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Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

8.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 58 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 49 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft

Genre(s): Flight Combat Simulation, Action, Shooter

Players: 16

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: March 23, 2006

Summary

During the course of the 18-mission campaign, players will evolve along with their wingmen into an ace fighting force. Spectacular graphics enhance the combat experience in true World War II battle sites such as England, Germany, France, Morocco, Pearl Harbor, Midway and Tokyo. The heroic storyline that follows the evolution of a single squadron and the cinematic presentation create moments reminiscent of classic World War II movies. Pilots fly in close to Germany’s industrial terrain during a bombing raid or emerge from the fog and cloud cover over London to engage the enemy. Up to 16 players online can engage over Xbox Live online game service in head-to-head dogfights or cooperative team play between squadrons in 10 additional missions. [Ubisoft]

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

TeamXbox

Graphic ho’s will also marvel at how Ubisoft Romania managed to make each frame of action look like a professional oil painting depicting the harsh but strangely beautiful skies of WWII.

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eToychest

Fans of the genre will find a lot to like, but if you want an edge-of-your-seat arcade experience, Blazing Angels will inevitably disappoint. However, for those who simply want to shoot planes out of the sky, especially online, Angels has all of the ingredients for a good time.

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XGP Gaming

If you love World War II games or flying games, you owe it to yourself to get a copy of Blazing Angels, as it is a very good start for flying games on the Xbox 360.

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Games Radar (in-house)

As we weaved through wave after wave of enemies, downing them wholesale, we couldn't help but wish there had been a replay feature included with the game. Still, for the raw, explosive fury of aerial battle, you can accept no substitute for Blazing Angels.

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GameBiz

What lets it down is the lack of variety in missions. Although the single-player mode will lose your interest quickly, Xbox Live is the heart of Blazing Angels with a multitude of well thought out combative and cooperative modes.

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Game Chronicles

As long as you don’t go into this thinking it’s a flight-sim you won’t be disappointed. Blazing Angels controls and plays great, offering some intense arcade thrills and looks fantastic while doing it. The campaign missions serve as a great tutorial for the countless hours you will likely be spending online with this game.

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Gaming Horizon

Blazing Angels is enjoyable for a quick spin, but probably won’t provide gamers with the lasting appeal that you can find with other 360 games on the market.

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Cheat Code Central

BA is best played online, but the single player mode can be fun for awhile; it may not capture everyones attention span for the entire 20 missions.

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Pelit (Finland)

Fun to play and easy to look at, but the gameplay is ultimately a bit too straightforward and shallow. It is borderline outrageous that the single-player campaign lasts only for 5 hours. [Apr 2006]

Official Xbox Magazine

If staring down a virtual swarm of Japanese Zeroes gets your heart racing and your under-used flight-shooter trigger finger itchy, this game certainly has the scratch. [May 2006, p.71]

Game Informer

Blazing Angels is definitely a sight for sore eyes. Its visuals will leave you gazing in wonder, but at the same time, the gameplay will have you fighting back tars. [May 2006, p.94]

GameZone

A decent game that required more time to polish up the game to make it truly unforgettable.

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GamingTrend

Blazing Angels is a victim of its subject matter. Maybe this is why there aren’t many WWII air combat games.

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Gaming Nexus

It's nothing that screams next gen and the game can be rather easy in spots and frustrating at others. Blazing Angels Squadrons of World War II is impressive looking on the Xbox but not on the Xbox 360.

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Talk Xbox

A pretty average game. You have fairly simple combat with a few nice graphical touches. Nothing really stands out as overtly good or bad, and everything here has pretty much been seen before in some form or fashion.

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Gaming Target

The pitfalls come from the game’s lack of online population (read: no players to match against for dogfights) and the fairly mediocre in-game presentation. Not a total misfire, but really only worth a rental (or Marketplace demo) for most people.

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360 Gamer Magazine UK

When it's good, it's ace. When it's not, it often runs the gauntlet of making aerial combat occasionally feel dull. [Issue #7]

DarkStation

Ubisoft provides a glimpse of things may come for the flight sim genre, but sadly misses the mark with this unpolished title that just needed more time in the studio.

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DailyGame

A fun game that tackles WWII from a different standpoint which is a breath of fresh air; marred by some sound issues and slight graphical missteps.

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MS Xbox World

Blazing Angels is definitely one for aircraft and arcade fans who aren’t overly fussed about realism especially as it offers nothing really new to the genre. There is no cockpit view included which may annoy some players but when you play the game and begin to appreciate the lock on camera you are left with often stunning dog fights that will most certainly bring a smile to your face.

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GamerFeed

You know, there's a crowd out there that Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII was built for, and it's spelled out in clear letters- ARCADE.

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GamePro

Unwieldy controls and average graphics stall this flyer. But the game is certainly not grounded.

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GameSpot

Blazing Angels has nice looks, but the action doesn't distinguish itself in any way.

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Games Master UK

Wildly inconsistent: flashes of brilliance, ruined by incompetence. [May 2006, p.80]

IGN

Flying through the historical battles are fun the first time, but after you complete the game you'll feel more of a sense of relief than elation because, without any real story, the game lacks emotional appeal.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

It's the most fun I've had flying online since "Crimson Skies" for the original Xbox. If only the single-player game flew as high.

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Kombo

While Blazing Angels shows high production values, the single-player gameplay falls incredibly flat. Those desperately looking for a dog-fighting fix should find the multiplayer enjoyable however.

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Gamers' Temple

Great visuals can’t make up for repetitive and unchallenging gameplay.

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Extreme Gamer

Blazing Angels does a sufficient job making an entertaining are aerial action game. It's not full with substance, but the action is fast and intense.

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Play Magazine

Online play proves more challenging and, without the poor voice work, certainly easier on the soul. [May 2006, p.45]

Gamezilla!

Graphically, Blazing Angels is actually much less impressive in motion than the screenshots would imply.

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Next Level Gaming

I kept playing it thinking there was more, or something I missed that was jading me. But in the end the game is just not that good for me.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

A pretty basic combat flight game with some nice graphics; but a lack of focus in the single player game, annoying voiceovers and features that deserved to have been pushed a little further spoil what could have been a really manic and exciting shooter.

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Xbox Evolved

Blazing Angels doesn't add anything new to the shooter genre. It has good controls, but, it's bland to the very end. I couldn't get hyped when shooting Nazis, which really is the best thing about a WW2 game.

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PALGN

Yet another slightly above average Xbox 360 game. It’s decent fun for a few hours in single player, until the repetitive objectives and brainless AI start to melt the mind.

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Armchair Empire

Although I wasn’t one of the many that figured Blazing Angels to be the spiritual successor to "Crimson Skies," I did expect a bit more than just an average experience peppered with frustration and a poorly thought out control scheme.

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Xbox World Australia

Despite its hefty premium pricetag, it plays and feels like a second-string budget title, albeit with a coat of shiny graphical gloss.

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G4 TV

It’s certainly no Crimson Skies, but still manages to give fans of aerial combat an overall decent online and single player experience with a variety of gaming modes and planes.

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Gamenikki

It's an awkward position to be in for a game that's not bad - just not as good as it could have been.

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X360 Magazine UK

While Blazing Angels certainly looks the part, the rest of the game doesn't really follow suit. The aircraft are great to control but the game just doesn't feel as epic as it should. [Issue#5, p.100]

Gamestyle

It's not a better game all round than "Crimson Skies" but offers quite a challenge for the single player, with several nicely playable multiplayer scenarios thrown in.

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Planet Xbox 360

The planes, their camouflage and most of the battles are all true and valid to their real-life counterparts; but, some of the presentations and mechanics of the game are quite unrealistic.

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games(TM)

The repetitive nature of the majority of missions soon takes its toll, and the primary motivation for progressing soon becomes the desire to see how nice the next level looks, not the love of playing the game. [Apr 2006, p.110]

1UP

The extra ten bucks buys you much better looking planes and light effects, no slowdown during particularly busy fights, and access to your 360 Live list.

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Total Video Games

Fun to play in the short term, especially over the course of a mission or two, there's a repetitiveness to the gameplay that fails to entice players to experience the campaign for hours on end.

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WHAM! Gaming

Ground targets like tanks and trucks look oddly crude, and there's some very noticeable slowdown when you're flying low and strafing, especially through smoke.

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Deeko

You can look at the voice acting in one of two ways. It's either "so bad it's good" or just plain bad. The German voices are the worst throwback to the days of "Hogan's Heroes."

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GameSpy

Ultimately, playing the game makes you wish that the developers had spent more time refining the command system (or finding a decent cast of voiceover artists).

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VideoGamer

Without any truly brilliant missions to balance things out, the single-player campaign never really gets off the ground. Multiplayer games are a lot more fun, but if you have no interest in taking to the skies with other people, this isn't a squadron that you want to be part of.

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Game Revolution

The unimaginative single-player experience and that awful, awful chatter almost leaves this plane in full retreat. Despite some snazzy graphics, it’s really the terrific multiplayer that manages to snatch a mild victory from the jaws of this near-defeat.

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GameShark

I’d definitely recommend a rental before plunking down the hard-earned green for this $60 purchase. It is just barely above average with a C+ score.

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Eurogamer

With genuinely appalling voicework setting the tone for development incompetence, it's compounded by a few dreadful levels, camera issues and the feeling that the whole project was ported onto the 360 as an afterthought.

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RewiredMind

A solid game idea realised with some weak online play and a mixed graphical performance means that there are many titles that are more deserving of your money for the 360 right now.

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Detroit Free Press

History buffs and simulation junkies might find Blazing Angels uplifting for its period lessons. But give me the fantasy worlds of "Crimson Skies" instead, with its pirates and weird zeppelins, and I'll be a happier flying ace.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

The dogfights in the skies are a lot of fun, but they fly a fine line between tense standoffs and frustration. Achieving a five-star rating and a better designation of your flight rank just doesn't have the same sense of achievement as other games out there.

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Sydney Morning Herald

The only thing blazing will be the tail section of your plane and your fragile patience.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Recommended only to Xbox Live subscribers or kids with half-assed history papers due tomorrow.

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Boomtown

A deeply flawed game. From the terrible image tearing to the offensive voice-overs, it’s as big a failure as I’ve seen from a major Publisher for some time.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 49 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ben G. gave it a6:
I think it's a pretty game and I actually the voice acting for the personality it gives the game, accentuated by the rich WW2 motif. However, the single player campaign relies on horrible recon missions. And since this is a flight game, the multiplayer is very bland.

David B. gave it an8:
the v-o is on the horrific side; but other than that, this game is excellent! the exhiliration when taking off not just the first time; but every time never gets tired. the dog fights are outstanding, and the game truly shines on xbox live.

T. J. gave it a7:
THe single player gets annoying, but this game is really good in Online mode, Flying with friends is the best thing to come to xbox live in a while.

Reel World gave it a6:
Graphics are decent. Control scheme is hard to get used to and the follow-cam really can get you discombobulated in mid-flight. Too arcadey for the pure flight sim enthusiasts.

John M. gave it a6:
Good graphics, even with that one blurry line that shows up every time you turn. Easy, if not repetitive gameplay. The enemy fighters taunting you is a joke. How do both German and Japanese pilots say the exact same thing, word for word in English??? Probably worth a rental for the campaign mode. Online play is pretty good, but doesn't touch Crimson Skies.

James L. gave it a7:
Well i liked it but it has like the worst voice acting ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its definetly fun but by no means by this game rent it.

Jeff A. gave it a0:
The graphics and control is excellent. End of the positives. Now on to the negatives. There are subtitles across the top of the screen that can not be turned off. Very distracting. Worse yet, you can hear enemy pilots with fake German accents talking to you constantly. Since when can you hear enemy pilots taunting you in an airial combat game? I know this is an arcade type game but it's not supposed to be Sesame Street. The enemy pilots with the fake accents keep repeating the same few lines over and over again. It makes John Madden in EA's Madden NFL games sound interesting by comparison. In mission two I had to sink 3 destroyers. After I sunk the 2nd ship the screen switched to Frank's plane and I had no control over it. The mission ended with my failing to sink that 3rd vessel and Frank's plane zipping around my screen. Some gamers have reported completing this mess of a game but others have had the same bug that I encountered. Doesn't Ubisoft employ game testers? Luckily I got full credit for this horrid game when I returned it. Save yourself some time, grief and your hand earned cash and do not buy or even rent this mess.

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Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

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