Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

I'm a parent, and occasionally play something on our Wii. This game really fit the bill for me. Now, my 9 year old has tried to play it a little bit, but just can't handle the controls, so be warned about that. It took me a while to become proficient. A kid will get frustrated early. You work your way through major battles of WWII, and some of the missions are extraordinarily difficult. It is fascinating in that you fly a variety of aircraft, from bombers to fighters, to recon, to dive bombers, you name it. It is really interesting to get a feel for what planes were available and used in what theatres of action. There is some language involved in this as well, but I don't really see that as a problem. It does convey the attitude that prevailed regarding some of the actions taking place. When German planes target civilian targets, the pilots have something to say about that. When the Japanese attack Pearl, the pilots have something to say about it. Really, I have two criticisms of the game: 1) I don't mind some of the missions being very challenging. If they weren't you wouldn't gain an appreciation for how difficult some of these battles were. Not that our pilots were overcoming 60 to 10 odds all the time, but in recognizing that "Wow, there was a lot to be done. A lot of risk to be taken. A lot of lives lost to secure our victories." What I do mind is there is one mission that is just arbitrarily crazy hard to complete, and you have to complete all missions to conclude the game. 2) During the game, you are a bit of a globetrotter. The story takes you to Africa, Asia, Europe, and you are on hand for Pearl Harbor. The game concludes, however, with an airfight over Berlin. That's the end of the war. Now, part of me "gets it" that the remaining missions in Japan would all be kind of similar - island hopping support, but really, there should have been a mission to represent some of that island hopping, maybe Iwo Jima, and there should have been a mission to end the war in Japan over Hiroshima with the big bomb. I realize that might be a sensitive subject, but I do not like it that this game declares victory when we were far from done with the global conflict. Look, I know it is just a game, but it dishonors those who fell in the Pacific to ignore the conclusion of their efforts.

It is a war game, no prizes to the person who points out the violence then! I've had this game on the PC for about a year and found that once the controls were mastered it was an enjoyable game to play, this history, as in the Medal of Honour series, is integral to the game, although notably light. I have certain reservations as to the gaming ethics of this title, like many combat flight simulators, and indeed the concept of remote warfare. It is important that children are aware of the real human consequences of all combative actions. This title I feel oversteps the boundary into celebrating warfare, which is why I consider it iffy. The implicit violence and gore in titles such as this may be more socially damaging than the explicit violence in the Medal of Honour series