IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Apr 26, 2011
User Score
6.1 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 55
  3. Negative: 20 out of 55

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  1. HaVoK308
    May 26, 2011
    3
    What has it been? Over 7 freaking years! The loyal IL2 fan base has waited patiently and respectfully. We all had the utmost confidence in Oleg and team. This is what we get? This is a very sad day in flight sim land. If people like me (been a dedicated fan and loyal supporter of IL2 since 2001) are giving it bad reviews you know something went dramatically wrong. Close to a decade of dev time...I just cannot comprehend this. I am just rambling now because I am so utterly shocked.

    One comfort in this mess is most of us know Maddox and crew will work hard to address these issues. They have a stellar track record of doing so. Better then any other developer in the industry and that is fact. They have a long road ahead and have a tremendous amount of work to do though. I mean...I have always kept up with my gaming rig (mainly for this series) and the game was running at 1FPS...1 Frame per second!!

    I see Steam pushed its release till July now. I guess the reason is obvious. I just do not understand why Oleg and crew released the game in this state in other territories. I mean...its been this long and I am sure there was little pressure on them to push it out. Having said all that I will gladly buy this game again when Steam releases their copy. I want nothing to do with my current one. Sound odd I know but I want to support the combat flight sim market and especially the team that created the greatest flight sim of all time. I just want it to be playable. Hopefully in the end...the review average will go up. So weird seeing a Maddox game with such a bad score.    … Expand
  2. ODB_Mongoose
    Mar 31, 2011
    3
    Ok, checked it again...hopeless serious performances issues, nearly unplayable near ground on high spec pc...even lower resolution hopeless....needs SERIOUS attention before becoming the greatest flop ever!
  3. Searching81
    Mar 31, 2011
    0
    Unplayable on a decent gaming machine, even with settings down low. Complete waste of money. Was really looking forward to this after seeing the previews and playing the original.
  4. Gallant000
    Apr 3, 2011
    5
    Wait until it goes on sale this time next year, by then it will have been properly patched. They worked on this game for a long time - but it' simply not optimized. I was just as excited as everybody else about this release and had high hopes given IL2's success. Give it 3-6 months and this will probably become a quality title, until then, save your money and upgrade your PC. Once this game is optimized properly it's going to blow everybody away the way we all expected at launch.… Expand
  5. Hopdevil
    Mar 31, 2011
    8
    Game is biggest disappointment in 2011. Keeps crashing on startup (launcher not responding).
    When it starts it is totally unplayable. Even on lowest settings with just 1 plane in the air (and now imagine that 128 mp battle). Before I get flamed, my spec is way above minimum (it is not recommended spec) but it should do for some medium.. or even LOW settings.
    Shame.
  6. memorex182
    Mar 31, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. hope this game be better now need a big patch now its a unplayable

    the game are **** its need to be better then now an lags or crap and im very angry on this its bad as i so angry    … Expand
  7. SimmO
    Apr 4, 2011
    10
    Has poor proformance at the moment as UBI soft forced them to add a epalipsy filter last min... this has been made optional already and added to proformance and they are optimising trees and buildings right now for 2nd patch due very soon... game runs fine on my computer quad core, 4gb ram .ati 6950 i dont see why everyone is rating it bad This has been a ruff start but it is being fixed fast and will be the BEST WW2 flight sim out there very soon...having a blast playing it the future looks very good il2 1946 grew and grew over years this will too! if you are worried or have a low spec pc wait a few months..multi prosscesser are in as is sli they will be in soon, the fact is the same as ALL pc games these days most a realised early due to publisher pressure...but it will be fixed and will have years of support from devs and fans so bring it on !!… Expand
  8. kakisdf
    Apr 27, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a fly simulator WWII with great realism, terribly volatile models and model life will leave you speechless ..
    There is a small problem but bugs that will be overcome very quickly with the next update to prepare.    … Expand
  9. diditopgun
    Jul 10, 2011
    3
    The worst unfinished game I have ever seen !!!

    Graphics, sounds, AI, GUI, everything is completely buggy...

    They have killed all my hope in a new generation WWII of combat flight simulator ! Wait will be very long again..
  10. willgibbs77
    Sep 8, 2011
    2
    Been a fan of il2 since the demo been flight simming since chuck yeagars on XT comps. Purchased a i7 dual 3.3 nvida 590gtx and 12 gig of ram. Game is unplayble in med and high res even with aa and af off. Looks nice in screen shots thats about it. Wrote to the maker of the game claims game is made for computers that are no out yet which is a damn joke. Dont support ubisoft 1/c games after this greedy flop. Very lacking in the ammount of content as well. Time for another to come and take the crown of wwii combat flight sims. Waiting patiently… Expand
  11. Gibbo
    Mar 31, 2011
    10
    This game is amazing and works fine on my pc on very high settings. I don't know why people are having issues. My specs are 3.3 I5, 4GB ram and AMD 6950. The graphics is really good and gameplay is alot more realistic than the first il2. The sound is pretty rubbish but I don't really care about that.
  12. regs911
    Apr 1, 2011
    1
    So wild! I too have a high spec PC well above the requirements and I too can't play the game due to major performace issues, I thought FSX was bad, this makes FSX look very good interms of FPS.
    10-14 FPS on low settings on a i7 960 CPU, with a GTX-295 & 8GB DDR3, SSD! WTF?
    This game has been released far to soon, it's not ready and should never have been released. There is no way the dev    eloper didn't know about these bugs, its a waste of money, don't buy this game until you read about a patch that resolves the issues.
    I want to support the developer, but don't buy this game until its ready. I wish I didn't and I could have brought something else to play this month. as I can't see myself playing this for at least a couple of months due to the large amount of issues.
    Wait until its been sorted before you part with your money, its a joke at the moment, maybe april fools joke? (1/4/2011)    … Expand
  13. sizequeen
    Apr 2, 2011
    1
    What a rip-off. £29.99 for an unfinished buggy game which crashes and forces a PC reboot! So angry I will never buy any Ubi title again. Graphics require massive RAM and card (which is fine) but loads of bugs, no Force Feedback support and a useless instruction manual. They've released it before it's ready so don't waste your money.
  14. xlocust
    Apr 3, 2011
    0
    Unplayable. I have a beast of a computer and the stutter is outrageous. Pretty annoying to have to go into the config and start making adjustments right after installing. Couldn't address the multi-processor issue after 10 years? What a joke. I was excited to see what they would do with the sounds (maybe some quality like tiger33 sound mod) but alas, they didn't even try. The sounds are generic and abrasive. A total waste of 45 dollars. Give this game a few years to let the community/modders fix the plethora of issues.… Expand
  15. alansabout
    Apr 4, 2011
    1
    Very disappointed FPS are so poor it is just unplayable it needs some serious work to get this sim up to acceptable levels. I have a well over spec PC ATI 5870 graphics Q9550 processor 4gb ram Win7. When are we in the PC fraternity going to get justice with this sort of thing? I feel as if I have just paid out top price for the privilege of testing out a beta but unbelievably over at Official 1C Company forum! there are members that concede all of the faults mentioned is this and the other reviews and think we should be grateful, which I suppose is why we will keep getting this sort of unfinished software thrust on us.… Expand
  16. Stefem
    May 21, 2011
    10
    The sim was playable from the day one on my pretty old machine (e8400, 4GB, GTX260, Win7 @1920x1200 med settings), anyway, devs are working 12h per day 7 days per week to resolve bugs and performance issue.
    The flight model is awesome, it's more precise and accurate compared to IL-2 1946 even if it's not a revolution, the rest of the sim are amazingly accurate, all the aircraft, vehicles a    nd object are maniacally reproduced down to the smallest part, gears suspensions, bombs drooping behavior, damage model... all feels incredibly realistic.
    The graphics is just jaw dropping, the **** shadows are spectacular... sorry, I can't describe, check screenshot or vids.
    Oleg's team will continue to fix bug, improve and add new features and content even years after the release as it was with past IL-2 Sturmovic titles, and there are some of which we already know, megatexture, DX11, SDK...    … Expand
  17. PauloHirth
    May 3, 2011
    7
    I have shure, the 1C team will solve all the problems, remenber the first IL-2 expend years to arrive a hardware to run the game em perfect mod, i strong sugest a patch to open sofware game to ingrease the interest of MOD community in help to in improve the game.
  18. Stefano
    May 21, 2011
    10
    Need some optimization but it's the best flight sim on the market!
    On my PC it run very smooth @ 1920*1200 all settings maxed out. e8500@ 3.6GHz
    nForce 790i Ultra
    4GB DDR3
    GTX 570
  19. oboelcke
    Jul 28, 2011
    1
    I just received this game after the July 19th 2011 release date. I really had hope for this game as I have been into flight sims since the old CGA vector graphics days and a IL-2/Maddox fan since the very first IL-2. This game is unfinished and full of bugs. I have a top of the line system and suffer micro stutters and input lag from the get go. The GUI is horrid and the campaigns unfinished and anemic. It has very poor stick support. My Saitek X-52 throttle will only register input maybe 10% of the time as well as the occasional input lag. With my system I should breeze through this game. intel i7 2600k @ 4.4 Ghz, 16GB DDR3 1600, Samsung 470 SSD, SB X-Fi xtreme, ATI 6970 2GB video. I am running all the latest drivers and the game is the latest version. I feel so let down over this as I not only purchased one copy but one for myself and one for a friend. To top it all off I pre-ordered in April only to suffer multiple release postponements. I have SUCKER written all over my face. Shame on You Ubisoft! With the combination of your insane DRMs and willingness to give the consumer the bird by riding on the laurels of established and respected titles i.e. Silent Hunter 5, IL-2 whose fans pre-paid by the 1000s for these titles and then giving them unsupported/unfinished crap. I have bought the last Ubisoft game I will ever buy.… Expand
  20. Rikupsoni
    Jan 2, 2012
    2
    Filled with issues even after over a six months of updates. Almost unplayable lobby system, bugs and lack of content. Why ever did they have to "fix" things that worked in IL2:1946? I enjoyed the earlier IL2 game a lot, but this has to be one of the most disappointing purchases I've ever made.
  21. Kp_109
    Jul 13, 2012
    2
    I am a big Il-2 fan since .. about 2008 but this game is really bad, i cant run it on middle graphics with a gtx 260 but that's not the big deal. The Campaign is short and strange to play and you have so many bugs in the game. The complete opposite of the Normal Il-2 Sturmovik game.
    So this game is just like a downgrade in every aspect.
  22. Rcoop
    Nov 26, 2012
    0
    A very buggy game which needs a beast of a PC. And even then it is still not running efficiently.

    1C already gave up on this game - no more patches will be available.

    Their IL-2 series was successful and they seemed to care although they never fixed some important bugs on that game either... I always supported them, by buying all the games they made, sometime twice (IL-2 Sturmovik 19    46). Will I buy their next game? Most likely not!.… Expand
  23. Monte28
    Jul 21, 2011
    10
    Alright look at my date of review compared to everyone else. THEY FIXED MOST ISSUES. Never crashed on me, run everything on high smoothly, no sound problems and most of all its just such an awesome game. Everything is just so amazing and real. Huge multiplayer matches, intense heart pounding action. Really this game is just amazing. Sure it needs a few tweaks here and there but they are working on it, patch after patch, and such a dramatic performance improvement. This game is a 10 no doubt. But i warn everyone, when i say realistic i mean it! I was on a server and 10 "kids" complained because they didnt know how to start the engine. Mixture, Prop, fuel **** and much more is applied to start the engine! It is one intense, fun, and serious game all in one. I really hope people will buy this game because it really isn't a let down, if you read others they still love the game even when it did have all the crashes. Its just THAT good… Expand
  24. Paoloda
    May 23, 2011
    9
    Very realistic, accurate and graphically intense, within some month will be the best flight simulator on the market as Oleg (lead dev) has a great history on supporting his product years after the release.
  25. Wanguard
    Nov 30, 2011
    6
    After 8 months of the games release Cliffs of Dover is still in many ways unfinished product. Inconsistent flightperformance values, inability to command AI wingmen and bad performance even on lower settings are the most obvious shortfalls of the game. There still might be hope for the game. For example gorgeous c0ckpit graphics and detail of damage model are best ever seen in flight-simulators. Hopefully developers can bring other parts of the game to the same standard.… Expand
  26. MustisTheCat
    Jul 6, 2011
    7
    This comes after three official patches and few days before the US release.
    Flight/Damage model.
    Quite the most important aspect of the game. I think both are well done, with the damage modelling being ahead anything sim-like released up to date. The planes can take all sorts of damage to pretty much any structural element. The hitboxes are placed everywhere, so you can lose your ammunitio    n, you can lose your gear etc. The engine can suffer all kinds of failures, you name it. Wooden planes light like a match but take more explosive punishment. The flight modelling seems a bit off here and there, but it`s just a question of fine tuning.
    Graphics.
    Stunning, again imo the best ever in a sim. Visibly better than in Rise of Flight for example. All the reflections are there, the clouds, the trees, big cities, plane model detail and last but not least clickable , self shadowing **** which are their own class. Every gauge and lever works here, the canopy also might be retracted, everything supported by Track IR and 6 degrees of freedom. Everything on the ground is also exceptionally well detailed.
    Sound.
    Merely average. I`d say maybe a bit better than those in IL2:1946 but that doesn`t say much. When flying **** only it`s no biggie, but external sounds are awful, almost cartoon-like. It doesn`t exactly kill the immersion when flying, but it could have been done MUCH better. As of now, the developer is reworking the sound from scratch, so it may come out better in a few months.
    Online multiplayer.
    I`m affraid it`s almost non existant currently. No coops, very bad and unsuitable Steam interface make this a cery limited experience. For the moment, only the quake type servers are running which really isn`t the way the game is supposed to be played (I`m talking about real squadron based real war - type missions like say escort a bomber formation).
    Single player.
    Very limited, good at best. The English campaign is very bad, the German one is great. The thing I dislike about them is that you`re forced to run missions with different aircraft , basicly a bunch of loosely made missions instead of a genuine pilot career. Not recommended.
    Performance.
    At release it was really awful. Recommended specs would let anyone run this game at mid 20s FPS and multiple stutters. Now it`s easily 70fps anywhere but over big city areas where it`s like ~40fps, still stuttering just a bit. Running this game at medium is possible, maximum settings are reachable only with top of the top of todays hardware. Nonetheless, the settings are VERY scalable, so after few hints here and there most will be able to play it with satisfying FPS. BUGS : the game has many bugs actually, happily none are show stoppers.

    In order to do the game justice, one must absolutely write, that the developer team is working on fixing every bug and optimising this game. There will be many patches to come though the years, as the sim is planned to be supported thrpughout the entire life cycle (possibly 3-10 years).

    The rating would couldn`t be higher, as this game still has big holes, which should never still be in a release.    … Expand
  27. Glidej
    May 30, 2011
    10
    Simply the best flight simulator since Il-2 1946. It is currently plagued with technical issues and thus require a high end machine to play. I was playing on an AMD 3800+ with two GTX460 and it was playable over the water only. I had been playing it mostly as a sim with full engine management so when it is fully ready for massive online battles I will be ready for the full realism servers. Now I have an i7 2600k and it plays well even at 5170x1050. I know it will only get better just as 1946 did. Please be patient; I know that's hard for gamers :-)… Expand
  28. Seahawk1984
    Oct 5, 2011
    10
    WOW! I have been waiting for this game a long time. I was a big fan of the original IL-2 Sturmovik, and I am impressed with Cliffs of Dover. The game has been patched and I am running the game at almost max video settings and getting great frame rates. I think the Metacritics need to go back and review this game, it is much better than what they give it credit for. It has all the features of the original IL-2, the option to record flights, along with all the settings so that you can fly as realistic as you want to get. Can't wait to see if they will have more flyable planes like the original. If you liked the original IL-2 you will love Cliffs of Dover!… Expand
  29. Mhiester
    Sep 18, 2011
    10
    A truly amazing simulation. Compared to the original IL-2 series, the scope has been far reduced, though the depth more than makes up for it. The differences in each aircraft are way more noticeable, and at that, formations of aircraft work better together.
  30. OldSocks
    Mar 10, 2012
    10
    Game is fantastic. Its only drawback is its limited amount of content. Its somewhat limited in how many planes there are, and that you can fly. But graphics, realism and physics are excellent. I am truly hoping for an expansion, or DLC on this one. I highly recommend it to simulation fans. But you need a beasty PC to enjoy it to the fullest. Nothing like flying in a formation of 50+ bombers, manning a gunner seat, and being attacked by an equal number of enemy fighters. Plus any escort fighters. The mission editor is great, and you can build just about any mission you like. Again, the only limitation is the in the number of planes in the game, its not as many as it should be, and that you cant pilot all of them. I really do hope they expand on this game, because otherwise its fantastic. The graphics are what I have been waiting for in flight sims for a long time. Most of the bad reviews are from IL2 fans, who are disappointed in the lower amount of content compared to previous games. I can understand that. But this game is also different then previous IL2 games, theres a lot more detail. So theres more work involved in adding that content, and its more pressure on your system to manage all the extra stuff. I have a quad core, maxed out with goodies, and this game pushes it to the limit, as it is. The weather generator is insane, even though its a bit buggy. I still say this is one of the best flight sims, over all, in a very long time. The game creator says they are still working on this game, and more stuff is coming, and fixes will happen. I sure hope they keep that promise. A check for videos on Youtube will give you a look at the graphics of this game..… Expand
  31. Fuby
    Nov 9, 2011
    7
    If you have not played this since the recent patches take another look. Some work is still needed but it flys just fine now. Many groups of the OLD IL-2 game are migrating over to the new ClOD... it's a pleasure to fly and looks fantastic.. alot here to offer the simulated crowd.. not perfect..but best in WWII fly planes to date.
  32. AnwarBlast
    Feb 2, 2013
    7
    Ok, i wait some months for made this review because when game was launched, it was garbage, an insult for series fan.....but, i knew that disaster could be remedied with some patches, after one year they improve some technically stuff like performance, million bugs, anyway, support is abandoned, i dont know looks like they are on other things (making new il2 with 777 people thats good news) but the game now is little more playable with new patch, at this time deserves a new attempt for il2 fans, for the price, cmon less than 10$ in steam sales.… Expand
  33. EdJot
    Feb 8, 2013
    10
    I obtained the simulator long after it's release (During late 2012), and I assure there are no bugs left. It's now the most accurate and advanced dogfight simulator available. The flight model is just as reality, the graphics are stunning (though, I currently possess a highly expensive Nvidia graphics card), the IA flies even better than real humans and the scenery is incredibly realistic. The only thing I find annoying of this game is the lack of playable planes. Basically, the only fighters which are flyable are the Bf.110, the Bf.109, the Spitfire and the Hurricane (in lots of variants, of course). IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover recreates the WWII dogfights as never seen before. If you are planning to buy a Dogfights Simulator, don't even think in wasting your money on a modern war game, Cliffs of Dover is way more realistic. It doesn't matter if you want a modern war simulator, spend your money on a REAL simulator. (Also, never forget that the WWII Dogfights are the funniest and toughest ones!)… Expand
  34. Mastiff
    Mar 21, 2013
    10
    The newest unofficial Community Patch is here and has greatly improved all around.

    FM improvement, Graphics, Frame Rates...

    http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/showthread.php?t=39034
  35. Injerin
    Mar 21, 2013
    10
    Team Fusions patch has improved this sim 200%. The graphics are clean, the FM are amazing, and the glinting off the planes in the distance is just incredible. TF has definitley resurrected this game......
  36. TX-Gunslinger
    Mar 21, 2013
    10
    With the arrival of Team Fusion patch this week (Go to the ATAG forums) which addressed: - Netcode - Atmospheric issues now flying and fighting occurs to altitude (10Km) - Contrails - Specular glint off canopies Flight model performance - A host of other bugs and fixes including optimization of code This is the absolute best propeller simulation you can fly. More immersive and detailed than even Rise of Flight. GUI is still a bit primitive in areas but what flight sims have ever had great gui's?

    This sim like all others, requires tweaking to get the most out of it. Ton of undocumented features. Stop by theairtacticalassaultgroup.com for help and tips.    … Expand
  37. ATAG_Septic
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    Worth another look. With the Team Fusion Mod the game now has a bright furture with many of the original game's problems being addressed and new content being introduced.
  38. pstyle
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    Thanks to a user-made patch this game is finally living up to it's promise as one of the most in-depth, beautiful and detailed WW2 combat flight simulators. The game has a small, but very solid and knowledgeable player base, many of whom are long time simmers who will be familiar to anyone who has played previous incarnations o games wearing the IL2 name. Most performance issues are now resolved. The game looks stunning and the potential for further refinement of this game is being realised thanks to the efforts of the customers who have invested their own time in fixing what was largely broken when it came out of the box..… Expand
  39. evilvoland
    Mar 23, 2013
    10
    The best, to date, the simulator based on the Second World War. Amazing damage system, quality processing of all elements and systems, good physical model. Indescribable feeling of flight. Level graphics surpassing many modern simulators.I play on my computer without any problems (Core i5 8GB GTX 550Ti).
  40. Treefellow
    Mar 23, 2013
    1
    Game looks nice but you can still fly though trees and buildings which sadly kills all the immersion for me. Also i would like to see more flyable aircraft to keep me intrested but not sure if there is going to be any because the devs have scraped it

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 12
  3. Negative: 3 out of 12
  1. Games.cz
    Oct 2, 2011
    50
    A successor to the legendary combat flight simulator video game insults its name and its fans by its state of the released version. The game can be partly forgiven for the upcoming revisions that are to improve its gaming experience. I dare say this game is going to be truly great in the following year. Unfortunately, now it's suitable only for those lovers that are patient and loyal to the combat flight simulator games.
    Read full review
  2. IGN
    Sep 6, 2011
    60
    There's one hell of a game in there, trying to escape. And I think, given the responsiveness and the past track record of the development team and the plans that lie ahead in the next few months, that escape will soon occur.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 9, 2011
    40
    Should never have been released in its current state - simple as that. [July 2011, p.72]
See all critic reviews »