Kraut on Your Six!

Well I played the Blazing Angels demo and found it very enjoyable. The mechanics of shooting down enemy planes is nothing new or terribly exciting, but the game's atmosphere and use of the squad are major selling points.

What makes games great for me are more than solid gameplay (though that certainly helps). Grim Fandango was amazing in no small part due to it's epic story. Oblivion is incredible for its expansive and immersive world. Blazing Angels seems to have hooked me with its use of these guys in your squad. Rather than the typical, useless squadmates of most games who prove more of a hindrance than helpful, they are extremely vital in combat. More than once did they save my neck. What is also nice is that they are fleshed out as actual characters. Brilliant voice acting brings their constant chatter to life as planes and bullets wiz by. If you let yourself get lost in it, it's quite a lot of fun.

With the glut of games from GRAW to Oblivion, I doubt I'll be picking this one up soon, but it is certainly on my list for when we reach a lull in the release schedule.