IL-2 Demo Flies Onto Xbox LIVE Today

Another day, another rebirth of an old title.  Today’s ‘phoenix’ comes in the shape of air combat based simulator IL-2: Sturmovik, coming this year from 505 Games and 1C Company. The demo is out today on Xbox LIVE, information on the jump.

The IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey demo will give players a taste of two of the game’s memorable conflict scenarios, The Battle of Britain and The Battle of the Bulge.  In Battle of Britain: Red Skies Over Dover, players are given the role of an RAF pilot commanding the legendary Mk. II Spitfire with B wing armament (two canons, four machine guns).  What starts off as a routine ‘mopping up’ mission on a few stray He-111 German bombers soon develops into a fracas in which the RAF faced their finest hour. The mission demonstrates the skills required to intercept larger bombers as well as the more nimble Stuka bombers. The effective use of wingmen will become apparent as the mission unfolds and survivors will have the opportunity to land on a home airstrip.

In Battle of the Bulge: Tiger Hunt, the US Air Force P-51D Mustang is the weapon of choice as players are invited to pick off some German armour ploughing through the Ardennes. Defending FW-190 fighters will also have to be dispatched; although the Tigers are the primary target as US forces aim to stem the German advance and defend the front line.  The mission will allow players to try rocket attacks on ground targets as well as sample the snow capped vistas of the December Belgian landscape.

Based around large-scale aerial combat players participate in the most famous confrontations of the era piloting fighters, battle planes or heavy bombers across a range of missions. The final game will have six theatres of war – The Battle of Britain, Stalingrad, Berlin, Sicily, the Battle of the Bulge and Korsun – representing the main airborne battles of World War II in Europe.

Showing how the years have been kind to the development team, there are new environmental and landscape visuals which come by way of modern satellite technology.  IL-2 also boasts a tangible damage effects engine and players will see real-time damage to the aircraft such as holes in the wings and trail lines during dogfights.

The title is currently scheduled for release on 4th September 2009 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable.

More information can be gleaned from the official website which you can find here.