IL-2 Sturmovik™: 1946

If you enjoyed Titles like MS Flight Simulator, X-Plane, DCS World, etc. then you should enjoy this. It takes a while getting used to. Until you learn how to conduct stable flight, start and land on the runways, do emergency landings (most of the time) you will have a lot of fun with this. I learned about flying in other sims, so it wasn't a problem. But I learned this only after I got this simulation-heavy game. After that, I had hours of fun, and still have them. You will need, however: - a joystick - throttle control - some rudder control - possibly facetrack no ir or something similar - flight sim experience (at least know how to do stable flight) or: - patience (remember in real dogfights the pilots took sometimes 15 passes to shoot someone down, if it happened at all) - a willingnes to learn about real historical tactics What will you get? Dozens of historically accurate planes (and their variants) to fly, and many many more with mods. Fight Carrierbattles, use Stukas to shoot tanks, fly early Jets attacking Bombers and of course have as many dogfights as you want. This is a tactical game where you can plan your attacks. There is a scenario editor where you can build missions to your hearts content. I mean the amount content is absolutely over the top! I spend probably a hundred hours with it and I just scratched the surface. The tehcnical details are amazing. You have to control your propeller pitch in some planes, or watch out with the throttle of the early jets or your engines will catch fire! Also if you shoot the planes they will start to lose parts, and even if you fly them beyond their limits this will happen (it's so much fun!) Well, I know this is beginning to sound like an advertisement, but I just love this game. Rarely did I find something with that much depth that is relatively (!) easy to access. So, if you fullfill the requirements described above you will love this game.

I nearly ignored this game when I first saw it as just IL2 Sturmovik (?), but when I bought it curiously and watched the intro I was hooked. German stukas dived with realistic screaming sirens, Russian aircraft wheels rolled on take off. It doesn't sound like much, but this was a huge sign of a game of depth to me - And I was right. I have played this game longer (online and off) than the actual duration of WW2! Each plane acts a different way like reality: Spitfires are turners, 109s are high divers and zoomers. My favourite part of the sim is how each aircraft falls apart EXACTLY to where it's hit. Shoot the wing and the wing falls off, shoot a bomber in its engines and the engine smokes and catches fire or even explodes- Or go for a hit on the pilot and watch the plane dive to the ground! Your plane suffers the same way, but you'll breathe a sigh of relief if you manage to crashland your damaged plane in friendly terrtory. The AI is the best AI of any Sim I've flown. There are a large variety of missions depending on fighter/bomber chosen. There is so much love and detail in this: A decent dynamic-ish campaign of the US, Brit and Japan air war (there are better Mod campaigns available). Even Finnish and a few other other nationalities. To be honest there's more than can be possibly explained here, but like one Reviewer said, once you learn how to take off successfully in your fave plane you'll never look back!

This is my all time favourite Flight sim. It has tons of content, detail and the mods make it even better. In all the time other flight sim had to reach the level of IL2, no one could do it, especially not in the same priceclass. If you are mad about DLC, chipped of cotent and single planes sold for 5 € ge this game because it comes from a time when expansion really meant expansion

this game is the best of all in this direction... I am stating a fact... I'm telling the truth... I've tried many of the things that are offered in flight simulators, but nothing as exciting as il 2 shturmovik

this game is the closest thing you will find to be sitting in a real ww2 plane dodging bullets or trying to keep off other planes from your own with, a machine gun in the back. i highly recomend to have a joystick before buying this game. using the arrows will make your playing experience dull and boring