worth importing? - Defunct Games

Every time I swear off video games based on World War II, something new pops
up to surprise me and make me eat my words. This time around, Blazing Angels:
Squadrons of WWII is what’s putting my foot in my mouth.
Blazing Angels wants you to experience all the thrilling danger of dogfighting
in World War II without actually worrying about being shot out of the sky. We got to
spend some time with the Battle of London and Pearl Harbor stages and can confirm
that while Blazing Angels may not be historically accurate, exactly, it is fast-paced
and frantic enough to keep you oblivious to that fact.
The action is distinctly arcade-y. You can bust out moves that would make most
planes stall out and crash with ease. You can go from your first attack run into a
chassis-shaking Immelman Turn and then a loop-de-loop for spacing, all in the space
of seconds.
Blazing Angels doesn’t stop there. It puts you at the lead of a squadron of
pilots. You command your squad via the d-pad. Each wingman even has a specialty.
One can repair your plane (this feat is performed via a series of button presses on
your part), while another can draw fire to give you a breather.
Blazing Angels is a pretty game. Pearl Harbor and London were both extremely
detailed and very large. You can even interact with the geometry (read: crash into a
building when you screw up). Look for it in March.
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Romania
Release Date: March 2006
Genre: Aerial Combat
Category: World War II
# of Players: 1-16
Preview by 4thletter
16_PREVIEW_BLAZING ANGELS HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 1_ISSUE 9_WARM BUN
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Release Date: March 21, 2006
Genre(s): Action Adventure
Category: Mobster
Players: 1
HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZINE_VOLUME 1_ISSUE 9_WARM BUN
“What the hell,” I can hear you saying.
“Another Grand Theft Auto-style
adventure game, and a licensed one at
that? Nuts to this!”
Wait, don’t turn the page yet! If you’re
not completely sick of the GTA formula
yet, you’ll find what’s shaping up to be
a worthwhile sandbox-style action title
in The Godfather. Featuring an original
storyline that intermingles with the plot
of the novel and the first Godfather
movie, you play a wannabe mobster doing
his part to expand the Corleone family’s
reign. You’ll also get to drive old-timey
cars that make funny noises when you
honk the horn!
An interesting hand-to-hand combat and
grappling system is emphasized here; the
right analog stick is used to deliver punches while the left
stick shoves grabbed opponents against walls. Fights in The
Godfather are brutal to watch, and make for a much more
satisfying way of getting your point across to your
enemies than just plain shooting them, though that option
always exists.
Aside from the expected driving and shooting missions, the
game contains a number of side quests to mix things up,
many of which involve beating protection money out of
local business owners. Negotiation during these segments
often requires some creative muscle on
the player’s part - the game’s tutorial
recommends smashing a shopkeeper’s
head into his own cash register as one
example. One can also buy into hidden
gambling and prostitution rackets around
town, generating yet more money for
family needs like guns and ammo.
The Godfather has seen a number of
delays since it was first announced, but
it should hopefully be done in time for a
March release. It’s an offer you can’t...
oh, forget it. Just buy it if I made it sound
interesting, all right?
Preview by Sardius
THE GODFATHER: THE GAME_PREVIEW_17