I know that the fiery plane that I am piloting and the pursuing Zeros are supposed to be inspiring fear and anxiety in me, but I’m having a very hard time feeling that way when my wingmen are screaming with horrible accents and the associated subtitles are in the MS Sans font. I’ve wanted to assist my fellow comrades in arms throughout this battle, but I’m being taken away from a brisk firefight by a confusing wingman who is screaming about phantom attackers. What I’m saying here is that I tried; I tried to get into Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII, but despite its seemingly inviting demeanor, it didn’t really care.

It’s easy to get the impression that Blazing Angels is going to be above average at the very least. When taking off in an old propeller plane - the process started by rotating an analog stick to get the propeller going - you take off into a light-bloomed world that’s easy on the eyes, in a plane with smooth controls, guiding the aged craft through a few rudimentary trials. However, it soon becomes apparent that the game is far from great, and eventually you’ll come to realize that it often has a hard time being average.

Actually, the game is unique in several respects, though none of which are anything to be excited about. The graphics are good, and while they possibly may not be as good as what one expects from a 360 title, there are certainly some picturesque moments, such as performing an evasive maneuver towards the sun, with Paris as the backdrop. Those moments, along with a handy lock-on feature that allows for quick and stable targeting, and a camera that does a solid job of keeping up with the action, are about all of the noteworthy elements. The rest of the game is brought down by horrible and confusing voice-overs, bland missions, and overall poor execution.

The missions are often what one would expect from a WWII aviation game: Pearl Harbor, Midway, Battle of Britain, and so on. One mission is built on a particularly good idea: you fly through a sandstorm in North Africa and use the German’s radio signal to home in on their bases; the more static there is during the transmissions, the more off-course you are. Another mission, which is nothing but a bad idea from the get-go, has you bombing hard water facilities, subjecting you to the dreaded canyon-style (fjord, here) level: for a while, air combat games had canyon levels, but unlike other annoying standard levels like escort missions, they tended to serve no logical purpose and were scrapped due to the frustration felt by players as they tried to navigate through nearly indistinguishable chasms. That was the case then and that is the case here, except now the level is timed and features a slightly moronic and confused wingman that makes the experience even more trying.

It’s surprising to what degree poor voice-overs can adversely affect a game, with Blazing Angels serving as the perfect example. Sure, in some cases, like the original Resident Evil, poor voice-overs can be endearing, but here they are both grating and detrimental.  During the hard water mission, you get to hear American B (Midwestern Farmhand) ramble on about hard water being a confusing concept to grasp. Great, so how about you try to avoid being shot by all of the Germans? But being stupid isn’t his only crime: he also has a tenuous grasp on reality. He, and the other wingmen throughout the game, will often confuse safety for danger and vice-versa, crying for help whenever they aren’t being attacked and other times saying everything is clear when they are being shot at. The characters also include American A, the gruff character from the Bronx, as well as Hogan Hero-inspired versions of the Germans, Japanese, and French. Not only do they sound like an Eastern European voice actor doing impersonations of nationalities he thinks he knows, but they also often even repeat the exact same phrases in a manner in stark contrast to the variety in modes and planes. Say, why are they even speaking in English anyway?

Quite a few missions require your wingmen to be heard, requiring that the volume not be turned down. But, really, why would you want them to be muted when you could get advance warning to perform maneuvers that the game never teaches you or even hints at what they involve? I love being told to do an Immelman but I only know what it is because of Descent: FreeSpace and not because the game was actually instructive or helpful in any way. Description is pretty light throughout, with instructions seemingly implied and visual cues not being very dominant; it’s not too difficult to lose your cool after retrying the same part for the dozenth time because you couldn’t infer what you were supposed to do in a game that doesn’t seem too intent on making you use your imagination.

You will also have a squadron at your command. Using the directional pad, you will command your wingmen to form up or attack, as well as give orders to specific unit. You have Joe the mechanic that will repair you (done via timed button sequences, like Simon Says); Tom to break-off to defend you; and Frank, the gung-ho pilot who acts as a special attack and will doggedly pursue the target and all bogeys around it. It’s not uncommon to forget about everyone but Joe, since he is the most often needed due to being able to repair even the most severe damage, but many levels are puzzle-like in that they require certain actions to complete the objectives in time (what units to send Frank to, when to allow the squadron free reign to attack, etc.). They are all still handy to have access to and are also an attempt to add character, and sometimes misplaced levity, to the game.

The original campaign is also very short, with the 18 missions taking around five hours to complete. To compensate, the game offers numerous additional campaigns. Throughout the story, you will acquire planes by your performance in each mission, with ranking stars being accompanied by one or two planes, and an additional medal. These planes can then be flown in Ace Duel mode against a single ace of the particular craft chosen, which often results in some bruised thumbs. There are also mini-campaigns that include six dogfighting and six bombing missions, with victory resulting in separate upgrades for all unlocked planes. Arcade mode involves shooting down a certain number of planes within a given time limit. Online play is also available, with up to 16 players competing in all-out or co-op matches, but it isn’t terribly exciting since the basic controls offer little in the way of extravagant maneuvers.

Overall: 4.5/10

If Blazing Angels is one thing, it’s surprising. The core of the game is an average arcade flight combat game, with a mission structure, planes, levels, and a control scheme that could’ve been built upon to create something special. Instead of being fleshed out, the game feels as if another developer was brought on board mid-stream and had an entirely different idea as to what the game should be. The additional campaigns allow for the voice-overs to be muted, and it’s there that you get the idea that, “Hey, this might’ve been a pretty cool game.” Sadly, in the end, what you are given is an overall package that is a half-heartened, but pretty, mess.