Birds of Steel Review | PS3, Xbox 360

Excellent and careful sequel where Konami simulator ride and fight back to the skies aboard our large, graceful Birds of Steel. Since the beginning of time man has been attracted to rise from the ground. For fly and soar like the birds around him. Given the impossibility of doing so through natural methods, and because of their physical condition, had to use their wit and intellect to develop and create other means by which the skies. Of desire, the need was passed. And in hard times and conflict, when gunpowder and shrapnel became storm clouds, airplanes and air assets became a chess piece in the war. A few years ago, Gaijin Entertainment surprised us all and sundry with a title that came out of the tone prevailing in the aircraft for games console. IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey full threw us a realistic flight simulation, but also aware of its nature and directly derived from its conception to consoles, and that, dazzled us. The formula could not be more bearable and entertaining (I knew to give each user their share of difficulty exact), getting the most diverse players to surrender their benefits. Now, three years later, Konami brings us back to World War II, we again invite loudly and clearly take the controls of a fighter and we propose to fight in the skies of the Pacific, where he fought the most exciting and dangerous air and naval battles in history.



Birds of Steel is the direct sequel to the award winning and successful Birds of Prey (2009), both developed by Russian studio Gaijin Entertainment, experts in flight simulation, and some reputable titles under his belt. However, are a developer with lots of experience, and it shows in every pixel and status of this game. On this occasion, contrary to the usual (and already used over and over again) merely setting European Birds of Steel we propose to fight for the blue skies and environments of the Pacific Paradise, recalling the various campaigns, battles and missions that occurred in the other part of the world. To do this, Gaijin Entertainment wanted to give his game a mime unusual about the setting and historical location, trying to show a complete introductions black and white image file before each mission, which will help us understand the context which will develop the game, and the important role we play in that very war.

Birds of Steel will begin in the months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At first take the role to an anonymous pilot who learn to cope with the aircraft that will serve as a weapon in the future. In these early stages of the game, which will making contact with the control and gameplay mechanics (which we will explain later), we see the basic guidelines to follow in battle, movements useful in case of war and the main notions when shooting or landing on land or on aircraft carriers on duty. Within minutes, thanks to a condensed tutorial and detailed height control (although very accessible), learn to sail through the air as a pilot of known and proven experience.

These minutes of learning about the island of Hawaii, are paramount in the evolution of the game, as well as being a cluster of concepts essential for survival in the later missions, will also help us become aware of the complications that arise from the small details or neglect. Why do we emphasize this? Because we will be flying in circles and learning to land or take off without burning or force the engine of our airplane to burn wings in a crowded sky full of Japanese and anti-aircraft batteries.

The controls enabled by Gaijin Entertainment in the Birds of Steel are perfectly suited for any type of player, from the neophyte and inexperienced aviation games, those seeking a more complete experience, full of details and therefore more realistic . A priori, we have three different game options, heirs of the previous title in the series, and we scored one style or another when it comes to play and ride. The basic version is called "Simplified", where only rowing spider the surface of the simulation, but rather provide a rich and complete experience if you just want to fly and fight. On average, we are in control "Realistic", much more complete than the previous one, introducing mechanical damage control as more realistic, some adjustments in the care of the engine and a series of changes in the phases of landing and takeoff that will become feats for the player. Finally, as a category dedicated solely to the most demanding users, we have the "Simulator", a compendium of detail suitable for players who want to spend hours in the game, and who prefer a more realistic feel the sensation of flying a plane in the midst of combat.

Remarkably, if by some chance we find a completely customized experience, with Birds of Steel can too. And it has sought to create a sort of customizable control, where the player sets the parameters to change or delete, and helping a lot, to create a game system and control where the user feel as comfortable as possible. As a bonus to existing configurations, Gaijin Entertainment has also wanted to introduce a very useful option to disable or enable time to fuel and ammunition to the games. Although it may be or seem trivial, such a possibility, make things easier on those missions where due to the huge amount of enemy Zero fighters, we have to make sudden maneuvers and tricks to prevent sticking to our tail, and where each bullet can be vital importance. When activating the option of fuel and ammunition, we refuel time to time in any of the air bases or aircraft carriers of the stage. And under fire, again, is as difficult as stressful. But funny, the end of the day.

Following the thread of the technical level, we must say that Birds of Steel has a well established general appearance and worked. There will be no time when we pull the graphic out of the experience, quite the opposite, and the fluidity with which the game moves in the most difficult situations (with constant agglomeration of airplanes and explosions on-screen) , is noteworthy. There will be situations that seem particularly dramatic (especially if we are playing with the cab light on), where the battle smoke from the mess the glass, while we see our comrades and fellow tens air, fight endless enemies stay in heaven. The dimensions of Birds of Steel are enormous.

So we will be flying in the clouds the broad ocean, cruising along the contours and any of the hundreds of thousands of islands that make up the archipelagos of the Pacific. The work is quite commendable in that aspect, and that makes a big difference to the player, you will feel part of the battle once to interfere in the game. There may be flaws, and perhaps Birds of Steel will be something right in the recreation of some textures and modeling, and although some particle effects are not too well, considering the technical prowess that is moving dozens of models of ships and aircraft combat to the screen, we believe that we should point to a greater or lesser extent, the work of the study.

A sound level, Birds of Steel works really well. The soundtrack that will accompany us enough epic and solemn, as to make us goosebumps more than once, and serve as an excellent backdrop. If you have followed the compositions of Hans Zimmer and Michael Kamen for shows like "The Pacific" or "Blood Brothers" and some scores of John Williams ("Saving Private Ryan" or "Empire of the Sun"), inevitably you will notice certain chords and similar moments in the tracks chosen for the soundtrack. For its part, the effects multichannel DTS and Dolby Digital are an authentic experience with sounds taken directly from the machines on display, and with a depth and distribution of sound remarkable if we have a good sound system 5.1.

We still have our leather jacket on, and there are times even in the fuel that we smell and soot. Birds of Steel is a truly absorbing and entertaining game, full of choices for all types of players. It does not matter if you want a more arcade experience or a more complete and realistic. Birds of Steel knows conform to the player, and as a good simulator, offers various configurations to control any user can adjust. Perhaps the number of options can overwhelm, and his approach is somewhat more complex for the novice, but his background, his life and excellent atmosphere, worth a mere investment of our time. If you're a fan of World War II, you love aviation and need a game for your console to get away and enjoy it for months due to its dynamic creation of missions and campaigns or his long and comprehensive multiplayer mode, as we do: go to your nearest clothing store, sheathe a wonderful leather jacket, cross your fingers, check the fuel and take off into the vastness of the blue. Become the ace of the skies that always wanted to be.