Blazing Angels Thread

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

A lot of kerbalnauts are familiar with the Ace Combat games, and a lot more know about War Thunder. However, very few know about a hidden gem from the early days of air combat gaming. 

 

Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

(Image source: Steam)

 

Just like @TwoCalories's Ace Combat Thread, I decided to make one for Blazing Angels players to talk about their experiences with that game. How well did you fare in the campaign, favorite plane/s and missions, did you ever make it past the Norwegian fjords, playing with family, et cetera.

 

For those who don't know or forgot, Blazing Angels follows the story of American pilots who partake in various iconic battles throughout the Second World War. Some of those battles include but are not limited to: the Battle of Britain, Desert Rats, Pearl Harbor, Midway, D-Day, and then you eventually end in Berlin. The player is an unnamed captain of a squadron of four composed of Tom the "shield," Joe the mechanic, and Frank the hunter; by the way, the captain talks. You can command your wingmen to stay with you, attack enemies, or protect you from incoming threats.

The dialogue among the characters is great, and although the music can get repetitive sometimes it still feels appropriate for the situation. I will admit the graphics are mediocre, especially compared to Ace Combat 7, but I'll give Ubisoft a break considering it was released for the Wii in 2007; that was the version I got for Christmas two years later. The cutscenes and "old man captain" narrations before each level were very insightful since I would know more about what I was getting myself into, just like the mission briefings in AC7 only with way less advanced graphics (e.g. model vehicles and/or army guys moving on a blue and red map with the occasional explosion) - just like mission commanders using models on a map in the 1940s. After each mission was completed, I would get treated to another old man captain narration describing the aftermath. If I did well enough, I would get an "Ace" medal - and hear my dad quoting Chicken Little if he was nearby.

As for the gameplay itself, although I enjoyed it a lot - and my years of playing it served me well when playing some levels in AC7 last year (despite it being on a PS5) - I was a bit disappointed that I had to do everything. Seriously, a lot of those levels had British/American air and/or ground forces with me besides my wingmen, and all they did was sit there and be green damsels in distress instead of actually blowing up enemies like they're supposed to. I can help take out the carrier decks of the main Japanese fleet, for example, but what was the point of me and the boys protecting the bombers from the Zekes if all they're going to do is fly around and expect me to sink everything?

 

What about you all? What were you experiences with this game - or its lesser-known sequel, Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII?

Spoiler

One more thing: as a child, I remember coming across an arcade game called "Blazing Angels" once or twice. 

 

• The expensive and heavy version of Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII.
  • Feels like you're sitting inside a modern jet, doesn't it?
• Image source: Primetime Amusements.

 

I remember the very few times I played it, I was terrible. My only prior flight simulation experience then was the occasional Google Earth flight simulator time on a Mac in fifth grade (if I had time in graphic arts club), and I stank at that. I bet if I found one of those arcade games today, I would wipe the high scores clean off. However, I have neither the budget nor the space for this, so I'm out of luck.

 

I wonder if any of you happen to have experiences with this thing you would like to share. Better yet, where can I find one of those that is still operational and I only have to pay quarters?

[Grenartia]

God, I loved playing this as a kid. I also had it on the Wii, and I'd do maniac things like flying underneath bridges and the Eiffel Tower, landing on enemy airfields in the middle of a dogfight, sniping enemy fighters from beyond gun range with rockets, etc. 

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

On 8/25/2024 at 8:22 PM, Grenartia said:

flying underneath bridges

I remember doing that a few times too, and I remember flying through that one bridge after we were done bombing it in Dunkirk. 

• Several months ago, while I was grinding the U.S. tech tree in War Thunder, I would often fly a jet underneath a low bridge (I forgot the map, but I'm guessing it was Spain) on my way to bomb bases. I'm guessing Blazing Angels was practice for that.

 

On 8/25/2024 at 8:22 PM, Grenartia said:

the Eiffel Tower

Flying underneath the Eiffel Tower, even while under enemy fire, is easy. Flying through it, however, is difficult. I had to line it up right before going through the second hole from the ground or else I'd crash into the tower, so it was best that I cleared the area of enemies first.

 

On 8/25/2024 at 8:22 PM, Grenartia said:

landing on enemy airfields in the middle of a dogfight

Not even I was crazy enough to do that. I remember landing on the Japanese airfield in Rabaul and that German airfield in the Ardennes, but they were AFTER the fights were over; not during.

 

On 8/25/2024 at 8:22 PM, Grenartia said:

sniping enemy fighters from beyond gun range with rockets

Bet that came in real handy in Berlin, especially against those jets and/or if you got stuck with that peashooter called a P-51 Mustang.

 

What was your favorite level?

[Grenartia]

3 hours ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

I remember doing that a few times too, and I remember flying through that one bridge after we were done bombing it in Dunkirk. 

• Several months ago, while I was grinding the U.S. tech tree in War Thunder, I would often fly a jet underneath a low bridge (I forgot the map, but I'm guessing it was Spain) on my way to bomb bases. I'm guessing Blazing Angels was practice for that.

 

Flying underneath the Eiffel Tower, even while under enemy fire, is easy. Flying through it, however, is difficult. I had to line it up right before going through the second hole from the ground or else I'd crash into the tower, so it was best that I cleared the area of enemies first.

 

Not even I was crazy enough to do that. I remember landing on the Japanese airfield in Rabaul and that German airfield in the Ardennes, but they were AFTER the fights were over; not during.

 

Bet that came in real handy in Berlin, especially against those jets and/or if you got stuck with that peashooter called a P-51 Mustang.

 

What was your favorite level?

Honestly, Rabaul. Gave you a little bit of everything. My least favorite was that damned B-17 mission. 

And yeah, American fighters generally had peashooters, but I did do it at least once for realism. The rocket sniping was with the Meteor, IIRC. 

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

On 9/8/2024 at 9:42 PM, Grenartia said:

Honestly, Rabaul. Gave you a little bit of everything.

I'd go with Rabaul as well, since you got to blow up land, air, and sea targets. It was especially fun destroying those waves of fighters BEFORE they took off, making the airfield job way easier.  

• In second place is Midway: Turning Point (the one with the red skies and the Japanese carrier group). Throughout the level, you feel like you're in the final battle scene of a movie. You charge into action, save the bombers from enemy fighters, and like any good protagonist you're the key to winning.

 

On 9/8/2024 at 9:42 PM, Grenartia said:

My least favorite was that damned B-17 mission. 

Why? I actually thought it was easy. 

 

My least favorite level was "Top Secret," especially those ice caves. For those who think the Cape Rainy canyon in Ace Combat 7 was hard, you haven't seen anything until you tried the Norwegian fjords. Especially that one tight left turn in the second run, that was hard to master. There were also some parts of that level that made no sense:

• For starters, how could the Me 110s fly higher than the canyon itself yet Joe and I could not? At least in Ace Combat - and the Flying Tigers level in Blazing Angels 2* - it is explained that going too high would result in enemy anti-aircraft guns tearing you to shreds. No such explanation was offered in the ice caves, so what's our excuse? It also didn't help that the Me 110s kept shooting at us with their tailguns, yet shooting one down would result in the smoke obscuring our vision.
  • I never played Blazing Angels 2 myself, but I watched gameplay videos.
• How did Tom and Frank get to the heavy water plant before Joe and I? If they had completed the entire maze of fjords before we did, then why did Joe need to blow up the door afterwards. And for that matter, why don't all four of us go together?
• If we're going to get shot at by Germans as soon as we clear the first maze, then why did we even need to start the mission in FW 190s? Did someone tip them off about us?

 

On the bright side, with all the practice I put in - especially with the snow extending my school's winter break - I eventually got to the point where I could complete the whole level without crashing and win an ace medal. That kind of skill served me well when my brother got Ace Combat 7 on his PS5 thirteen-and-a-half years later. Getting used to the PS5 controls aside, getting through enemy radar around the space elevator and then the canyon at Cape Rainy was a snap.

 

On 9/8/2024 at 9:42 PM, Grenartia said:

And yeah, American fighters generally had peashooters, but I did do it at least once for realism. The rocket sniping was with the Meteor, IIRC.

I started with the American fighters as well. My dad was smart enough after watching me to complete Berlin in a Tempest, which had greater firepower. After I completed the campaign, I got the ace medal in a Meteor.