Welcome back to Planet World War II, where we continually go back to the greatest war in history for our subject matter. This time, rather than following a legendary squadron through some of the most important ground battles of the era, we’ll be taking to the skies during…some of the most important battles of the era.

Sarcasm aside, World War II games keep getting made and we keep buying them. Either they’re really, really good, or we’re all a bunch of suckers. And while Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII doesn’t exactly break any new ground, it certainly is a solid foray through bullet-infested skies. It leans more towards the arcade end of the spectrum, feeling an awful lot like Crimson Skies in certain areas, which is certainly a good thing. However, there’s a certain lack of character and charm to Blazing Angels that holds it back from being as enjoyable as Crimson Skies. Also adding to its list of shortcomings is the lack of variety in the single-player mode. The dogfights and high-speed battles with other ace pilots are exciting, sure, but other than a few reconnaissance missions (which aren’t very enjoyable), there isn’t a lot of meat to the game.

However, there are quite a few things this game does well, making it fully worth your time. First off, the battles are lip biting, sweaty palm affairs. Take the thrilling Battle for Britain level, for example. The sensation of flying over London, saving Parliament from destruction, racing the “Jerries” up the Themes and saving your allies from their pursuers is nothing short of thrilling. Or how about coming out of a cloud into a sky full of the Luftwaffe? Blazing Angels handles all sorts of these big-budget thrills beautifully.

Controlling your craft is thankfully quite simple and intuitive. The left analog stick steers the plane, while the right stick controls your plane’s speed, while clicking it uses your secondary weapon. The right trigger handles the main weapon and the left trigger locks your vision on the nearest enemy or objective, which is quite handy as it’s easy to get lost up in the air.



A clever addition to the game is the ability to repair your vessel by hitting the D-Pad. Once you activate the repair option, you’ll need to hit a series of buttons in sequence and your plane will stop smoking/burning. However, in some cases, this repair option seems a little too easy, taking away some of the challenge.

In addition to the main campaign mode, Blazing Angels offers up quick-hit modes like dueling, mini-campaign, and arcade modes, each with their own Xbox Live Achievement Points. And since the single-player mode is so brief, it’s a great relief to have the brilliant online multiplayer mode. Squadron, co-op, and versus modes are all there, ready for the taking. And playing with fifteen other players (who aren’t total a-holes) is nothing short of exhilarating.

Where the game falls seriously short is in its presentation. Menus are simplistic and undetailed, and the voice acting is atrocious. Not only are the accents bad on all ends of the spectrum – German, Japanese, and American – but the lines are repeated incessantly to the point that you may consider hitting the mute button. Graphically, while some levels certainly look impressive and detailed, others will make you wonder if you shouldn’t have saved yourself ten bucks and settled for the Xbox version.

Aside from this, Blazing Angels achieves what it sets out to do, and that is provide gamers with a polished, oftentimes heart-pounding aerial combat experience. The planes control beautifully and there are certainly enough modes to make the game worth checking out.


For more Blazing Angels discussion, be sure to check out the April 16th episode of Team Fremont Live, our weekly podcast.



Article By: John