14 DAY TRIAL // 
After the warm up with Silent Hunter III in 2004, the developing department at Ubisoft Romania seemed to get the sweet taste of WWII inspired games (simulators to be exact). An urgent call is made to the U-boat on the bottom of the ocean. "Capitan, we'd like to present you with a bird eye view of the events on some battlefronts. We promise it will be worth your time." Emergency surfacing! We packed up our luggage and headed straight for the Air Force. Well, they didn't agree to take us right away, so we were pointed towards a RAF (Royal Air Force) fighter station. On the last day of training a rookie invites us for a quick test. And so we meet up with Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII. They are said to have a protecting angel on their shoulder to keep them safe from harm and help them see the best solution in combat. Immediate takeoff!
Story The WWII story is in the air (literally). From the training day at Baginton Aerodrome straight into the gloomy sundown at Dunkirk and onward to the German capital, the adventures of the Blazing Angels squadron reveal a small part of history. From reckoning to bombarding and dogfighting missions the brave party engages countless enemies. Whether it is about taking photos of enemy bases in the African desert, sneaking to a heavy water producing facility in Norway or protecting ground troops and bombers, there is always plenty of room for a fight. German and Japanese troops seem to be everywhere and it's the squadron's job to make sure these do not interfere with their country's and its allies' plans. Some parts of the major WWII events are presented - the Battle of Britain, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the debarking in Normandy and the final bash to the German forces. Thoughts along with strategies of how to approach the fighting zones and enemy caustic remarks travel through radio waves to immerse you into a lively war experience.
Concept Frank is the veteran air wolf - that could easily take out at least two entire enemy squads (lucky thing he's on your side as leader of the second wing). Tom is the young pilot more concerned about his leader's well being rather than his own (acting as a wingman). The rookie of the team is Joe. "Lil' Joe" is in charge of pathfinding, some bombing and telling everybody how to repair their planes. These are your sidekicks - the ones that will make your job as a pilot a little easier than it seems at first.
All you have to do is spread your wings and fly. Only after you're in the air comes the hard part (and you're usually already up there). Shooting down planes like Me, Zero and Hayabusa, bombing Panzer tanks and AAA (anti - aircraft artillery), sinking destroyers and generally taking care of the allied troops will bring you rewards, higher ranks and even medals.
You'll be flying on allied forces planes all through the main campaign (and a German Eff-Double-Us in an attempt to fool the enemies). Winning a mission, beside the over-the-moon self praising, comes with a few rewards - new planes are unlocked for you to test in the arcade and ace duel modes and, if you've done a really good job, you are awarded a medal.
Gameplay The game is all about air acrobatics and reflexes (it is a flight simulator after all). It comes with a satisfying 18 missions main campaign, two mini-campaigns that are based either on dogfighting or bombing, an arcade mode, an ace duel mode and a multiplayer mode that I will tell you later about. The arcade gives you a bunch of enemies to take down all by yourself, while the ace duel engages you on a face to face fight with a veteran pilot.
Now, it may be the freedom of movement (the whole tridimensional sky is yours), but taking down enemy fighters is quite a challenge. Ordering your mates around is of huge help. All the sayings like "Keep your nose up" do not apply here. It's not a quiet flight around the world map. It's an engaging shooting and bombing round. You'll have to shoot from the most awkward angles. And while your target is still in the middle of the screen the whole time (except when you drop bombs) the acrobatics your plane performs and the rapidly changing skies greatly enhance the excitement. The follow (your target) camera adds up to all this buzz as it may get you even more confused, but it does prove to be extremely useful 99% of the time.
Enemies posses rather good fighting skills, they're nothing like sitting ducks (well, except for the ground units that will follow their course on the map). They have planes just as agile as yours and they'll sweep the air with daring loops and sharp angles of attack and make use of the entire artillery they have available to make a martyr out of you. If you're not their target you might get an easier chance of bringing them down in a blaze, but if they're on your tail better put those evading maneuvers in action (ask your mates for help if available).
The control is another hard trial and if you play with the keyboard as you may sometimes feel like there are just too many buttons. Being a platform ported game it is only obvious that the difficulty decreases if using a gamepad. Well, that's up to you. Winston Churchill's saying applies here - "If you are going through hell, keep going." It's nothing that can't be overcome. Once you get familiar with it (and you will have to do that from the training mission) you'll enjoy some awesome gaming experience.
Video First word that comes into mind is "amazing". It's not exactly cut of the edge, yet it does an extremely good job of creating a proper atmosphere for the whole game concept. You'll have the chance of flying through all daytime moments from dawn to dark and even take a cruise through the bluish northern fjords. I haven't checked the exact maps, but the big European cities (London, Paris and Berlin) look astonishing. Huge landscapes (even if you can't go too far, the playground is rather big, very big) and wonderful architectural structures will please your eye. You'll be able to admire the famous buildings that make the praise of each of these cities - the Eiffel Tower, the Big Ben and London Bridge along with common buildings and green parks.
The best part about it is that all these buildings are 3D so you are allowed to take a cruise just over the Champs-Elysee, fly under the Eiffel Tower and all bridges and even asked that you find a suitable street to sneak into Berlin. There are also buildings that you will need to destroy (fun to take a walk back to visit the ruins). Just as well, you'll have to test your piloting skills in a flight through a fjord that abounds in sharp ice columns, irregular walls and tight curves (and the occasional enemy planes - just to keep fit).
The nice settings are completed with beautiful skies where clouds mingle in with sun rays and smoke effects. The water is also spectacular and it is quite relaxing to see the water respond to your planes gentle touch over it (watch out - you crash if you're not careful). The speed is simulated with a well designed all around blurring effect that fits perfectly with the rest of well selected visuals. This is yet a great achievement as the game although based on the poor Renderware engine, succeeds in catching the eye (although the close up view is not one of the strongest points).
Sound The angels sound wonderful. They may have a relatively narrow choice of on the spot combat remarks, but the voice acting makes up for it. Besides, the radio is where you get the story. It is all about communication in the air. Your team mates let you know when you're tailed, when you need to back away to repair the plane and give you most of the tips needed to succeed. You'll be even more proud of yourself as your team congratulates you on your skills. The purring of the engine is not bad at all either and it keeps the atmosphere more authentic.
Multiplayer If single player is not exactly your thing, you can always try the multiplayer option. Split the screen with a friend or throw a LAN party. Need even more, get online. Up to 16 players can go on head-to-head dogfights or choose the cooperative team play between squadrons on huge maps. The whole multiplayer experience is tons of fun in this aeronautical challenge.
Conclusion Due to rather frustrating takeoff and landing past experiences I was never much fond of flight simulators. Yet Blazing Angels almost removes these setbacks (there are only two missions where you have to land and the takeoff is nothing all that complicated). It focuses more on the air combat being sort of an engaging third plane shooting rather than a mere plain flight simulation. Although it doesn't involve super realistic graphics, it comes with extremely appealing visuals that find their perfect spot. Without exaggerating in details the game provides a complex experience. A little history, hilarious sidekicks, a great number of moving targets and breath taking sights along with challenging missions - all make up for a worthwhile time pass.
