8.7

aussiegamer

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

This is a game with lots going for it that is overshadowed by some elements. You play the role of a Yankee pilot who is sent over to England to help out the Limeys. Whilst the game starts you off in a solo type effort during the training phase of the game, you’ll quickly get your team who you more or less stick with for the duration. 

Blazing Angels is one of those titles that I found really easy to pick up and get into. The dogfights take you to the major air battles of the war and the craft is really easy to control without the complications of a simulator experience. Your team communicates with you during the game and you can give them some basic commands after which they look after themselves. 

The control layout is pretty easy to get used to with the sticks taking up most of your time in making sure that your plane is not headed for a dirt nap or worse, smack bang into the enemy. Speaking of which the AI for the game is pretty good and you’ll find yourself battling all over the globe in a series of missions that should wear your thumbs in good order. The missions vary, as do the craft that you can control, both online and in single player mode to keep everything spicy for you. 

Voice acting in the game of the enemy is the major downfall in this game with some hokey accents marring what is otherwise a pretty good experience. They simply sound too contrived and a bit stereotypically exaggerated which does not do them justice. I could see some people actually being offended if they took it all a bit too seriously. 

The graphics in the game are sweet with some good-looking environments to battle in. There is a really solid feeling when you play and the controller responds well to the way that your craft handles in the air. Occasionally you will be thrown for a bit of a loop with dodgy ground targets, but up in the air where it matters, I was really pleased with the overall look of the title. 

Your buddies in your squad will come in handy throughout the game as well, each being able to do different things to help you on your way. Repairs and keeping the bad guys off your back is what they do all through the D-Pad which allows you to issue basic commands for them to follow. All of these are good, however the difficulty never seems to quite get to the point that you could not just do the missions yourself. I did like the feeling though of being in a team and Blazing Angels does effect just that. 

After enjoying the thrills of the single player campaign, make sure that you get online to experience the fun that multiplayer brings. Blazing Angels really brings it on with a host of different game options that you can truly sink your teeth into. A favourite was playing as a Japanese zero and winging your way into a ship in Kamikaze mode! The fact that it’s easy to pick up and play mean that after a short period of time, you should be fine to get online and not make a complete fool of yourself. 

I’d recommend this one, it’s a lot of fun and the first flying title for the 360!