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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!
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