IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad

 PC
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 279 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 147 out of 279
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 279
  3. Negative: 97 out of 279
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  1. ebola
    Oct 27, 2014
    1
    The last time reviews got posted here the devs asked fanboys to post good reviews. Ignore the fanboy 10 fest and read the comments about the poor flight models which you can find on Youtube. This is not IL-2 its a poor imitation.
  2. lion737
    Oct 27, 2014
    10
    As I have no experience in testing games, I will just talk about the subject I can judge as a professional pilot.
    The flight physics and aerodynamic modelling is just superb. It is way ahead of anything available for PC.
    Surely this leads to a steep learning curve, even if you have flown the original IL2 for some years. But it should give you another kind of satisfaction, if you are able    As I have no experience in testing games, I will just talk about the subject I can judge as a professional pilot.
    The flight physics and aerodynamic modelling is just superb. It is way ahead of anything available for PC.
    Surely this leads to a steep learning curve, even if you have flown the original IL2 for some years. But it should give you another kind of satisfaction, if you are able to fly a successful traffic pattern. To land a high powered tail dragger, good training in reel life was needed, and it is necessary in IL2: BoS as well.
    In the early access forum, even experienced sim pilots were complaining about "bounced" landings, ground looping, difficult taxiing etc etc. Some training with the RoF crates will surely help, as any WW2 fighter pilot began his career on biplanes as well.    … Expand
  3. b45t4rd0
    Oct 26, 2014
    6
    The good: Graphics are really good for being directX 9. The crash landings are done really well. The sounds are also really well done. The Flight Models are pretty good. Flying the campaign in full real can be pretty intense. The bad: MP only via their test servers, no mission builder, SP campaign could be better. Overall synopsis, this still runs way smoother and has less bugs than CLOD.The good: Graphics are really good for being directX 9. The crash landings are done really well. The sounds are also really well done. The Flight Models are pretty good. Flying the campaign in full real can be pretty intense. The bad: MP only via their test servers, no mission builder, SP campaign could be better. Overall synopsis, this still runs way smoother and has less bugs than CLOD. The flight models and difficulties almost get to the CLOD level and this can be played in full real. If they add a dynamic campaign that I can play online with friends, add a mission builder, forget the points and unlocks, then this could easily be a 9. Until then I think a 6 is fair.… Expand
  4. Moider99
    Oct 26, 2014
    1
    I can't recommend buying this when its been confirmed a much cheaper (€10) version is about to be launched. They locked a thread about it on the official forums because so many customers who bought this game for $60 and $90 were rightfully unhappy.

    On YouTube there is a video of a 109 flying like an RC plane doing impossible moves and you can do endless loops in a he111 - so it's hard    I can't recommend buying this when its been confirmed a much cheaper (€10) version is about to be launched. They locked a thread about it on the official forums because so many customers who bought this game for $60 and $90 were rightfully unhappy.

    On YouTube there is a video of a 109 flying like an RC plane doing impossible moves and you can do endless loops in a he111 - so it's hard to believe the 9 and 10 scores here. The developers have forced their idea of how to play this game on customers, you can't select your own graphics options just presets like an XBOX game, you can't select them game options you want just two presets easy and expert and you have to play single player to unlock 'powerups' for multiplayer.    … Expand
  5. BigManWithZweih
    Oct 26, 2014
    10
    Well, what we have here…

    Best ever feel of light on your home PC? Yes, it is. Graphics, Sounding, Flight Model, Force Feedback effects, Camera effects – everything is focused on Your feeling of flight. Really great feeling, never have experienced something like this before anywhere, may be in a real flights only. Boring lifeless campaign like in previous flight sims? No, Il-2 BoS    Well, what we have here…

    Best ever feel of light on your home PC? Yes, it is. Graphics, Sounding, Flight Model, Force Feedback effects, Camera effects – everything is focused on Your feeling of flight. Really great feeling, never have experienced something like this before anywhere, may be in a real flights only.

    Boring lifeless campaign like in previous flight sims? No, Il-2 BoS Campaign is really fun and it provides single-player gameplay which is incomparable with any other combat sim on the market. Simply the best single-player fun in flight sims ever.

    Amazing realistic sound which can’t be heard in any other flight sim? Yes, it is. Very natural sounding in cockpit, heard like I’ve experienced in real prop planes. Incredible external sounds, while looking on plane with fly-by camera I hear same what I hear on flight show on airfield.

    Useless and predictable AI? No, Il-2 BoS AI is really close-up to men-style air combat. Sometimes it is hard to determine – are you fighting with AI or with a real man in Multiplayer. It can perform different specific maneuvers like split-S, turns, Hi and Low Yo-Yo, climb and dive, combat turn and so on. It’s never “just turn on you like a bull”, no, it’s really smart opponent.

    Best plane damage model on the market? Yes, it is. There is no any other flight sim which will show you such details of airframe damage like BoS can show. Airframe deformation - broken parts which are falling very realistic with full-physics calculation. Amazing Graphics Effects of Fuel fire, Engine fire, Fuel and Water leaks, plane Explosions when it collides ground or obstacle, sounds of damage and hits – all these are incomparable with any other flight sim, simply the best.

    Not realistic flight models? No, Il-2 BoS keeps a super-high standard of plane performance data precision. All main airplane and it’s engine characteristics are kept in 2% precision range in compare with real historical plane performance data. Till the day no one haven’t success in proof that something is wrong. Many have tried but all they have fail in their attempts to proof that something in plane FM is really wrong. Developers always have strong base of proofs that BoS airplanes are really high close-up to real prototypes.

    Best WW2 combat sim ever? Yes, it is. You need to try it and you will confirm that. Best graphics, best Flight and Damage Models, best Sounding, best Game Play, best AI. Simply the best. You need to try it, I’m hope you will – everyone who loves or just likes the combat aviation need to try this life experience.    … Expand
  6. Wulf1958
    Oct 25, 2014
    8
    Works straight out of the box, excellent flight physics, impressive graphics, very realistic maps, plenty to do in single player or online, extremely exciting air combat and huge potential for future development.

    I purchased the game as an 'early access' player and have never regretted it. Frankly I've already had my money's worth. Is it perfect? No, there are features I don't like    Works straight out of the box, excellent flight physics, impressive graphics, very realistic maps, plenty to do in single player or online, extremely exciting air combat and huge potential for future development.

    I purchased the game as an 'early access' player and have never regretted it. Frankly I've already had my money's worth. Is it perfect? No, there are features I don't like but then what's new about that. The game would be cheap at twice the price. Get it and have a go. Fantastic fun.    … Expand
  7. Johnny_Red
    Oct 25, 2014
    1
    This game was/is advertised as a combat flight simulator. I bought into the early access pretty early and was very impressed with the way it looked and handled. I posted how impressed I was on the forums. Being so early in development I was expecting some improvement over time and some evolution. Friday's came with some updates, New planes etc. But they also came with
    1. The removal of    This game was/is advertised as a combat flight simulator. I bought into the early access pretty early and was very impressed with the way it looked and handled. I posted how impressed I was on the forums. Being so early in development I was expecting some improvement over time and some evolution. Friday's came with some updates, New planes etc. But they also came with
    1. The removal of graphics options, in their place 3 presets because the developers think their players are too stupid to tinker with their own computers.
    2. Arcade like HUD, presumably the devs think the player base is too stupid to look at the actual cockpit instruments they have modeled. Reading the forums, some folk are looking for tablet app's to show their instruments when there is a cockpit on screen, so I guess the devs have the target audience they were looking for.
    3. Unlocks, power ups, call them what you like. They are a gamey feature. Some folk are saying they are the first step in the introduction of in-game purchases/microtransactions/pay to win features. Time will tell on that, but the signs are there for sure. The devs and forum moderators think the paying customers are too dumb to just jump in the aircraft and fly and must go through flight school to get unlocks. I **** you not, read the forums.
    4. No improvement of flight models.
    5. An empty campaign that the paying customer is forced to go through to access the field modifications locked into the power up/unlock system.

    The textures are low resolution, the game engine is dx9 and with 2 years of development there has been no improvement. DX11 cards have been on the market for a long time. The folk who play flight simulators are always looking for the best fps and invest a lot of money in their hobby. I'm pretty sure 90% of the player base have dx11 systems.

    Flight simulations are a cult. They bring out the fanatics. The devs threatened to scrap the project if the reviews on this site weren't favourable. The scores of 9-10 you see here are from the kool-aid drinkers.
    This is not a flight simulator and it is NOT a worthy successor to the original il2 by Oleg Maddox. It's an arcade shooter aimed at the warthunder crowd and that is a shame.
    I asked for my money back, stating that the game is not the simulator it was advertised to be. That the introduction of power ups have no place in a simulation. Eventually they agreed and refunded my premium early access $90. They will not look into unlocks, they are there to stay. My refund is testament to that.
    I give it a 1 and only because they gave me my money back    … Expand
  8. comanche
    Oct 25, 2014
    8
    Its a very well made and beautiful game. Planes and scenery look great! I don't care for the unlocks and the single player campaign needs more immersion. Multiplayer is fun. In time, I think this will be a fantastic WW2 combat sim.
  9. Johnny2
    Oct 24, 2014
    0
    This is a huge disappointment. The unlocks are a joke. Might as well fly War Thunder or any other arcade game. It was supposed to be a sim, but it is an arcade game. Too bad they did not live up to what they promised.
  10. NattyIced
    Oct 24, 2014
    8
    So many delirious reviews of this title. Yes, it doesn't have a truly dynamic campaign. Neither did Il-2 series, aside from a 3rd party that created it and was incorporated by the devs. The FM is light years beyond the original Il-2 series that had tons of issues from its inception that were slowly fixed over the course of a decade: Every aircraft had the same torque, p-factor and propsSo many delirious reviews of this title. Yes, it doesn't have a truly dynamic campaign. Neither did Il-2 series, aside from a 3rd party that created it and was incorporated by the devs. The FM is light years beyond the original Il-2 series that had tons of issues from its inception that were slowly fixed over the course of a decade: Every aircraft had the same torque, p-factor and props always rotated left hand in the FM - even Jets had prop engine physics. There was no high alt FM for years, and even when it was modified with version 4.0 the FM was still broken above 6KM. The DM was very basic, there was no chance to retain level flight with a 1/3rd of a wing shot away with aircraft that have been shown to fly level with half a wing shot away. It was impossible to taxi on one engine. There was no ground handling model. The Il-2 series previously took over a decade to get where it is today, and it still has a lot of issues that BoS does very well, and BoS performs far better in all of the FM and DM categories than the original Il-2 series.

    As far as CloD, take all of the failures above and add in it has no dynamic campaign and required a crew of individuals to come along and hack it to get it working okay. CloD is an epic failure of a WWII flight sim, so terrible that it's release caused quite the maelstrom and yet the negative reviewers here fully support it - so that should give ample evidence that the negativity is quite clearly not objective or subjective but completely in the form of a character issue.

    Yes, BoS has issues. It requires the play of Single Player to accomplish the "unlocks" which are quite simply field load outs that, in many cases, were actually standard load outs. I view this as a totally ridiculous requirement to play SP to get loadouts that were mostly historically readily available.

    The SP campaign system is okay. It's no Pat Wilson's from RoF, the beta campaign from RoF, or Starshoy's campaign (the 3rd party creator of the original Il-2's campaign system) - but it does work. There is a lot of action outside of the flight path, and a lot of alternate action going on. I was on a bombing run with a flight of Pe-2s and came across a flight of He-111s on their own mission - I attack one of the He-111s to try to shoot it down while I was en route for my objective because they were there and the Pe-2 was in fact used a bit as a heavy fighter. I damaged the He-111 but it didn't go on, and I aborted to return to my task. I had to level bomb a rail station, and I did - it worked quite well and the level bombing system works very well. It's pretty on par with the bomb sight operations of B-17: The Mighty Eighth.

    The FM and DM are very good. You can damage a plane and depending on physics damaged parts can later become separated from the aircraft based on manuevering or drag. Something neither the old Il-2 series, CloD, or DCS can claim. Aircraft can bend or break depending on collision with aircraft or ground, or based on over stress. I've flown around with a bent Il-2 fuselage, and the bend in the fuselage actually caused the Il-2 to pull up because of the angle of the horizontal stabilizer relative to the direction of motion. Again, something the other two series that are the point of praise for the negative reviewers can't do.

    There is tremendous ground handling physics with BoS. Taxiing actually requires taxiing as in the real world, not Tokyo drift across the airfield like the old Il-2 and CloD.

    There is a ton more - like great overcast or great heavy cloud features with "God Rays" peaking through that will actually light up the aircraft as it flights through them. Large moving cloud features. Turbulence below clouds.

    Quite simply, there is so much that a review can't cover it - but it is 80 to 90% positive. The negative is the unlocks. The negative reviewers here should be paid no attention.

    I have two decades of sim experience, from Confirmed Kill v.93 to today. I do know know sims, and this is one that is certainly worth at least the Standard edition.    … Expand
  11. gamerzinowich12
    Oct 24, 2014
    10
    Ok, let's get started with the fact that my score wouldn't have been 10, but around 9 or 8. I'll throw in a 10 to offset the 0-scoring cry babies that are upset since their fantasies are not fulfilled. But honestly, they should throw in a 5, 6 etc.. but they do a 0 to 4 since they're just so upset that the sim they hoped to redeem all of the past disappointments turned out not to beOk, let's get started with the fact that my score wouldn't have been 10, but around 9 or 8. I'll throw in a 10 to offset the 0-scoring cry babies that are upset since their fantasies are not fulfilled. But honestly, they should throw in a 5, 6 etc.. but they do a 0 to 4 since they're just so upset that the sim they hoped to redeem all of the past disappointments turned out not to be perfect on all aspects.

    I'll keep this short and sweet:

    The devs have created a simulator with fantastic feeling of flight and excellent hardcore dog-fighting experiences. Graphics are great despite the bit dated DX9 engine (just look at the vids). The map is excellent, but of course flying over the snow can get tiresome.. but that's not the sim's fault.

    The gripes are mostly about the plot-twist that dev team pulled, which is "grind xp to get unlocks". I think that decision is a combination of not having a budget to do a detailed historical experience and the assumption that "everyone else grinds so ME TOO".. and that idea combined with lack of budget I assume took us with the current mode of campaign. That was the stupidest thing they could do because the wrath of a flight sim scene knows no limits. It's far from perfect, but it's not the disaster some other reviews are referring to.

    Also some concerns about flight characteristics on some models. But honestly, there is evidence for and against. It's not just that "ITS WRONG" like some people say.

    SO ALL IN ALL: A nice pierce of flight sim software set for WW2 eastern front. Definitely a sim (vs. the arcade titles we've seen with WT etc) and I hope we'll see another theatre and a real campaign engine.

    But if you like flight sims, GO FOR IT! It's a no-brainer given the market that's out there and the positive aspects BOS has.

    Thanks for reading!    … Expand
  12. Bando
    Oct 24, 2014
    10
    Best sim on the market. Flying feels genuine, intuitive controls and the feeling of "being there" are gorgeous.
    Don't be fooled by the decisions of the devs (unlocks and stuff) the sim itself is worth every penny, cent or whatever you pay with. Great fun and the devs are tireless in their pursuit of prime support.
  13. Check6
    Oct 24, 2014
    0
    Unlocks, XP points, grinding and powerups - If those are things you enjoy or expect from a flight sim, then, by all means, this title is for you.

    This title tries to tell you this is the continuation of the original IL2 series yet doesn't have 10% of the features that made IL2 what it is. Combine that with developers that threaten their customers, and forum moderators that are    Unlocks, XP points, grinding and powerups - If those are things you enjoy or expect from a flight sim, then, by all means, this title is for you.

    This title tries to tell you this is the continuation of the original IL2 series yet doesn't have 10% of the features that made IL2 what it is.

    Combine that with developers that threaten their customers, and forum moderators that are amongst the worst in the business, you are left with very few people playing and even fewer with any interest to play.

    This is the 1st flight sim I've ever bought that I have absolutely 0, zip, nada, interest in playing. It's no simulator, and it's definitely not much of a game either.

    In 2014 you don't even have an option for something as simple as setting the trim on an axis of your HOTAS. You can't even create skins for the planes. You can't even choose markings or numbering for your planes.

    This is the biggest let down as a flight simmer I've seen yet. Not only does this game fail to deliver something better than products released years ago, it doesn't even deliver the very most basic features of those other titles released decades ago. To top it all off, this game is expensive.

    Save your money if you are expecting a real IL2. The closest product I can compare this to is Wings of Prey and that's probably pushing it. With very questionable flight models, a basic damage model, DX9 graphics, along with hollywood effects, the realism and accuracy of this game is completely thrown out the window.

    If you are looking for an IL2, look at the real IL2 titles made by Oleg. If you want a War Thunder grind fest in an arcade setting, this is the sim for you.    … Expand
  14. Gotre
    Oct 24, 2014
    10
    This is the best simulator of all that I've played .
    I can not put into words the feeling that you get when you first take-off in this game.
    It must try.
  15. Chris455
    Oct 24, 2014
    8
    This simulation is very immersive and enjoyable in it's release version, and has tremendous potential to become even better. What others see as shortcomings are actually features that did not make it into the release version, but can (and I believe will) be retro-fitted in later updates. A quick comparison of the original IL2 vs 1946, or even the initial release of RoF compared to theThis simulation is very immersive and enjoyable in it's release version, and has tremendous potential to become even better. What others see as shortcomings are actually features that did not make it into the release version, but can (and I believe will) be retro-fitted in later updates. A quick comparison of the original IL2 vs 1946, or even the initial release of RoF compared to the current build will reveal what I am saying- those who expect perfection (however they define it) in an initial release are doomed to disapointment. The vast majority of outright bugs have been killed with the help of the community through the early access program, which I believe will become the model for future flight sims. Many. if not most of remainder have been acknowledged as remaining "in work". The dev team was very responsive to inputs from the community. One example: the "bar" that OM failed to fix in all the years of the original IL2, was corrected within a few days by 1C/777, to the delight of the community. Unfortunately, our community remains riddled with individuals who feel that if they are not allowed to direct 100% of the activities and decision-making of the developers, they attack the final product any way they can, no matter how un-objectively. It's amazing how some people feel that a $50 investment earns them a place on the Board of Directors.
    When the smoke has settled, this sim will deserve a solid 9.5. and will take it's place right next to its famous namesake. Right now I'll give it an honest 8.
    Now, back to flying!    … Expand
  16. Kalimba1
    Oct 24, 2014
    10
    BOS is a wonderful sim. And so much more to come. I give it a 10 because it is a first to see such a complex
    simulator being so great at release. I predict that BOS will surpass in every aspect of graphics and complexity any current simulator. It is the new Milestone in WW2 sim.
  17. mudcat
    Oct 24, 2014
    7
    Really has a great core to it and should honestly be rated higher, game looks amazing, although you may go snowblind, pretty good DM, FM's seem fine to me. But the problem as probably noted in plenty of other reviews is some poor decisions regarding SP and unlocks. Unlocks can only be done in the SP campaign. So if you want those field modifications you are going to have to spend aReally has a great core to it and should honestly be rated higher, game looks amazing, although you may go snowblind, pretty good DM, FM's seem fine to me. But the problem as probably noted in plenty of other reviews is some poor decisions regarding SP and unlocks. Unlocks can only be done in the SP campaign. So if you want those field modifications you are going to have to spend a considerable amount of time in the campaign.

    As for the campaign, you have choices based on what aircraft you choose, between things like ground attack, intercept and escort etc. The missions are then randomly generated and difficulty of said missions will vary and increase based on your "pilot level".

    The missions aren't exactly the worst thing in the world, but I wouldn't exactly call them enjoyable either. It's a decision to have them work this way that has angered a lot of MP focused folks, essentially being forced to play SP. For the SP oriented folks it seems to miss the mark as there is nothing exactly imersive about it. No real coherent story to it, just a collection of randomly generated missions.

    There really is a lot of good stuff in the game, but the decision of unlocks tied to a SP randomly generated mission campaign really drags it down, this game should be an 8 or 9, but instead gets drug down by the stinker or an idea that in their unlocks system. I gave it a 7 because while that unlock business is indeed silly, it still does a lot of things really well, that and I can't give it a 7.5 :)    … Expand
  18. Masterjts
    Oct 24, 2014
    1
    This is a mediocre sim at best. The flight models have huge holes, the damage model is a joke and the ballistics is lacking. It has huge huge historical inaccuracies and is heavily russian biased. The terrain is fairly small and because the theater is Battle of Stalingrad the ground is covered in snow which means there is absolutely no variety in visuals. Even if the game's graphics wereThis is a mediocre sim at best. The flight models have huge holes, the damage model is a joke and the ballistics is lacking. It has huge huge historical inaccuracies and is heavily russian biased. The terrain is fairly small and because the theater is Battle of Stalingrad the ground is covered in snow which means there is absolutely no variety in visuals. Even if the game's graphics were top notch, which they are not, the game would look bland and boring. On top of that the game does not even give you a full set of graphic's options because the developers do not thing the community is smart enough to configure their computer's properly. (do a search and you can find the exact quote on the topic.)

    Overall I cant recommend this game at all. If you have any love for the genera then your money would be best spent elsewhere supporting people who make flight simulations instead of junk like this.

    The Legend Returns! ? Please, if anything this is the final nail in the IL-2 coffin.    … Expand
  19. F19_Klunk
    Oct 24, 2014
    9
    First of all; who am I and what do I take with me writing this review?
    I am an avid simmer and have been so for the past almost 15 years. Even though I never got into flight sim games.. as a fantic... until the early days of IL2 original, I still have played titles such as Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 1-3, European Air War, DCS titles, Rise of FLight etc etc.
    IL2 original series -    First of all; who am I and what do I take with me writing this review?
    I am an avid simmer and have been so for the past almost 15 years. Even though I never got into flight sim games.. as a fantic... until the early days of IL2 original, I still have played titles such as Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 1-3, European Air War, DCS titles, Rise of FLight etc etc.
    IL2 original series - with following titles such as Forgotten Battles and all it's addons (Pacific Fighters et al) - really got me into the genre, and flying with a virtual squadron since 2003, this genre and IL2 titles in particular has given me lots of great gaming moments.

    When it comes to difficulty settings, I have always seen myself as Hard core even though I have never understood the joy of clickable cockpits. I do expect a lot when it comes to immersion, realistic FM/DM/weather and scenarios. I enjoy servers and missions with objectives and have a hard time finding any fun with just swirling about with no aim, shooting at stuff that moves.
    I did try Warthunder and even though it has it's benefits, the game mechanics really put me off, and I also found it too "arcadish".

    Now, IL2 Battle of Stalingrad.

    Ever since the development of this title hit then news, my expectations have been high. Even though Cliffs of Dover had it's good moments, it was never the successor of IL2 original series we all were hoping for. I enrolled quite quickly as a "founder" for BoS, meaning payed up to access early alpha. I have reguraly played this game ever since it's first open builds.

    As far as the scope, the Stalingrad area, the developer's have really made an excellent work with the environment. The map is huge (358 ? 230 km), it is depicted quite beautifully. I guess we all wondered if the developers could pull it off, making an all winter map in white and still make it vivid and interesting to fly over.. but: Well; they did it! The GFX is fanastic!

    The planeset so far with 10 flyable planes is quite enough for this (hopefully) first "iteration", even though I am hoping for more to come. The models and extremely well done and the cockpit's well up to par. The balance of fidelity and "not so demanding on hardware" is well done.
    Sound? Never had better!
    FM/DM; even though it could -and will be- improved, it is still the "best" I have even experienced. Weather effects such as wind gives an addtional challenge when flying, especially when landing.

    Multiplayer; as we are still just a few days after release, we still only have a fews standard servers, but 50+ pilots on one server with huge possibilities to make interesting scenarios bodes well for the future. I do lack the old IL2 "coops" possibilities, but we will just have to see what time might reveal; the tight time frame of development has forced the producers to keep a "feature budget" in order to deliver the title to the market in time. So far I think they have managed that task very well.

    Single player: The developers have been able to create a Campaign which is decent. The foundation is excellent but lacks a bit in "personality". The missions generated on a central server are still interesting and I look forward to how the developers continue to enhance single player as time goes by; something they plan to do.

    The thing that is most discussed these last weeks of early access is the "locked addons" such as additional armaments and skins for the available planes, and the necessity to unlock them in single player to be able to use in multiplayer. Even though I have never been a single player type of a guy; after flying the campaign to unlock them, this feature is NOT a big issue for ME; even if I do understand some of the criticism. If this is how things will work in the future I don't know....

    In essence; Yes! This is the REAL successor of IL2! I could use words such as "amazing", "fantastic" and such, but I won't (even if the title really IS fan... and ama...."). If you are an avid flight simmer; this title is a must!! The best there is on the market - and I have tried them all. I really hope this title is successful; if it is I feel there is NO limit for what this team can achieve. The price? Well, divide the sum with the amount of hours of fun you will have and compare it to any FPS you buy with no second thought, you will find that buying this title is a no-braine...

    cheers    … Expand
  20. Gammelpreusse
    Oct 24, 2014
    6
    This is not a SIM! I'ts an aircraft "game", as said by the developers themselves. So just that you know what you get here. I will review this sim from a simmers perspective flying IL2: CloD and DCS, who wants "more" depth in a Sim, not less. IL2 1946 players though will feel right at home here.

    + Very nice graphics, all optimized to create a huge feeling of immersion of winter in    This is not a SIM! I'ts an aircraft "game", as said by the developers themselves. So just that you know what you get here. I will review this sim from a simmers perspective flying IL2: CloD and DCS, who wants "more" depth in a Sim, not less. IL2 1946 players though will feel right at home here.

    + Very nice graphics, all optimized to create a huge feeling of immersion of winter in Stalingrad 1942
    + Stable release, most bugs worked out
    + very nice aircraft models, just a bit too reflective skins

    +/- solid, but not exceptional FM, gives the feeling of flying a much lighter plane then what a WW2 warbird (loaded 3-7 tons, depending on the ftype of fighter plane) actually was, has some quirks still to be worked out (landing bounce, low speed stall characteristics, roll rates of several aircraft, max speed in all aircraft etc.) Feels more like flying an ultralight, but is still a lot better then War Thunder.

    - no campaign deserving that name
    - unlock system/level system, giving the impression of an arcade game
    - simplified damage model/Hollywood feel -> quick successes
    - simplified CEM (same level as old IL2)
    - no mission builder (yet)
    - no user made skins (yet)

    So far, a 6 with a tendency to 7, though with lots of potential for better ratings. Will check the game again in a year and see what changed. As that, I can recommend this sim for beginners, or people coming over from War Thunder seeking more of a challenge and immersive expirience. It's solid in it's core, needs some optimisation. But in it's complexity a step back from IL2 CloD and a huge step away from DCS. I'd personally call it a transition sim on the way to more challenges.    … Expand
  21. CountValar
    Oct 24, 2014
    9
    The team behind the WW1 sim Rise of Flight did this WW2 game with 1C. Fundamentally this is a hardcore simulator which is visually very appealing and polished. The developers probably glanced at War Thunder when they created an achievement based singleplayer campaign. It allows the player to quickly drop in and out of the game, which is positive, but in its current state it is not terriblyThe team behind the WW1 sim Rise of Flight did this WW2 game with 1C. Fundamentally this is a hardcore simulator which is visually very appealing and polished. The developers probably glanced at War Thunder when they created an achievement based singleplayer campaign. It allows the player to quickly drop in and out of the game, which is positive, but in its current state it is not terribly engaging. Nonetheless this is an excellent package with much to offer the serious simmer… Expand
  22. Stiglr
    Oct 24, 2014
    1
    Graphics are not bad but the xbox style presets stop you from really getting the best visuals on your pc and its only DX9.

    I like to play online but you can't access all the weapons until you unlock them in the single player. The community spoke out about this over a month ago and they just ignored them which is generally what they do if you criticize or point out a problem. The only    Graphics are not bad but the xbox style presets stop you from really getting the best visuals on your pc and its only DX9.

    I like to play online but you can't access all the weapons until you unlock them in the single player. The community spoke out about this over a month ago and they just ignored them which is generally what they do if you criticize or point out a problem.

    The only people who can run a server are the fanboys who dont criticise, one guy that did was stopped from running one, just search their forums and you can see that. No mission editor either so you just play air quake and not real battles.

    There are some really weird flight model issues that if you search on youtube will show examples of planes doing things they cant in real life. A weird bias against luftwaffe planes that when questioned gets you banned on their forums e even after you post performance stats. One of the developers scared the community a few weeks ago into giving them good scores here by threatening that the project could close in december if scores continued to be low.

    Its sad to see the IL-2 name sink to new lows. I won't give this a 0 but my score is lower because of the fanboy 10 scores.    … Expand
  23. SYN_Ricky
    Oct 24, 2014
    7
    I find it to be the best and more consistent WWII combat sim at present time.

    Graphics are very nice, from the exterior 3D models to the cockpits. Lighting and atmospheric effects are amazing. It also runs very well on my 5+ years old machine. I only experience a problem with clouds, as some other people do. Quite annoying ATM but I'm confident we'll see a fix for this. FM give a    I find it to be the best and more consistent WWII combat sim at present time.

    Graphics are very nice, from the exterior 3D models to the cockpits. Lighting and atmospheric effects are amazing. It also runs very well on my 5+ years old machine. I only experience a problem with clouds, as some other people do. Quite annoying ATM but I'm confident we'll see a fix for this.

    FM give a very good sense of flying and are quite demanding, I don't see how anyone could label them as arcade. Even if not every single switch and instrument can be activated in the cockpit, all systems are simulated and the most important ones are to be controlled by the pilot in flight and kept within the correct envelope.

    Netcode is good, MP is still limited to a few servers, as the both the dserver software and the full mission builder haven't been officially released yet, but they will be released soon. Given the previous experience with ROF and the bigger WWII community I'm pretty confident that MP will be allow for a great experience, whether you a re into pure dogfight or more into complex historical scenarios.

    SP is a bit lacking at the moment, the campaign is more like a glorified quick mission generator with not much historical immersion. Still missions are mostly pretty fun and filled with action. There's word that this mode will evolve in the future, I have no reasons so far to think it will not change.

    As for unlocks I'm not a fan of them, but they're not a game breaker for me. It seems that the unlocking process is quite quick. Still I would prefer that at leat MP was free of unlocks.

    All in all this a very convincing simulator with a clear aim at realism. There's room for criticism and for improvements, some things really need to be fixed, but it clearly doesn't deserve some of the amazingly bad reviews I see here. It might not be the absolute best in every aspect, but it does everything very good and in a convincing manner.    … Expand
  24. Auva
    Oct 24, 2014
    3
    Well, well, well,
    there we are the second time on Metacritics maybe time for a little history session before I explain my review and my score. Now, everything started in the Early Access when they released the Singleplayer campaign. It was told us to get a really great immersive campaign, with a pilot which joins different squadrons and we get told the Battle of Stalingrad. There will be    Well, well, well,
    there we are the second time on Metacritics maybe time for a little history session before I explain my review and my score. Now, everything started in the Early Access when they released the Singleplayer campaign. It was told us to get a really great immersive campaign, with a pilot which joins different squadrons and we get told the Battle of Stalingrad. There will be unlocks and everything will be great... now then they released the campaign. In short, its not even a campaign. And so the uproar began, people were saying that this is not right and bad. And the first round on metacritics began with a bad scoring of the game from desatisfied customers. The reaction of the devs? They released a post, that if the "true fanboys" of this genre won't start a crusade against the negative votes they have to shut down that game in dezember. So essential, the Developers of the Game threatened the PLAYERS that they will shut down the game if they don't make positive votes - hence so many positives votes here. :)
    Anyway they fastly closed this here, and now after release the second Battle of Metacritics will beginn... And again the Holy Crusade of the Fanboys is marching....

    Anyway, lets talk about the Game or Simulation or yeah what is it now?

    First off, this is not a real simulation anymore. It feels like a War Thunder Simulation Battle but with a little bit more simulation. So for me its more or less a great flying game, but nothing more. But this was pretty much stated many times of the devs, that the Simulation-Crowd is not their core customer base they want to have. Funnily, this Simulation-Crowd is the one who mainly brought into the game, and gave them their Early Access Money.

    What does the game good?
    - Well the graphics are okay, they are not top of the notch for 2014 and a PC game but they are not that bad either. Some textures are pretty low ress, the colour of everything is washed out and a little bit to much grey in my opinion. If you use SweetFX than you can make a pretty good looking game out of it, but the main problems with low res textures is still there. I mean come on, its 2014 we should expect a little bit more!

    - The game is stable, so hence I don't give it a 0-2 because its stable. Thats great isn't it? It runs!

    Anything more? Well, yeah it works but thats all nothing really outstanding, what overcomes any expectations If you buy a Flight game/simulation in 2014! THATS IT!

    Now the negative Side:
    This will be a little bit more, and I only can state my point of view and what is not right with the game.

    Flight Models:
    Well, here is a lot of work still to do. It doesn't feel like I'm flying fighter planes. Every plane is pretty tail heavy which is completly **** You can't even trim the 109 G2 to a straight flight because its so **** tail heavy.

    The German Planes are making strange snap rolls when flying hard dives: It is explained by one Dev that this is because the german fighter could achieve a higher g-force but funnly a Yak-1 can follow you with the same maneuver without any problem...

    Which leads me to my biggest dissatisfaction: Cherry Picking, well the devs aren't posting any sources they used, and I can understand that because well some sorces weren't cheap or are freely in the internet. But then making such cherry picking infavour for the VVS-Planes is not right! For example: The Notleistung of the 109 F-4 was only restricted in the manuals for a short time. In game we got appx. one Minute of it. In the VVS Manuals for the LaGG3 it is said that they shouldn't dive faster than 650 km/h. But because there is ONE report of a pilot which is not confirmed that he really was that fast they can easily dive above 700 km/h without any damage at all. And this goes through every plane in favour of the VVS. Hey the La-5 or LaGG3 had fuel tanks in the wings and suffered heavy controls but they roll faster than a FW190...

    This leads me to the next point, some VVS Flightmodels are real UFO's. Especially the YAK-1. It loses zero energy, can make maneuvers like a UFO and much more. Or look at the FW190, it can do a **** Cobra-Maneuver right after the take-off. The Flight physic is broken.

    I have to come short, but there is a lot of things which aren't right or doesn't work right. The campaign is just generic generated missions without any immersion. You could even change the sides after every mission. We don't have a dedicated Sever yet, no Full Mission Builder. We don't know if we can have skins or how. You are FORCED to play the singleplayer to get unlocks for the multiplayer. We have arcadish unreasonable unlocks which are comepletly meh but could be great campaign rewards. The GUI is just a bad design and not even good.

    All in all its a 4 of a 10. And I don't compare that game with any other games. There Is a lot of potential, but I doubt the devs will use it.    … Expand
  25. Mike999
    Oct 24, 2014
    1
    This sim isnt even close to be an IL2 46 successor as advertised. Limited engine for creating MP missions. Often poor MP performance on high end machine. Thers no mission editor, customizable skins or custom video settings (??!!). The FMs seems nice but nothing much better than old IL2. Clouds look odd and cockpits are not much better than modded IL2 46. Default skins and weapon and otherThis sim isnt even close to be an IL2 46 successor as advertised. Limited engine for creating MP missions. Often poor MP performance on high end machine. Thers no mission editor, customizable skins or custom video settings (??!!). The FMs seems nice but nothing much better than old IL2. Clouds look odd and cockpits are not much better than modded IL2 46. Default skins and weapon and other modifications can be unlocked only via MP grinding (xp points) which doesnt fit into this genre. Im sorry I ever bought this. Their other game RIse of flight is much better, both visually and in terms of performance.… Expand
  26. Winger
    Oct 24, 2014
    10
    This is the REAL successor to the original IL2 Series. The sense of flight is on par with Rise of Flight (same Engine - but polished and featureincreased) and thereby absolutely stunning.
    BOS made a great staret and delivers a single- and multiplayerexperience so well working that no other combat flightsim in history can compete. Sure there still some things are missing like snow and    This is the REAL successor to the original IL2 Series. The sense of flight is on par with Rise of Flight (same Engine - but polished and featureincreased) and thereby absolutely stunning.
    BOS made a great staret and delivers a single- and multiplayerexperience so well working that no other combat flightsim in history can compete. Sure there still some things are missing like snow and rain but I am sure the devs wont stop optimizing at this point since this is only the beginning of a new era of WWII Combat flightsimming. So if youre a combat flightsim enthusiast the title is an absolute MUST HAVE!    … Expand
  27. Azradiel
    Oct 23, 2014
    9
    Excellent flight experience. SP campaign is not what I was expecting but is not that bad either. The game has a very dedicated community so it will shine once all the player created missions hit in. You can already feel some of it when visiting MP servers like SYNDICATE that are testing custom missions creation at the moment.
  28. Sputi
    Oct 23, 2014
    8
    Not the TRUE remake of the classic (yet), but certainly a big step in the right direction:

    + fantastic 3D plane models from the outside (never seen better in any sim out there). + good FM for what it is (certainly much better than the old il2 or 1946) + runs stable and smooth and hasn't any major bugs or technical flaws - the cockpits aren't nearly as sophisticated as they could be    Not the TRUE remake of the classic (yet), but certainly a big step in the right direction:

    + fantastic 3D plane models from the outside (never seen better in any sim out there).
    + good FM for what it is (certainly much better than the old il2 or 1946)
    + runs stable and smooth and hasn't any major bugs or technical flaws

    - the cockpits aren't nearly as sophisticated as they could be graphic wiese in 2014 (they are worse than Cliffs of Dovers which is 3 years on the marked...)
    - the map and the cities are lifeless and have not many details (i.e. rubble, telegraph poles, etc., again worse than Cliffs of Dovers)
    - no infantry, which is a shame for a game about one of the biggest infantry battles in history

    (-) if you dispice unlocks, well, the game has them (however no microtransactions or that sort of s***, thankfuly)
    (-) no clickable cockpits, for hardcore simer (like me) thats a real bummer
    (-) outdated graphics engine; I fear we will stick with the same graphical quality for quite a long time, which is a pitty considering this is an engine (digital nature engine) is already outdated today.

    And for the FM debate: you won't find a game in which everybody agrees about the flight model. There isn't just one. So imho you can ignore the FM debate, because for me as a long time simer I think it is well enough to immerse you into the world and enjoy the strengths (and weaknesses) of your plane.
    An F4 is the truly superiour plane than a LaGG. I don't know if it is correct to the last 5% but who knows? It certainly is sophisticated and far away from being arcade.

    I would give the game a 7.5 but will give it an 8 because is the game exactely what I wanted? No. But is it a good product for everyone to enjoy and did the devs sincerely try to release a good flight sim? Definitely yes.    … Expand
  29. Felix53
    Oct 23, 2014
    8
    A worthy addition to the library of any enthusiast of WW2 aviation. The flight model was developed by a guy 777 got from DCS. The DCS model is well regarded by the flight sim community and I would say il2 BOS is at least on a par with DCS on that issue. The developers have concentrated on the flying aspect of the game rather than every button and switch like DCS. This will appeal toA worthy addition to the library of any enthusiast of WW2 aviation. The flight model was developed by a guy 777 got from DCS. The DCS model is well regarded by the flight sim community and I would say il2 BOS is at least on a par with DCS on that issue. The developers have concentrated on the flying aspect of the game rather than every button and switch like DCS. This will appeal to many, particularly those new to the genre. BTW I like WW2 DCS models as well, when I am in the mood for detail. At the moment BOS is better than DCS with the range of aircraft, ground attack targets (moving vehicles) and graphics.

    Ignore the haters (what is all that about!!??) and try this title if you are a WW2 flight sim enthusiast. More upside than down side. Is it perfect, no, what game is? Is it very good? Yes.    … Expand
  30. EiToro
    Oct 23, 2014
    5
    i think this game a huge back step from a simulator for example CloD. They want to meet both the casual and the pro pilots requirements. Everyone know its impossible to achieve. Some FM model awful, like 109s negative G. And a russians planes originally was much harder to keep on the air than this game.

    Noting more just a fair Arcade game in this stage, but far from a sim. It has named    i think this game a huge back step from a simulator for example CloD. They want to meet both the casual and the pro pilots requirements. Everyone know its impossible to achieve. Some FM model awful, like 109s negative G. And a russians planes originally was much harder to keep on the air than this game.

    Noting more just a fair Arcade game in this stage, but far from a sim. It has named sim just because you have a cockpit. Push the throttle then soot em' all thats of the content, the fan made mission better than the built-in. Available combat tactics so limited, litte mainstream and childish. Maybe the bombers has proper engine management (so-so).

    First look the game eye-candy, but you have to have a high end comp to run it well when you facing the crowds. The devs have promised 100/server, now 75/server barely can maintain. And about the campaign. Random generated stuff without conception. Few chapter, but dont try to find logic in it.

    I think they want to compete with War Thunder, but originally was IL-2 the game of sophisticated pilots not the casual ones.

    Conclusion:
    1. Casual player wont buy it because the controlling devices.
    2. For a Hardcore players it a weak game.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
53
#53 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Jun 14, 2015
    74
    Il-2: Battle of Stalingrad boldly seeks to renew the genre by adding modern game design elements to the admittedly often sterile genre of flight simulators. Unfortunately not only does the bold attempt fail spectacularly, the developers also seem to have completely forgotten what made the original Il-2 a legend. The Rise of Flight legacy shows in the rather impressive visuals and physics modeling, but strangely a lot of its nice features didn't make the cut either and the “sequel” falls short of its predecessor in many ways. [June 2015]
  2. GameOver.gr
    Feb 10, 2015
    70
    The excellent handling and the immense realism that Battle of Stalingrad offers, manages to balance out the poor single player campaign and some of its design flaws.
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  3. PC PowerPlay
    Feb 8, 2015
    70
    The lack of content and generous helping of bugs can be easily forgiven thanks to the developer's high reputation. [Feb 2015, p.16]
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