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| | Title:
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Action
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Publisher:
Ubisoft
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Developer:
Ubisoft
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Release:
Q1, 2006
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Rated Pending
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Flying Fortresses, Messerschmitts, Zeroes, Spitfires; if these words mean anything to you other than some vague memory of history class, you know exactly what the subject matter of this game is. That's right, another World War II game. However, this time you are not storming more beaches or infiltrating more German bunkers --look to the skies people. After the bar raising WWII game by the name of Brothers in Arms, Ubisoft digs deeper in their bag of tricks to give us another game that will probably have the same unique and beautiful experience that they have been giving us ever since they broke out as one of the top developers of this generation.
As you progress through the game, going from a rookie to a veteran ace, you will take part in many famous battles, such as the Battles of Britain, Midway and Pearl Harbor. Of course, those levels are not complete without a wide array of fighters and bombers. Blazing Angels delivers by offering 40 planes for you to toy with: British B-17s and some American fighters including the P-51 Mustang and P-38 Lightning as well as all the aforementioned planes.
Having viewed the released materials, I can tell you that these planes look extremely accurate and have that level of detail that Ubisoft is known for. In recent fighter plane games, the level of detail seemed to focus on just the planes and maybe the effects while the terrain would consist of rolling fields or boring mountains with a few trees plopped on for good measure. Not so with this game as the environments are gorgeous, featuring detailed buildings, realistic foliage, cool explosions and smoke effects, and some really, really nice effects from the water (the reflections being the highlight for me). Furthermore, if you take a dive and get close enough to ground level, you can see people running to avoid the enemy. Most of what I'm describing was shown during a developer tour of the Pearl Harbor level which, by the way, looked like it was ripped right out of the movie except, of course, without Affleck and a love story.
The gameplay is of the arcade variety so it is ready for anyone to pick up and play, much like Crimson Skies. No need for complicated controls or a 200 button controller here. Much of the fighting will be done oldschool, meaning using your machine guns and maneuvering skills to win. In fact, there is much more emphasis on maneuvering than Crimson Skies. If you can utilize the environment properly, weaving through a series of buildings and staying low to the ground can immobilize an enemy just as effectively as shooting them can. Hopefully this aspect is done right because it could be the most attractive gameplay element.
You are definitely not alone for this ride. Much like Rogue Squadron, you will get some wing-mates to help you out and it is crucial that you command them to complete the objective. They are also said to have their own personal strengths and weaknesses so there's some more strategy for you to take into consideration.
This game is perfect for Xbox Live and it will be. Up to 16-player online dog fighting will be implemented and hopefully some fun, more unique game modes. There is also 2-player co-operative online as well, which should be as awesome as it sounds.
The game itself comes out some time in the fall --anticipate November. Whether the game will be all it says it is or just another shallow WWII game with a pretty face is yet to be determined. But if Blazing Angels delivers, it could be the next best thing for Xbox Live since Halo 2 last November.
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