IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 Reviews

• Best Flight Sim Around

  
  By A3C6HONXBB72AB on 2007-05-14
  I've been a pilot for over 40 years and have flown everything from '20s biplanes to Navy carrier jets...and this sim is awesome.
  
  Note: it is on DVD not CD as stated here. And it is NOT a game. There is a significant learning curve involved to successfully fly these aircraft in full-on realistic mode. It does have 'simple' modes that make it possible for anyone to fly, but don't think of this as an arcade game in any sense.
  
  Trust me, if you can fly these birds in full realism mode, with a little time flying under the supervision of an instructor you can fly the real thing. Here there are fewer cues (just sight and sound), but in real aircraft you also have so-called proprioceptive sensations too (the seat of your pants, for one), among others.
  
  Buy it, you'll like it! The graphics are gorgeous, the scenarios are amazing. You won't find modern airliners, but you'll find most of the WW2 machines (Russian, German, Japanese, British and American).
  
  A flight over the cliffs of dover at sunset in a Spitfire may bring tears to your eyes...it did me.
  
  

• when its good its good

  
  By A31ESOSYE186GK on 2007-05-01
  for some one like my self who actually has flown ww2 planes. il 2 1946 does it again . it is similar to the previous games . however i own just about every flight sim out there and have fould that il 2 il2 sturmovic , and pacific fighters are about the best. it may sound silly but when you sit in this cockpit and look around its very similar to the real planes a lot of other flight sims offer a lot and do not deliver . il series is anout the best you can get i recommend this . christian j nielsen
  
  

• excellent value for desktop fighter pilot

  
  By A11828C6NZP538 on 2007-09-01
  Having bougth all the Ubisoft flight sims in this series, I was diappointed when I bought a new Windows Vista computer, only to be told that these sims would only work with the XP platform. I installed it anyway and have had no problems for the last two months and countless hours of missions. All features work great and the planes and scenery are beautiful, and most important, there are no jerks or pauses and lockups. It works better than it did with the old XP platform. I would highly recommend anyony looking for a great WWII flight sim with hundreds of different planes, realistic take off's and landings, and missions types only restricted to your imagination, skip the rest and buy IL-Sturmovik:1946, you won't be disappointed. This game contains all the seperatly sold add ons,Forgottn Battles, AEP, Pacific Fighters, ect. so forget what the box sayes, It does work with Vista, I think they just didn't want you to buy a non Microsoft product. Five stars to this sim, it's all you'll ever need to fight in the air, at least until Ubisoft comes up with Korea and Vietnam era planes and missions. Did I mention what a great price your getting also, I've paid over $150.00 buying all the add ons to the original IL-Sturmovik sim over the years, and now here is the whole thing for one great low price. Do yourself a favor and order this one today before they are all gone.
  
  

• Perfect entertainment for flight sim enthusiasts

  
  By A39T0L7SX0BQ8R on 2007-10-30
  Out of the box to playing within 20 minutes. Very simple install into my 64-bit Vista Ultimate PC. Works great with my old MS Force feedback II joystick. No bugs or problems I can find.
  The game is just beautiful. The physics are awesome and the whole experience is just as advertised. Seldom do I enjoy a game as much as I love this one. Situational awareness in a sim can be difficult sometimes. Not so much with this one. Compared to CFS3, this is miles ahead in quality of experience. This game is a time machine. Every time I start it, I find myself losing hours immersed in the game.
  Simulations are challenging. This isn't something for the impatient type. Joystick is a must.
  
  

• New, but Old.

  
  By A19I4V9DFYVE2N on 2007-04-03
  For those already familiar with the IL-2 family this anthology really doesn't introduce too much that is new. Still, it's got the 30-odd extra airplanes that the IL-2 aficionado has been waiting for (although it doesn't seem like that many). The interface, introduction, music, and artwork is identical to Pacific Fighters. I half expected to see something different or new, but no.
  
  The new airplanes are interesting and there are about six new campaigns for Soviet and German pilots in the 1946 addition to the anthology, but they are not of the "dynamic" type. They are more of a linear format that tells an on-going story mission to mission. From the ones I've tried, they are interesting, but nothing earth-shattering. I was hoping to see some more airplane selections added to the dynamic campaign menus, but they remain unchanged except for the additional campaigns mentioned above.
  
  Perhaps here I should note however, that I am someone who has never used this simulation online. I don't know how the "1946" addition affects online play.
  
  There are no new pleasant surprises as far as the new flyable airplanes are concerned. I realize that the scope of this simulation generally focuses on the war between the Soviet Union and Germany 1941-1945 (1946) but I was still secretly hoping that there might have been an unanticipated allied "1946" plane such as the Gloster Meteor or De Haviland Vampire, but alas, no (They had previously modeled a simulation of the Hawker Tempest Mk. V after all).
  
  The second volume of this Two DVD set is made up of promotional materials (movies principally) for UBI Soft's next-generation Battle of Britain flight simulator and an Adobe file of aircraft reference materials for the aircraft of the complete IL-2 anthology.
  
  The aircraft reference file is interesting and often helpful, with hints on how to best use the unique features of the different aircraft, but it is repetitive in some areas, says almost nothing on several aircraft, and seems to have too many typos and a few (perhaps forgivable) inconsistencies. It is a pilot's guide and contains no history of the aircraft in question. Still, one will not be able to land the Lerche-III without reading the corrosponding "pilot's manual".
  
  All in all no really big surprises, but still a must for any IL-2 fan.
  
  
  
• The sweet swan song of a classic sim
  By A3R92PY6PBLMD on 2007-04-01
  If you know IL-2 from the previous versions of this great WWII flight Sim, then you probably are going to get "1946" either for the new aircraft, to stay with the latest version on line, or just to have it all in one easy to install DVD.
  
  If you don't know IL-2, then this is the version to have. If you have an interest in WWII aircraft, combat flight Sims or just want a good single player/LAN/On line flight game, then "1946" is probably the best choice around. All the previous IL-2 games are in here, plus some new content.
  
  IL-2 has been around a while, and the developer will soon release a new WWII Battle of Britain Sim with some state of the art improvements. So why should you get "1946" when it's at the end of it's development life?
  
  Well, because it's still a fantastic game, it covers all the theaters of WWII, there is a ton of user made content to be had, and your PC doesn't need to be bleeding edge to run it, but if you have enough graphics power to turn up the eye candy to the max it is almost a work of art in motion. The game is deep enough to delight the enthusiast, and yet is still accessible for the casual gamer to enjoy.
  
  Installation of all the versions and patches for IL-2 used to be a daunting task, but 1946 makes it a snap. Sadly, there is no printed manual included, but there are .pdf versions of a manual and aircraft guide. There are lots of resources on line, most of them fan made, to help the novice pilot.
  
  If you have "1946" and a joystick with twist rudder control and a throttle like the Saitek PS33 Aviator Joystick you have all you need to enjoy what will likely be the benchmark in WWII combat flight Sims for years to come. A joystick is almost mandatory. You can play "1946" with only a keyboad and mouse much like a dog can walk on it's hind legs, more as a stunt than a practical matter. If you become an enthusiast, there are more advanced controllers you can delve in to, but they aren'r really needed, but the joystick certainly is.
  
  "1946" is a great game, a great simulation, and the ticket to a vast on line community of IL-2 content and fan support. I'm the merest duffer when it comes to mastering IL-2, and have yet to play the game on line after years of off line play, but I still enjoy it immensely, and recommend it fully.
  
  "1946" might represent both the pinnacle and the sunset of a classic game, but it will be continue to provide great gaming for many years to come. Climb in and enjoy the ride.
  
  
• good if you are a flight sim fanatic, and possibly better than solitaire for the rest of us
  By A2RYZUVY3HQNQ0 on 2007-09-28
  if you want to feel like you are really flying a WWII era plane, then this is the game for you. I have to say though that it can get quite boring at times as it gets very repetitive very quickly. When you do finally engage enemy aircraft, at least in the early stages, you may not even get to do anything but watch your bot squad kill all the enemy planes. Playing through the campaign mode, I have now been part of about 5-6 engagements with enemy aircraft, but most of the time I was unable to even take a shot at any of them. You fly with a squad of planes. When you take off from the airfield, you have perhaps 6 planes in your squad, and guess what you are the last one to take off. So while the lead plane spots the enemy formation and engages, you are like 2 miles away trying to catch up. By the time you catch up to the zone of engagement (where dogfighting planes tend to fly all over the place in circles, dives, etc...) well guess what, the fight is over. Yes your friendly bot squad mates have shot down all the enemy planes before you could even get into gun range. On a few rare instances I was lucky enough to get close enough to use my guns, but this is a sim, not a game, therefore, like in a real plane which is subject to G forces, wind, engine problems, gravity, etc.., trying to get the enemy plane to stay in your gunsight is like trying to shoot a mosquito off of a fence 200 yards away with a BB gun, while jumping on a trampoline...ok it helps that your BB gun is fully auto-matic, but I still have yet to actually hit anything. I have been able to get off perhaps one burst of bullets off at a target that was bouncing all over the place in my gunsight, and then one of my helpful squadmates will swoop in and instantly kill my target before I even get to take a second shot. After the fight is over, your squad proceeds to fly around (on patroL) in circles for 10-15 minutes, (seems like 10 hours) with no activity. At this point in the game, I usually have to hit the auto-pilot button, and take a nap. Yes 90% of this game is so boring I literally am falling asleep while playing it.
  
  This is my initial impression after playing for a couple days, i'm hoping there will be other parts of the campaign that will be more entertaining. I have to give this game 1 stars for fun factor, of course flight sim fanatics will probably think it is 5 stars for fun, i am not a flight sim fanatic. I have to give the game 3 stars overall because it does seem to be a top notch flight sim....and you get the whole series for one low price so that is pretty cool. This is a game I would play out of sheer boredom, much like you would play solitaire, not because it is that fun, but just because you are that bored. But this is not a game I would play if I had anything remotely more entertaining to do, and there would be a long list of things that would fill that list.
  
  
• IL-2 gets SUHWEEEEEEEETER!!!!!!!!
  By A7WVYGF8J23ES on 2007-03-21
  Oleg & ubisoft does it AGAIN with this sweet encore to the fantastic IL-2 series. For all you 'what if'ers and secret planes of ww2 afficionados this game gets you right into some blazing air to air combat that you longed for in a sim.....buy it, feel no guilt and GOOD HUNTING!!!
  
  
• Bang for the buck, Best Combat Flight Sim Hands Down!
  By A2RR21GMKLWWSA on 2007-04-10
  The final installment of Oleg Maddox's IL-2 series, this release includes all previous IL-2 versions:
  - IL-2 Forgotten Battles
  - Ace Expansion Pack
  - Pacific Fighters
  - Stormoviks Over Manchuria
  - 1946 (hypothetical aircraft and scenarios)
  
  The original game, release in 2001 has undergone many little changes - these DVDs bring it all together in a game that has been around long enough to show its age, but still has great graphics with even decent hardware.
  
  If you love combat flight sims and history, its the best way to fly to date - with literally hundreds of aircraft to fly.
  
  Saddle up and get ready for fun- on line or off!
  
  Triad
  
  
• Great combat sim
  By ADYCFHDNPGJXH on 2007-05-12
  Definitely a great combat flight sim. Incredible selection of aircraft available to fly. German designers were working on an awesome array of exotic aircraft towards the end of the war, which had they actually started to put into production earlier in the war would have gained them air superiority over Europe very easily. Ubisoft definitely pays tribute to the exotics as well as the "daily flyers". Works well with low end graphics systems; but, definitely benefits from a mid to high range graphics cards. Did not disappoint me after I bought it
  
  
• Excellent!
  By A2IC02K8H5EFHZ on 2007-06-05
  I have been a WWII flight sim aficionado for years and find this the best overall sim in every aspect. The only "quirk" if you will, is that many of the planes have over sensitive stall characteristics, but I simply turn the stalls off on these planes and all is well. No other sim has the number of planes and campaign dynamics that this one has! A must try.
  
  
• Pure WWII Warbird Fun
  By ABCEJIAB0TLXM on 2007-07-17
  I purchased this game because I love the WWII warbirds, the dogfights, and carrier operations. This game scores a perfect 10 for all of those and It's mainly why I'm so happy with this game.
  
  For all of you who like piloting those old bombers like the B-25, He-111, or dive bombers, you will not be disappointed for this product is king on that detail. The sights and gunnery on the bombers are so complex it took me a while to program a good setup for operating all of it. I forget what game this was because there REALLY IS 5 GAMES IN 1!
  
  I hate to boil down to performace of the game but I'll tell you that I run a Dell Inspiron 1600 laptop with a processor that runs at 1.73 GHz. I have 512 MB RAM with a 128 MB Video card. With all this the games run well with a good frame rate that I haven't been able to measure yet because I don't know how. The only specific suggestion that I could make is to always turn off AAA defense of carriers because thats the only thing I've found to lag my system during gameplay. The whole fact that when the carriers supported by a few battleships fire at you, a LOT of fire comes your way and it creates chaos (5 Frames Per Second chaos). You don't want that so turn off AAA defense of carriers when you can. (sometimes you can't)
  
  I was glad to write this review I hope it helps people. Any more questions you might have just e-mail me at jofusmoya@hotmail.com
  
  
• Excellent
  By A30HW2P2FSJCF3 on 2007-07-31
  I gave it a quaified five stars overall, because I'm just scratching the surface. I can't believe this game doesn't have a higher profile with simmers and general gamers. I have Falcon 4.0, Microsoft FSX, and X-plane, all with their strengths/weaknesses, but for a lot less coin, IL-2 is just as good. Of course, a lot of comparaisons will be apples and oranges, but this game is very, very good. Good graphics and controls. Lots of customization options. On "realistic", I know I couldn't keep some of these birds aloft, and I'm a pilot. The scenery is well done. Frankly, FSX doesn't blow me away and is perhaps a bit better than IL-2. It's not a question of hardware, since I run two 8800's in SLI.
  
  I like everything about this game, especially being a WWII buff. Weak point? The corny music for some of the campaigns (CasioTone, omg!!). It's o.k., though. It only plays at loading times. Funny, other tracks are actually very good. Minor, minor. Excellent game. Buy it.
  
  
• IL2 1946
  By A3F0YQHWHNGL2B on 2007-05-12
  If you have never owned the Sturmovik/Forgotten Battles/Pacific Fighters series the game is more than well worth the money. In my case I already had the series so the IL2 1946 seemed more to me like an add-on (like the Forgotten Battles Aces Expansion Pack). However the game was priced right, equivalent to purchasing an "add-on" and not the usual [...] dollars
  or so that most new releases cost. I have had lots of fun with this series,once you get over the initial learning curve you get "addicted" to this flight sim.
  
  
• il2 sturmovik 1946
  By AAQV9KL1GII2P on 2007-06-26
  this game is 90% flite sim and 10% game. if you like true to life flying, this dvd is for you!
  
  
• AWESOME GAME
  By A25CVNVED2E3G4 on 2007-07-11
  I played Pacific Fighters for about 6 months before I got this game, and not much has changed as far as the game experience. Needless to say, the entire IL-2 series is far and away THE best WWII combat flight sim out there. The realism is unparalleled, and the campaigns are historically accurate, leading to hours of enjoyment.
  
  My only problem was the fact that my game did not come with a manual. Luckily, I still had my PF manual, so all the basics are the same. I just would have liked to have viewed the 450 pg detailed descriptions of all the extra planes. Oh well, can't fault the game for that so 5 stars.
  
  If you are in to WWII flight sims, this one beats all the others hands down.
  
  
• This is absolutely Fantastic!
  By A2CD5ZQ4GX9V0A on 2007-12-19
  Hello Folks,
  
  My family and I used to play IL2 Sturm all of the time. You can make up your own maps, missions, scenarios very easily.
  
  The 1946 version is the entire IL2 series and throw in 32 new planes and 200+ missions, etc., and you have a mind-blowing game for only $20.
  
  You absolutely cannot beat the value and versatility of this game.
  
  I am now installing the 1946 game in my Mom's PC, and she is going to be in store of a real treat!
  
  Regards,
  
  JohnYoga
  
  
• great game, but !
  By A225E8LCLEX4FV on 2007-05-26
  some of the new add-on planes only have one mission , some new planes are only avaible in mission maker mode, great game if you have enough time to master it, i have little time to play it.
  
  The german experimental jets are osome, you really get a sense what it must of been like testing a experimental jet , not nowing the best tactics to use to attack. i felt like a test pilot thrown into battle.
  
  
• Greatest Flight Simulator ever Made
  By AGHD3X67OMTG6 on 2007-07-07
  Folks let me be frank: This game is amazing. I am saying that this game is great, and I haven't even played the single player campains! All I play is multiplayer and I have a BLAST every day for many hours. This game is worth the money even if you just want to play multi-player. You can download a program called hyperlobby, which is a free front-end which players use to find servers hosting games. In the evening there is sometimes over 700 people playing IL2 at once! The flight models are so wonderful in the game that it makes you feel like you are really in a BF-109 or a ME-262. I think the greatest aspect of the creative programming has to be the flight model and damage model of the aircraft. The avionics modeled in the game are possibly the most innovative and advanced of any flight simulator in history.
  
  Buy it and play online and you will get your money's worth.
  
  
• Great Graphics and lots of options to control your aircraft.
  By A2GMHWURQ7MEDG on 2007-09-19
  I have played solo and multiplayer and this game is great. Fantastic graphics. Great mission builder and lots of missions downloadable from the internet. This version is the best of the bunch. Very real flight characteristics for a lot of vintage aircraft. US Army Air Corp, Navy, Japenese fighters, bombers, German 109's, The whole lot. It even has some experimental Japense and German rocket planes.
  Great game.....Best bang for my buck in a long time. Great break from repetetive FPS.
  Vee
  
  
• 1946 is awesome!
  By A32NJHB1K0OCO on 2007-09-24
  I am a big combat flight sim fan and This game pack from Ubi.com is as good if not better than one has come to expect on Sturmovik. The new planes and country air forces are pretty cool, if you can fly this game at 100%, I bet you could fly a real plane. It's some of the best flight sim software out there... next step up would be real flight sim training software. On a side rant... if USA planes were as bad (lousy guns, bad handling etc.) as they are on all the combat flight sims, those pilots from WWII had it tough! Especially in the Pacific..
  
  
• Excellent For New Owners of IL2 Series
  By AJ426C96QNBQ0 on 2007-10-22
  If you are new to the IL2 series of games and want the ultimate in WW2 simulation this is the product for you! This focuses on the Eastern block countries and Pacific.
  
  However, I own everything up through the Pacific Campaign (4.04m) and this upgrades you to 4.07m which is not much of an improvement over what I had, plus I'm not totally interested in Jets or "what if" scenarios.
  
  Finally, it installed easily with a single DVD-ROM and the second DVD is a video showcase of the IL2 series which is definitely a nice addition to this software.
  
  
• Made by a Russian
  By A28KR3H5DFBF8E on 2007-12-07
  If you're an avid realistic flyer you'll like this game.
  
  It focuses on authenticity with a variety of difficulty settings,
  
  
  
• great sim
  By A1J4S6TUQNPNWL on 2008-02-14
  This is one hell of a sim, awesome variety,great graphics,and to learn what it was like to fly these planes is beyond explanation.If you have a decent computer and HOTAS, get this sim, it's remarkable. Note: if you have a powerfull computer pay attention to Hardware Settings section of the manual found on the CD,it will tell you how to go to the config.ini and boost the graphics of trees and water. This sim is awesome and it's cheap. Get it!
  
  
• The best comper game period!
  By A12PR5DPEZ5I3U on 2008-01-29
  Even after nearly four years, the Forgotten Battles series remains (in my opinion) the best flight-simulator on PC to date. I'd even go so far as to say it's the best computer game altogether. Although you need all the editions that came before it to install 1946, it's well worth the money. (To elaborate - you need Il-2Sturmovik Forgotten Battles, Ace Expansion Pack, Pacific Fighters, [then come several patches,] Pe-2 Peshka Divebomber, Sturmoviks over Manchuria, and finally 1946.) Although after reading this long list you might say NO WAY am I buying all that! you'd actually be mistaken as you can buy the complete collection (Forgotten Battles, AEP, Pacific Fighters) here IL2 Sturmovik Series Complete Edition (DVD) but the Pe-2 Peshka adition is only available for download (as far as I know) directly from Ubisoft.
  A word of warning: you will NOT be able to play the simulation with the keyboard (it IS possible but incredibly inconvenient and inaccurate) so buy a good joystick if you don't already have one.
  Another word of warning: don't buy joysticks from Logitech.
  
  
• IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946
  By A1V9OQDEBGIHRI on 2008-04-20
  JUST GREAT!
  THIS FLIGHT SIM IS A PERFECT UPGRADE TO THE OTHER IL-2 Sturmovik: FLIGHT SIMS. IT CAN STAND ON IT'S OWN AND CORRECTS MOST OF THE OLD FLAWS, BUT SO FAR I ONLY NOTICED ONE ERROR, AND IT'S WITH THE TA 152, ONLY THE LEFT ROCKET FIRES.
  ANOTHER PLUS IS MORE OBJECTS AND SOUNDS (TIRES SQUEEL ON LANDING)ETC.
  THE UNIQUE VAST ARRAY OF JETS,PLANES & WEAPONRY IS THE BEST ATTRACTION.
  
  
• This one will be a classic
  By A1C0BY762KS8WF on 2008-06-10
  If you're into flight sims especially WWII, than this one is a must have for your collection. Great graphics, however, it does have a steep learning curve. The sim is adjustable to allow "nuggets" to expert to enjoy it, totally worth the money.
  
  
• Great sim...
  By A27TO1YTYEA9E2 on 2008-06-12
  Let me give you an example to show you how good this game is. I set the stage with 4 friendly and 4 enemy planes. I'm not an expert on these games so I set the difficulty low. Then we started flying in clear blue skies. I saw 4 dots in the horizon, knowing that all hell will break loose in a few minutes I increased my altitude to hit them from above. Did so too and downed one immediately. But funny thing was I didn't see any flames or smoke, the plane just went down. Here is the thing, I love to watch replays, and this game has an mamazing replay function. After the game I turned on replay and realised that during my attack only 3 or 4 of my bullets hit the enemy, one of which hit the pilot, killing him instantly, thus causing the plane to crash.
  
  I played a few flight sims and this game is so much better and detailed than others. I can tell you so many stories just like the one above but it's one of those experiences that you have to live it to feel it. Just set your own game and everytime you'll see a new thing, oh and don't forget to record it because you can keep your replays, fun ain't it...
  
  
• This is a fun game!
  By A38FBEBCI7TM9 on 2008-06-25
  After reading so many great reviews, I decided to purchase this game. It is very well done! What I like most is that you can set it to whatever level you want. Don't want to deal with stalls or blackouts or whatever and just shoot down planes? Turn them off. Want to deal with the whole enchilada involved in flying? Leave them on. The graphics and sound are great. You can set up your own missions- I just set up one where I have an "Allies v Axis" fantasy situation, where Russian, British, Polish and American planes are on a mission to destroy an airfield, and we're opposed by German, Italian, Romanian and Japanese fliers. What I really like is the "1946" options where you can fly experimental aircraft that never actually flew during the real war, but were in development. My only complaint is the lack of a manual. Yes, there's a file on the disk, but I would really, really prefer to have a hold-it-in-your-hands indexed manual. I have a feeling this game has abilities that I don't know about, and might never find, without a manual. I'd pay a few bucks more to have one. Which leads to the price- you cannot beat it for the price!
  
  
• JARHEAD1981 UK DEDICATED
  By A18UAGDWOTX0H8 on 2008-01-11
  This Game is the Best out there. It is best when played on Hyperlobby against other players from around the world. To me is much more than a Game because a lot of the missions are actual recreations of battles. When you fly you fly History. Playing the game offline is fun but playing it online is unreal you never know what to expect one minute your flying your p47 in route to the target area and then out of no were a 109 is on your 6. To me it is the best flight sim ever!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  

• PC Gamer (1-year)

• Falcon 4.0: Allied Force
• Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick (963290-0403)
• Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific
• Pacific Fighters
• Saitek X52 Flight Control System