IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey is
anything but a common flight/combat experience. Here we have a game that isn’t a
console-specific sequel like Ace Combat or a big-name spin-off like Tom Clancy’s
HAWX. And yet, after playing it for the first time, you will feel like this is
the game you’ve spent the last three or four years anticipating.
It starts with the visuals,
continues with the controls and concludes in one beautiful action-filled
package. “It” being the sensation that, for the first time since PS3 and Xbox
360’s release, you are actually playing a flight/combat game that was made for
these consoles. You can see it in the gorgeous graphics and feel it in the
silky-smooth controls. You will be overwhelmed by it, mission after mission, as
you narrowly escape the debris of enemy planes as they’re shot up and ripped
apart. Moments that would normally be as forgettable as junk mail – like flying
through a patch of clouds or soaring above a virtual city – have been turned
into another opportunity for the game to flex its graphical muscle.
If you’re getting the impression
that Birds of Prey is little more than a feast for the eyes, rest assured that’s
not the case. The game’s real, long-lasting beauty goes much deeper than special
effects ever could. But just as the graphics are an essential part of sports and
racing games, they are also an essential part of flight/combat games.
It has been said that one game
cannot achieve equal success in the areas of arcade and simulation gameplay. I
know I’ve made that argument once or twice as well, believing that games can
successfully dive in either direction but are doomed to fail if both gameplay
styles are attempted at the same time. Birds of Prey may very well be the first
game to prove that theory wrong.
Though we may never know exactly how
the developers pulled it off, the simple explanation would credit the distinct
separation of gameplay styles. If you play using the Arcade setting, you get an
arcade experience. Every part of the game is reconfigured to match (and in many
cases exceed) our arcade expectations; the controls are instantly intuitive,
flips and spins are a joy to execute, and you can fly recklessly without losing
stability. Turn on the Realistic or Simulation settings (activated only after
completing their respective tutorials) and the game transforms into a brutal,
real-world rules and physics-following adventure that’ll test your patience and
your ability to accurately command a plane that hasn’t been watered down for
entertainment purposes.
The former setting is my preferred
style of play; after getting behind the cockpit for the first time, nothing else
comes close. But both are essential to the game’s success because they give the
player two incredible options.
In either case, Birds of Prey is a
supremely intense excursion. The game is littered with large-scale battles that
literally stretch beyond the length of a single mission. When the current task
is over – when you’re done blasting planes, bombing ships and destroying enemy
vehicles as they invade innocent territory – you will be given the chance to
exit or perform a manual landing. Choose to exit and you’ll leave the skies
immediately; choose to land and, while traveling back to base, you can continue
attacking any stray enemies that were left behind. In Birds of Prey, you are one
of many pilots, and you are given your own missions. Thus, when your job is
complete, it’s rare that every enemy will have been eliminated in the process.
That may be an option but it is not the primary goal.
The mission set won’t blow your
mind, as it generally consists of killing enemies and/or protecting land or
comrades (what else did you expect?). But one thing this generation has taught
us about game design is that it’s not always the game that deviates from the
norm that succeeds – it is often the one that makes the norm exciting again.
Birds of Prey accomplishes this in a way that no other flight/combat game has.
When it’s fun to shoot down a few hundred planes with the same machinegun, you
know the game is special. And when it’s fun just flying around with no specific
goal in mind, you’re playing a game that is truly remarkable.
Part of that fun does go back to the
graphics, which are cinematic without even trying. The in-the-cockpit view,
while difficult to utilize throughout each mission (the behind-the-plane view
allows you to see much more of your surroundings), is generously detailed with
light and shadow effects that perfectly wrap around every gauge. As you soar
over the water, realistic textures and ripple effects are the only things in
sight. At the same time, Birds of Prey is overflowing with individually sculpted
buildings, homes and landscapes that are vastly superior to anything the
competition has produced. This game, more than any other flight/combat title,
looks like it was built specifically for the current gen.
However, there is one visual element
that sometimes falls below PS3’s standards: the frame rate. Birds of Prey is
occasionally plagued by slowdown, typically without warning and without any
reason for the occurrence. The number of on-screen opponents (a frequent cause
of slowdown in first-person shooters) does not appear to be the problem. Massive
explosions do not seem to be the cause either, which is what makes this issue so
surprising. It doesn’t happen often enough to ruin a mission, but any amount of
slowdown is too much – especially for a game that looks this beautiful.
Slowdown aside, no other
flight/combat game captures the essence of flying quite like this one. If you
enjoy the thrill of aerial battles, you will not be disappointed by IL-2
Sturmovik: Birds of Prey.
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Gameplay: 8.9
Thrilling aerial combat mixed with impeccable control design, IL-2 Sturmovik:
Birds of Prey is a game that soars above and beyond expectations.
Graphics: 8.9
Unbelievable. Birds of Prey looks so good, you’d think it was made for
another console. The occasional frame rate issues will bring you back to
reality, but even with them, no other flight/combat game can compare.
Sound: 9.0
I first started playing Birds of Prey after watching a movie; consequently,
the TV volume was much louder than I normally have it for games. This turned out
to be a blessing since, as I quickly learned, Birds of Prey deserves to be
played with the speakers turned up. The realistic gunfire is instantly
enveloping (and reminiscent of our first experience with Medal of Honor or Call
of Duty), and the plane sounds are very convincing.
Difficulty: Medium
The Arcade mode isn’t too difficult, but if you want it to be, Birds of Prey
can be one very hardcore game. It’s not quite a full-fledged simulator, but it’s
close enough to test your flying skills.
Concept: 7.9
Birds of Prey isn’t a new concept by any means, but it is more exciting and
more engrossing than any flight/combat game released on PS3 or Xbox 360.
Multiplayer: 8.6
Lots of modes, lots of players, and an immeasurable amount of gameplay-extending
fun.
Overall: 8.9
IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey is the flight/combat game no one should be
without.
