Rating: 
Summary: Definite the best available sim on the market...
Review: Being one of those who has played almost all flight sims that have been published (even those programmed in basic back in the early eighties). I have to say that IL-2 is way ahead of its time. Even one year after its release it beats everything hands on. It is just the whole imersion of the details in flight model, graphic, sound and gameplay that makes the "whole greater than the sum of its parts" (Unfortunatly, CFS3 does not manage that). There are many difficult levels you can play. You can play arcadish, or in full realism and if so, prepare for a steep learning curve. Once you have mastered flying a bf-109, you will feel proud of even being able to land it..(it was hard in real life)Offcourse the game has its disadvantages but they are really minor and not really affecting the game play as such. Ok dynamic campain system would be nice, but that is scheduled in the add-on release. You still have hundreds of mission you can fly in offline mode, plus the community has created many battle theaters you can download. if you have internet connection, the online game will make you addicted. What is enjoyable is that you learn the advantages and disadvantages of each airplanes while learning to fly them. And learn how to use tactics in dogfights. In the early stages of the WW2 the german pilots had much more experience than the soviet pilots. This resulted in such a high scoring rates by the german aces, even if some of the soviet planes were infact better. Up to 1942, the soviet planes were inferiour to the german ones, but in the later stages this started to turn around in favour to the russians. THIS FACTOR HAS BEEN BEUTIFULLY MODELLED!! to say at least. This sim is essential for everyone who enjoyes ww2 sims and flight sims in general. Furthermore the planned addon "Forgotten Battles" will address many of the suggestions the sim community has emphasized during the existentse of IL-2. Only to make this game even better.
Rating:
Summary: The best WW2 flight sim released to date
Review: IL-2 is by far the best WW2 era air combat simulator yet released. Outstanding graphics, superb flight models, beautiful cockpits, great ground target details (tanks, AA, trucks, motorcycles and humans) and unparalleled developer/publisher support that has improved the game over the last 7 months with new flyable aircraft and minor bug fixes. It's a level of customer support that has not been seen in my 20 years of flying combat sims.
It takes a mid level machine and a good GPU card to fully enjoy the graphics but with a 1 Ghz processor and GeForce 2 card or equivalent, the game runs quite smoothly at 25 to 30 FPS unless too many ground objects are added.
About the only improvement would be the inclusion of dynamic campaigns but the Full Mission Builder is fairly easy to use and will provide unlimited enjoyment, particularly with the number of user contributed campaigns available.
A few users will complain about a disparity between Russian and German aircraft flight models but having flown both extensively, my opinion is that the complaints are mostly unjustified and come from online dogfighter pilots whose primary wish is to win, win, win when flying on one side (LW or VVS) regardless of realistic flight models that require different combat tactics for different airplanes. Casual flight simmers can adjust the realism from fully realistic to an arcade game if they wish.
To top it off, an add-on will be available late this fall (2002) that will include yet more flyable planes, maps and ground details.
For the hardcore flight simmer, IL-2 Sturmovik is, in a word, the ultimate currently available flight sim. There are no substitutes.
Rating:
Summary: Its almost real.....
Review: This is a true combat flight sim. If you have the ram and the video card for this game it will feel and look real. This has some fantasic weather too. I have a very fast computer with the top Gforce card and I run it on XP home. It is a great game to play.
Rating:
Summary: This is the best flight sim EVER
Review: I had read about this flight sim in the geeky flight magazines around the bookstores. However, about six months ago I decided I would give this game a shot. I have found that this is some of the best pure fum I have ever had on a flight sim. The quality of the graphics is incredible. It is almost like flying yourself. The sun glint, and the clouds are truly amazing. I have never seen anything like this before.
The Eastern front - sight of some of the greatest and bloodiest battles of all time - is novel. Many of the Russian planes, including American exports such as the P-39, add a new level of interest, and best of all, there is practically no limit to the adventures you can have, whether massive air to air battles or ground campaigns using the quick mission editor. This game has kept me enthralled for six months. Sure I can get bored after a while, but the quality of this game all the way through is just too great. Best things: 1. The AI is really great. No matter how much I try it is just too challenging flying agaisnt the program. These guys dont quit. 2. The "realistic" dialogue between the groups of planes is cool. Especially the times when planes are getting shot down. 3. Immersion factor: About as good as you can get. You will feel as though you are stuck in the Caucasian plains after a while. The Russian Steppes are just too damn endless. 4. Ubisoft has been updating the game periodically, and prvides new planes such as the Stuka bomber (with a realistic siren) and the potent Il-16. (Go online to get these on the ubisoft server. You can also get new missions and sound patches etc.) 5. The differences between all the different models provided. You really will get a feel for differences with me-109 models that you can fly, or other planes such as the FW-190. 6. You can change the settings and make this as difficult or arcade like as you want. This is key. 7. FUN FUN FUN Notwithstanding the comments from more negative reviews this is a great product. You may also want to make sure your hardware is top line (well above the recommended) and also turn down the graphics settings(the AI chews up a lot of RAM and computing power) It is the Eastern Front for you Klink withthis game and you will enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: It should be a FOUR or FIVE star!
Review: I could very well give this four or five stars, even with the archaic menu system, HOWEVER the fact that this simulation does not do "coordinated control" between aileron/rudder is COMPLETELY unexcusable. Every flight simulator for the last twenty plus years has had a "coordinated control" with ailerson/rudder. This may not be "realistic", but it supports those of us that want to play the game on a laptop without having to lug around rudder pedals or a twist flight stick. Until this capability is added, this game barely even deserves a ZERO.
Rating:
Summary: The superior sim amoung the genre
Review: Ubisoft's [IL-2] is possibly the finest, most detailed, historically accurate, and =fun= flight sim that one could ask for at the present time. Simply put . . . the game appears to be an upgraded version of Jane's WWII Fighters and easily blows all current competition from the water. Campaigns are centered on the Eastern Front in Russia and include scores of rare aircraft that are almost unheard of: (among others) FW-189's; ME-321's & 323's; the Storch; Po-2s; and La-7's. Flight models that the player can fly include various Yaks, the P-39 Airacobra, FW-190, ME-109, and naturally, the Soviet IL-2 ground attack aircraft as either pilot or gunner. I have enjoyed flight sims for decades. But of all the flight simulators I have played, (on or off line), however, I have enjoyed IL-2 more than any sim previously released. Graphics are outstanding and flight models (and ground details) are above reproach. For many of us who have studied Soviet and German gun camera footage of the period we find the details of the incendiary and tracer [a barium chloride and magnesium mixture] "smoke trails" extraordinary. It is as close as you can get to actual gun footage. And damage details --either to flight models or on ground targets -- are awesome. Indeed, we're speaking of detail that I have not seen since Jane's WWII Fighters but far surpasses the later. Another plus for this game -- and a feature that I have never seen in any offline game -- is the length of campaigns. There are dozens and dozens of missions for each flight model that are never repeated. For instance, I flew over ninety off-line missions (no repeats) with the IL-2 aircraft, and at least one hundred in an ME-109G. This is just one random campaign. Unreal. And there are several aircraft to choose from. I flew for months at a time without a repeated mission. You certainly can't say that about other flight sims. Mission builders (full, single, and quick) are offered, again resembling Jane's WWII Fighters. These missions can be detailed far (FAR!) beyond what your system can handle. Targets can include different types of trains, trucks, tanks, flak guns, boats and aircraft, and can be inserted in various campaigns. (Kursk and Berlin, among others). Great stuff. But of all the positives about IL-2 the game does have its drawbacks. Nothing to prevent five stars, but nonetheless important. The most important of all -- and it's a doosy -- is that due to the fantastic detail the sim offers -- and to really enjoy the game's details at its peak -- you had better have a machine and graphics card that handles this monster. If not (when the shootin' starts) the game will quickly become saturated. Another disappointment is the missing option to fly the JU-87 Stuka. The Stuka aircraft was utilized in every ground campaign but not offered with IL-2 (despite the fact that there are continued patch upgrades to the game making a terrific game even better!). However, the infamous Stuka is missing. Sure, it's easy meat for Soviet fighters but nonetheless was indeed the number one tank killer on the Eastern Front. Disappointments aside, this game is fantastic. Sure it may have a few problems, most of which are respectfully detailed by other reviews. But nothing touches IL-2 when it comes to details and accuracy. The cost is well worth the hours of enjoyment you will have with this game -- on-line or off-line. Coincidently, the time is right for =someone= to put forth the same detail and efforts of IL-2 in a First World War, Second World War Pacific Theater, or 8th/15th AF, or Korean War flying sim. Talk of "lost interest" in the flying sim genre is bogus. UBI's IL-2 proves -- without any doubt -- that those who believe as much are sadly mistaken.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Game
Review: Damn, this game is incredible. Even if you rev your engine, the plane will rotate a bit from the torque. Try to learn how to recover from stalls on all the different models, then learn to recover the ME-109. It ain't easy but once you recognize how your plane of choice acts when it's about to stall, you can pull aerial maneuvers that really ride the edge of the aircraft's ability. I guess that's where 'flying by the seat of your pants' comes from. This game is just overall unbelievable. It's hard to imagine how people used to actually fly and fight in these things considering the difficulty of just getting up and landing, nevermind combat.
Rating:
Summary: It should be a FOUR or FIVE star!
Review: I could very well give this four or five stars, even with the archaic menu system, HOWEVER the fact that this simulation does not do "coordinated control" between aileron/rudder is COMPLETELY unexcusable. Every flight simulator for the last twenty plus years has had a "coordinated control" with ailerson/rudder. This may not be "realistic", but it supports those of us that want to play the game on a laptop without having to lug around rudder pedals or a twist flight stick. Until this capability is added, this game barely even deserves a ZERO.
Rating: 
Summary: Error. Error & Error
Review: I installed and reinstalled this program. It takes forever to losd and then fails to load the Humans. Microsoft combat sims are much more reliable.
Rating:
Summary: Can't load it
Review: I have a Pentium III 700 mhz and XP operating system with an ATI rage 3D card..
I can't get this sim to run at all....CFS II and Strike Fighters run great on my computer. Microsoft makes the best flight sims.
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