Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Romania
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Composer(s)	Jason Graves
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC, Wii,
Release date(s)	Xbox & Xbox 360 NA March 23, 2006 EU March 31, 2006 PC NA March 28, 2006 EU March 31, 2006 PS3 NA December 12, 2006 EU March 23, 2007 Wii NA March 20, 2007 AUS March 22, 2007 EU March 30, 2007
Genre(s)	Flight combat
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: T OFLC: PG PEGI: 12+
Media/distribution	CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, BD-ROM, Steam download
System requirements 1 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent RAM: 256 MB Video Memory: 64 MB Hard Drive Space: 6 GB DVD-ROM

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII is a flight combat video game for the PC, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3^[1] and Wii^[1]. It was developed by Ubisoft Romania during the second fiscal quarter of 2006 for both the North American and European regions. The game features 46 different World War II fighter planes and allows the player or players to take part in several WWII events (20 missions) as a fictional squadron. Online support allows 16 players to take part in head-to-head and co-operative battles. Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII was released on March 24, 2006 in the United States and March 31, 2006 in Europe.

On August 3, 2006, Ubisoft announced that the game would also be released for the Wii as a launch title.[2] However, it was postponed and did not make the Wii launch. It was released on Wii March 20, 2007. On August 16, 2006, Ubisoft announced that the game would also be released for the PlayStation 3 and that it will be a launch title.[3] This version features all-new missions, a 16 players online mode and support for PS3's controller motion sensing functions.

The European Windows version is protected by StarForce. At least one published American Windows version also uses StarForce.

A sequel, Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII, was released in 2007.

The arcade version of Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII is currently available at DisneyQuest, located in Downtown Disney at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Characters

The Eagle Squadron is the name of the player's squadron in the game. It is made up of the player, Tom "The shield", Joe "The mechanical wizard" and Frank "The hunter". The player's name is not revealed in the game, but some pilots call him "Captain". Also featured is a German Ace, that the player first encounters during the Battle of Britain, throwing insults at the squadron. He appears again in the final mission of the game, 1945 Berlin leading the Nowotny Squadron also known as Jagdgeschwader 7, a squadron of elite German aces flying the experimental jet planes Germany was trying to create. He is identified when he proclaims, "I hear the famous Angels of Dunkirk are here, lets introduce them to the Devils of Berlin," to which Frank, surprised, responds with, "It's that son of a bitch from London!" The Ace is shot down by the player when he nearly kills Tom.they go through

Story

The story varies slightly from console to console. The story followed the player's squadron, nicknamed the Angels of Dunkirk, as they go through various World War II battles and missions. Battles include the Battle of Britain, the Liberation of Paris, The Battle of Midway, D-Day, and the Battle of Berlin. However, in the Wii and PS3 releases, the story changed slightly, adding more depth to the characters. Scenes narrated by the main character were added before the level to explain the battle. The player also talks during the actual game, shouting commands and conversing with the wingmen. Other changes included Tom being Joe's brother-in-law instead of a random pilot the player saves from a German fighter squadron and Joe getting shot down on D-Day.

Planes

Blazing Angels contains 46 fighter and attack aircraft of the World War II period, each of which handles differently and are armed with their own unique weapons loadouts. Each plane is given star ratings in different categories which include firepower, speed and hitpoints. The planes are not the same in all versions of the game on different systems. For example, The Xbox 360 version of "Blazing Angels" has some planes that the Wii version doesn't have. The Wii version lets you select the plane you want, but on the Xbox 360 version, you do not have a choice.

Reception

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII received lukewarm reviews from most critics. It was criticized for its repetitive gameplay, sluggish controls and bland graphics, though it was appreciated for its 'epic' and 'realistic' feel.

Most criticisms were dealt with in the sequel, Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII.

Reception
Review scores
Publication	Score
Game Informer	7/10
GameSpot	6.5/10
Official Xbox Magazine	7.5/10

Restrictions

The PC version is not suitable for use on some laptops.^[2] Attempting to play the game on laptops can result in a large black circle appearing in the middle of the screen.

See also

• Secret Weapons Over Normandy - The game that inspired Blazing Angels.
• Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII

References

1. ^ Blazing Angels dive-bombs PS3
2. ^ Windows version box label

External links

• Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII official site