Not bad more good but not great.
Gaijin Games has hooked up with Konami this to make another sequel in their WW2 Flight IL-2. This is good news as it mean they finally are going to get a little coin behind their production. Unlike their marketing which doesn't even seem to have been addressed, typical. But that said it will be a game that will sell via word of mouth because it's a fan boy game really for the hardcore. Over all it's the best flight Sim on the PS3 or on any consol for a few reasons.
Graphics are somewhat dated looking now but they are acceptable. I found the sound in this the most disappointing but it's not a deal breaker. As a total package it all works well for some reason. I think the main reason is when you play it as a sim on the medium to hard settings with a flight stick which really brings out the the strength and depth of the game. It's then when you really get a taste for some WW2 flight nerdiness that is frankly very cool. You really pine for that kill as you chase down a JU87 as it starts to smoke and are then rewarded with the thrill of the kill as your ammo is about to run short. Birds of Steel makes you work for kills as a good sim should and that is what makes it cool. When you advance to hard though you better get ready for some Japanese spelling sort of hard. Your plane will fall out of the sky quicker than you can say zero for all manner of reasons. I sometimes spend more time stopping my plane from stalling than shooting enemies which can be a pain. So hard might not be everybody's cup of tea. I personally, am happy playing medium. The best upgrade is the the online with loads of new modes for co-op and just a whole lot better than the pig of a system IL-2 had going for it.
So to sum up. A good solid game that yes could be better but it's the best on the system to date If you are a flight sim nerd well... you would have already bought this game so you don't need my review really do you? For everybody else this is the perfect entry into the sky.
