IL-2 is a name that a lot of console gamers probably aren't that familiar with, but that'll likely change when IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey releases this year on PS3 and 360. The PC version was known for its hardcore simulator elements, and has been a fan favorite for enthusiasts of WW2 combat aviation. The console version retains many of these simulator elements (if you want them), but also introduces an Arcade difficulty that allows more casual players who are just looking for a fun air combat game to enter into the fray as well.
Recently I had a chance to go head-to-head with other media outlets as well as with members of the IL-2 development team in the game's four multiplayer modes, so here are my thoughts about cutting my dog fighting teeth amongst the skies of Europe.
Dogfight
This mode is easily the best in the game. The rules are simple: Kill anyone else you see flying around. Having a huge selection of planes to pick from made sure that not only were my opponents diverse-looking, but they also had planes which acted totally differently from my own. It's nice to know that even on the Arcade difficulty -- the easiest of the lot and the one we played on during our sessions -- the plane you choose is much more than just a re-skinned version of a generic fighter template. This mode was also the best because it was constant action, with little to no time going by between fights.
The action could get pretty crazy with 12 or so players shooting it out in the French countryside, but IL-2 -- in Arcade mode, at least -- makes it easy for you to keep track of your enemies thanks to the ability to lock on. It's a little hard to use at first, but it does help you follow a particular enemy amidst what would otherwise look like a swarm of planes flying around in every direction possible.
Team Battle
This is IL-2's Team Deathmatch mode, and allows up to 16 players to get together and fight for aerial superiority. I had a lot of fun with this mode because it allowed me and other players to work together, forming impromptu fighter groups in order to overwhelm an unlucky opponent who wandered too far from their teammates. And while I only had a few moments with this mode, I could easily see how this could be great for highly coordinated groups or clans, as any team with a decent level of communication could completely decimate a group of uncontrolled rogue fighters. I'd love to see videos of high-level aerial team battles after the game's been out for some time, I imagine it'd be akin to watching the recreations that are in the Discovery series "Dogfights."
Capture
Capture was probably the least fun I had during my time with IL-2. The point of this mode is for players to land on the airfield, capturing it by staying put for a certain amount of time. Capturing the field causes the opposing teams' tickets to drain, with the loser being whoever loses all their tickets or has the least after time expires. The idea isn't terrible, but since landing in the game is absurdly hard, even on Arcade mode, the battle was more just a scrolling text of "so-and-so crashes." When the airstrip was taken by a team it resulted in the opposing team turning themselves into fiery wreckage on the runway. Or, when I or someone else on my team did successfully land, we found not only that our role was boring (just having to sit there on the runway, staring off into space), but that we was defenseless and easy pickings to all the enemies who were flying overhead. Before long this mode unsurprisingly devolved into a dogfight above the airstrip, with aspirations of capture abandoned.
Strike
Given that is had the most potential of any of the modes to become my favorite, I was disappointed with how little time I got to put into Strike. The level we played placed two teams at odds with one another in an effort to see who could destroy the other team's ground targets first. It could be an incredibly fun mode, with players having to coordinate flight groups consisting of diverse groupings of fighters and bombers, but during my time with it things didn't go so well due to the lack of a full game. With only seven or eight players participating there simply weren't enough people to defend our ground targets, defend our bombers, and to go out to strike at the enemy targets. Still, with full teams and a little coordination I could see this mode being fun for a diverse group of players, encompassing those who like to dogfight as much as those who like to use bombers.
IL-2's multiplayer has potential, but after my time with it I feel like a lot of the fun you're going to have with it will be directly linked to how many players are in the battles, and especially if you're playing the Strike mode. However, if you're looking for a WW2 aerial combat sim to play online with a few hardcore friends, or even a game that'll allow you to fly in some quick and rewarding dogfights, I don't think you'll find a better option on any console.
