Birds of Steel

Birds of Steel is easily one of the best flight simulators for the PlayStation 3 that really takes the simulator genre to a whole new level on this console. It's easily one of the best looking flight sims around at the moment with the realistic planes and exceptional gameplay. With over 100 planes available in the game, a campaign mode, online player and even a mission creator, there's plenty of longevity to be found in this game.

For those who master its Everest-steep learning curve, this is tense and rewarding stuff - and it's pretty beautiful looking too. [May 2012, p.103]

The environments are huge, the plane list is long plus it looks gorgeous and sounds great. The action is thick and visceral; aerial stoushes can go from tense, one-on-one affairs to grand, epic encounters against swarms of enemy fighters and bombers.

Probably the best combat flight simulator on consoles. Nice graphics, great sound and a perfect atmosphere, Birds of Prey is easy to play but hard to master. With a huge selection of missions, a powerful editor and a fun multiplayer with new events periodically, you`ll be hooked on for weeks...or more.

You can play Birds of Steel as a simple arcade shooter. But it rises up to all its glory as a simulation – especially if you have a decent amount of flight hardware. The physics system is convincing, the mode selection will keep you busy for months – especially online. But aside from the detailed planes the presentation is rather average and bugs within the AI system stall the fun a little.

Will appeal to both history buff and thrill seeker. [May 2012, p.84]

With smooth controls, hundreds of detailed planes to fly in and an online co-op that will keep you playing for hours and hours, Birds of Steel is definitely worth a try. Just don't fly too close to the ground; your eyes might not like what you find.

Depending on how brave you are (or your peripheral set up) the handling model can be altered from reasonably forgiving to brow-mopping stressful. Knuckle down and learn the nuances and you'll lose yourself in some glorious moments, recreating key battles and moments, swopping through the air and perfecting the art of dogfighting. [May 2012, p80]

Really proves authentic flight combat simulators can work on consoles.

Pretentious, difficult and fun. Birds of Steel isn't Ace Combat and also for this reason it is a game that every lover of the genre should play.

At times it's a bit ugly, other times the AI is a bit daft, and even and even though I can't quite make out its calling as a flight-simulator on a console: unlikely as it may be, give Birds of Steel a chance.

Gaijin tried to combine too many things in Birds of Steel, and the result isn't as good as it could be. It's just another flight sim that relies heavily on historical facts, but it doesn't quite shine.

A more realistic approach to flight simulation than what is usual for console games, with tons of well-modeled aircrafts. Perfect for those who are interested in historical air combat.

Woeful voice acting and poorly paced repetitive missions chuck a pigeon right in Birds of Steel's propeller though. [June 2012, p.81]

Birds of Steel is a very worthy and valid option for those who want to experience the air battles in the Pacific.

Sincere attempts have been made to make this game more universally appealing to a wider range of gamers with the simpler control options. Removing the need to focus heavily on keeping your plane in the air leads to a fun-but-simple flight combat game. Unfortunately, you can't escape the fact that the gamer who will get the most from Birds of Steel is the one who has at least one meticulously painted World War II model airplane.

It's tricky to see how large a market there is for a game like this but if, by some chance, you're a fan of vintage air combat from the WWII era then this is likely to have great appeal.

Gaijin Entertainment offers a very interesting and enjoyable take on the dogfights of World War II. With "arcade" and "simulator" controls that will appeal to almost everyone, and with a budget price tag, this is the "flight simulator" game you've been waiting for.

This tries to be the History Channel when it might have been better off as the Memphis Belle, and despite some impressive physics and detail, it's that dull staging that cooks this bird.

Birds of Steel might be a little dull, but developer Gaijin Entertainment does deliver on the technical side of the game. Not that we are experienced pilots, but the rumbling engines sound believable and the cockpit view is incredibly immersive. [April 2012, p.80]

A real flight simulator for the consoles. It has good flight model and huge number of planes, but sadly isn't a great game as a whole. [June 2012, p.68]

If you get excited by the thought of an airplane, there's enough content in Birds of Steel to keep you satisfied for a while. If you're more like the rest of us and just want to have some fun in the air, you'll be disappointed. The simplified mode is too easy and gets boring after a while. The realistic and simulator modes are too hard and unless you've got some experience in the virtual airspace, you'll give up before the second mission. It's too bad there is no mode that mixes the accessibility of the first mode but with the challenge of the other modes.

Birds of Steel had real potential. It had the visuals, the historical missions and the online co-op and head-to-head action. The controls pretty much ruined the experience. A little bit more work on those and this game is up there with the IL-2's of the world.

It's impressive stuff, but there's not quite enough here to keep all but the most committed of aces going. [Issue#217, p.82]

There are lots of stuff to do in Birds of Steel. The problem is that most of it's just not that well executed.