| "A good old fashioned arcade flight simulator that showcases the aircrafts of the 20th century."
Iron Aces 2 Birds of Prey is a classic arcade flight simulator that has been exclusively designed for the PS2. The game starts with a beautiful CGI cinematic of the history of war planes through the ages. Showcasing World War II fighter planes and 20th century jet planes with a movie like awe-inspiring movie like soundtrack. There are two different games modes, a campaign mode and a free battle mode. In campaign mode you are required to various aircrafts from the ages such as World War II and the end of the 20th Century. Each campaign is divided into five different sections and is also a history lesson on the aircrafts of that particular time. Before you commence your campaign you must head to the briefing room where you will learn the aspects of your mission. Once you have read your mission outline, you must venture into the hangar which features the aircraft you must fly. The developers have made this into a neat function as it is like going through a wind tunnel as you see the plane you are about to fly. You can rotate the view using your analog stick and it also gives you the statistics about the aircraft. As you progress, the missions become harder and you must rely more on your tactics than your firepower. This game is not a flight simulator but more a console arcade flight simulator, so for those who want a real flight simulator, then Iron Aces 2 is not for you. This is just good old fashioned arcade fun.
Battle mode is basically a quick flight that lets you choose certain aircrafts where you can dog fight other aircrafts. Great for when you just want a quick gaming session. The graphics of Iron Aces 2 Birds of Prey are a little plain for this day and age but features some nice special effects such as transparent cloud effects and different lighting. Once you get closer to the ground, you soon realise that everything is very flat and the detail is lacking. Fortunately there are some very water effects in this game. Another down side to the graphics are the plane explosions which lack any real feelings to them and they look small and unimpressive. Although the graphics do let the game down somewhat, the gameplay makes up for this. Iron Aces 2 Birds of Prey is an extremely easy game to learn because of the minimal amount of buttons that is required to fly. You basically have the options of machine guns and missiles, while using your analog stick to control movement. | 
