''Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII'' is a flight combat

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

and

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

. It was developed by

Ubisoft Bucharest Ubisoft is a French video game publisher headquartered in Montreuil, founded in March 1986 by the Guillemot brothers. Since its establishment, Ubisoft has become one of the largest video game publishers, and it has the largest in-house developm ...

during the second fiscal quarter of 2006 for both the North American and European regions. The game features 46 different

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

fighter planes and allows the player or players to take part in several World War II events as a fictional squadron. Online support allows 16 players to take part in head-to-head and co-operative battles. The Wii version was released in March 2007. The PlayStation 3 version came as a launch title in December 2006 for North America and March in 2007 for other markets, while Japanese version came in July. This version features all-new missions, a 16-player online mode and support for PS3 controller's motion sensing functions. In line with other online-enabled games on the original Xbox version, multiplayer on

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

was available to players until 15 April 2010. ''Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII'' is now playable online again on the replacement original Xbox Live servers called

Insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. An insignia, which is typically made of metal or fabric, is a standalone sy ...

. The European Windows version is protected by

StarForce The Starforce is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Its first appearance was in the comic ''The Avengers (comic book), Avengers'' #346 released in 1992, as part of the "Operation: Galactic Storm" st ...

. At least one published American Windows version also uses

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

arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated video, pinball, electro-mechanical, redemption, etc., game ** Arcade video game, a coin-operated video game ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade video game's hardware ** Arcad ...

version of ''Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII'' was developed by

Global VR Global VR is a company based in San Jose, California, that makes arcade games. The company once manufactured virtual reality stands as well. It has also developed electronic kiosks and offers development services for mobile platforms. History ...

and released in 2008, based upon the Windows version of the game. The initial arcade cabinet was a sit-down model that used a flight stick and throttle control scheme as well as a seat thumper to simulate the plane being shot at. An up-right model followed in 2011.

Characters

The Angels of Dunkirk 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 Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

". 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 Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7) ''Nowotny'' was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II and the first operational jet fighter unit in the world. It was created late in 1944 and served until the end of the war in May 1945. Formation In August 194 ...

, a squadron of elite German aces flying the experimental jet planes Germany was trying to create. The Ace is shot down by the player when he nearly kills Tom.

Story

Setting

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. 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.

Plot

The game begins in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, 1940, where several American pilots volunteer with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

to take part in the ongoing war against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. One of them, the player, known as the Captain, is training alongside squad mate Joe, when they suddenly find a fellow pilot named Tom being attacked by German fighters. The Captain rescues Tom, who turns out to be Joe's brother-in-law. The Captain, along with his squadron consisting of Tom, Frank and Joe, end up fighting in battles against the Germans, first by helping defend Allied forces at

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

and then repelling German attacks on Britain, including a battle over London, where they encounter a German air ace. The squad is then sent to

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, where, after the Captain provides a reconnaissance mission on German positions, he and his squadron fight fiercely to help cover British forces assaulting German lines in a vicious battle in the

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

n desert. After this, the squadron is sent back to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to help train American pilots. As they are stationed in Hawaii, the

Japanese Imperial Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

launches a surprise

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, and the infuriated squadron assists in angrily repelling the attack. With the United States now fully committed in the war against Japan, the squadron is sent on several missions against Japanese forces in the Pacific. First, they embark on a mission to destroy a Japanese convoy, including a carrier, in the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

and then they fight in the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II, Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of t ...

, defending an airfield from Japanese air attacks and then covering bombers from swarms of

A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

es as they destroy a large Japanese fleet. After fending off Japanese amphibious attacks and destroying a Japanese battleship in the fighting for Guadalcanal, the squadron is sent to assist US landings at

New Georgia New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province (Solomon Islands), Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the List of islands by area, 203rd-largest island in the world. Since July 1978, the island has been par ...

, defending them from enemy planes and destroying Japanese tanks and bunkers. Finally, the squadron is sent to assault the main Japanese South Pacific base of

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

, covering US bombers in destroying an airfield before the squadron then decimates the rest of the Japanese base. With their squadron's campaign over in the Pacific, they are sent back to Europe to take part in an attack on German ships in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. However, Joe notices a mysterious passage in the fjords and they navigate through them to discover a secret German heavy water base, which they destroy. Afterwards, they proceed to cover the Allied landings at Normandy, and though they are successful in their endeavor, sadly, Joe is shot down and killed by a German fighter. As the squadron is mourning the loss of Joe, they continue on with the campaign in France, helping to liberate Paris by destroying German ground units in the city, allowing

French forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military ...

to move through. The squadron then leads numerous US planes in a furious air battle with

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

swarms in the skies above the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

before commandeering bombers to destroy German factories in a bombing run while manning machine guns to take out German fighters sent to intercept them. With the war nearing its end, the squadron is sent on one last mission into

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

just before the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

strike the city. They are tasked with taking out enemy radio towers and covering an Allied bombing run. After completing this task, however, they are attacked by a squadron led by the same ace they encountered over London in new experimental jet fighters. After one last cataclysmic dogfight (including remembering Joe's advice on fixing his plane), the Captain shoots down the enemy ace and he and his squad finishes off the enemy squadron, finally ending their mission. The three are then sent home, rewarded for their service.

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 the player select the plane they want, but on the Xbox 360 version, they do not have a choice.

Reception

''Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII'' received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. It was criticized for its repetitive gameplay, sluggish controls and bland graphics, though it was appreciated for its 'epic' and 'realistic' feel, most of which were dealt with in the sequel, '' Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII''. In Japan, ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave it a score of two sevens, one six, and one seven for a total of 27 out of 40. ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'' gave the Xbox 360 version a score of two stars out of four, stating that the history and simulation fans will find ''Blazing Angels'' "uplifting". ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' similarly gave the same console version two-and-a-half stars out of five along with the Xbox and PC versions. ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' gave the Xbox and Xbox 360 versions a C, criticizing the graphics, gameplay, and controls.

References

External links