Blazing Angels II: Secret Missions of WWII
Xbox 360
Ubisoft


You'd be forgiven for approaching 'Blazing Angels II' with an air of trepidation. For one, the first game barely made a splash upon its release about a year and a half ago. Also, it's produced by Ubisoft Romania. No offence meant to the people of Romania, but Eastern Europe isn't exactly regarded as a game design hotspot. As it is, arcade flight sim 'Blazing Angels II' isn't going to change anyone's life, but it might go some way to helping the region's reputation. With its slick comic book style interludes and glossy in-game visuals, it's certainly a nice looking title, though the motion blur can be a little overbearing and the colour palette a little dull at times.

The combat itself is enormous fun, and dog-fighting is joyously simple - lock onto a target and the camera will follow your opponent at all times, allowing you to spin, loop and move around in a generally outrageous fashion without any trouble. There's also a vast selection of planes in which to take on the enemy, ranging from sluggish heavy bombers to nimble but fragile experimental craft. The difference in handling on each is immediately noticeable, and the controls are consistently and enjoyably responsive.

Unfortunately, the missions themselves prove to be the spanner in the game's propeller. They're rarely clear in terms of setting goals, leaving you playing through multiple times just to get an idea of what you should be shooting, what you should be protecting, or how exactly you're meant to pull off the manoeuvre your wingman keeps going on about. It's manageable during the early levels, but the difficulty spike in the seventh mission is a source of intense frustration: you're tasked with defending Red Square, but never told exactly what the biggest threat is, or why you keep failing, despite shooting everything in sight.

This same vagueness plagues the otherwise strong online mode as well; players new to the game will find themselves in the middle of battle without any idea of what to do and how to properly contribute. Once it sinks in it's fine, but the learning curve is surprisingly steep. If it weren't so confusing, and if the difficulty curve were a little smoother, 'Blazing Angels II' could have been something pretty special. As it is, it's a little too clunky to ever really get off the ground.

Alistair Wallis