Wings Of Prey

In a Peculiar reversal of the natural order, Wings of Prey was released on console with "IL2 Sturmovik" emblazoned upon its chest a name far more familiar to the PC community. You'll be relieved to hear however, that this desertion of PC heritage is limited to the name, as the game itself is uncompromised by cross-platform taint For those who have yet to venture into the world of IL2, this is a series of World War II combat flight simulators, focusing on the Soviet air forces, which emphasise historical detail and realistic physics. But don't let the thought of hardcore simulations put you off, as this game features three different realism settings. Arcade mode is a bare-bones combat experience, with forgiving flight physics and a simple lock-and-shoot approach to dogfighting; Realistic offers the dangers of red outs, blackouts, stalling, and a more complex damage model; while Simulation serves as a step up from Realistic, allowing the player to ineptly fiddle with trim and flaps and other such bits and pieces.

Some fans of the franchise might disapprove of the fact that you cannot tweak such realism settings as much as you could in previous incarnations, but the settings offered are balanced enough that they feel like alternative gaming preferences, rather than increasing levels of difficulty.

Once you're up in the air, the flight physics satisfy, while the controls (once you've fiddled with the default settings) are intuitive to novice pilots. The graphics are impressive, boasting incredibly detailed landscapes and immersive window-obscuring water vapour and oil effects.

The only negatives in fact, are that the combat is a tad easier than previous IL2 releases and the campaign/scenario content a little shorter, but these are minor complaints for a game so polished and otherwise enjoyable.