Feedback from my review of Battle of Moscow made me think that I should write a short update and directly answer the question: Should I buy IL-2: Battle of Moscow? Let me do that now.

Yes, yes you should. If you’re reading this blog, then you are probably already an enthusiast. You’ve probably spent the $30 or $300 dollars to equip yourself with a flight stick and maybe things like rudder pedals and a HOTAS. You’ve probably spend $500 to $1500 to get yourself a cutting edge gaming PC. What you are looking for is an engaging flight simulator experience and there are really two games in town: IL-2 and DCS.

DCS is an excellent product. It functions exceptionally well in the modern sphere and it benefits from the decade plus of experience developing Lock On: Modern Air Combat and Flanker and Flanker 2.0 before that. But if you want something that flies at a little slower pace, that has slightly less focus on the nitty gritty of start-up procedures and gets you into the action sooner, then IL-2: Battle of Moscow is a great experience and you should definitely look into it.

I was critical with my review that I put out on Thursday – while those criticisms are deserved it is also good to recognize strengths because this is my favourite game to play. Bar none.

Flying in the new IL-2 series is incredible and it gives you that feeling of being there in the cockpit like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. IL-2: Sturmovik, when it came out in 2001, gave me a similar experience but this is so much better. The sound, physics and graphics come together in a spectacular way.

The graphics themselves are also an incredibly strong point. Visually this is better than anything I’ve seen and everything from clouds to the detail on the aircraft are gloriously rendered. You need a strong PC to get the most out of it but everything to my eye looks amazing. I’ve spent a short amount of time just watching the clouds and shadows roll across the landscape.

Those two things come together to create something: Fun. It’s a lot of fun to play and it gives you a great feeling screaming across the landscape at 500 kph with a blur of snow-covered trees or an autumn cityscape flying beneath you.

The single player and multiplayer experience is good. Sure there are some unlocks and a pilot level progression system but I like those kinds of things. The campaign missions can sometimes be boring but they can also be brilliant and you can end up in a challenging situation where you finally come out on top after an intense fight – with my heart pounding and some sweat on my brow. This is what a sim pilot strives for and it is here.

If you haven’t yet done so, also check out my official Battle of Moscow review as I critique the latest release. Battle of Moscow isn’t perfect but it is very, very good!