or the jerkiness of the planes but i won't say anything except the only good thing about this game was when i sent it back the next day

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Amazing!!

posted by NightFuryP51 (FEDERALSBURG, MD) Sep 8, 2012

Member since Sep 2012

I love this game! I really love the detail and the graphics. The damage is cool and more realistic. Also i like how oil gets on your screen when you get too close to an aircraft explosion haha. Also when your too close to an explosion on the ground the plane shakes. It's really a nice game. The campaign is not too long or too short. It also has shorter single missions to do. Overall a must buy or rent!! :D

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

Dont waste your time

posted by McFatter (DALTON, GA) Feb 29, 2012

Member since Feb 2012

Terrible game. I played till the second part of the tutorial and the controls are so bad I could not even shoot down the first plane. I have no idea how this game has a rating of 6.

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IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

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