To capitalize on this, and following up on previous add-ons, Konami has announced a new map pack for the game which contains 10 new single-player missions set in three new campaign locations: Sicily, Berlin and The Bulge. The Europe map pack is available now for PS3 and Xbox 360, and will also include new versus maps for the multiplayer-minded.

Hit up our review for Birds of Steel, where noted its ability to “capture arcade-y fun and realism, both at the same time, and do it remarkably well” besides praising it for its historical accuracy and plane models, along with it’s sound and amazingly stellar replay value, which is a result of more than a hundred planes and procedurally generated missions.

Birds of Steel is set during the Second World War, with two campaigns for you to play through. One sees you playing as the Americans during the years 1941 and ’42, while the second one puts you in the shoes (or planes) of the Japanese during the same period. Both the campaigns are largely similar, and your missions are always more or less the same, having you bomb a ship or destroy some hostile jets, so the mission variety (or the lack thereof) starts getting on your nerves somewhat.

But it is largely compensated for by the excellent gameplay design. Shooting your enemies is a ton of fun and provides for intense, action packed sequences which, even though seems very familiar to the rest of the game, are extremely enjoyable and provide you with a lot of arcade-y fun, something you will cherish in a game as realistic as this.

The sections which are not focused on combat, meaning the ones that have you taking off/landing and going to/away from the battlefield (battle…air?) are not as fun. Sure, the flying is very realistic and it is occasionally fun, but it gets dull very quickly and it may not be as enjoyable for those of us who’re not as big maniacs of aeroplanes as some others.

However, Birds of Steel is perfectly successful at being historically accurate. All the scenarios and missions in the game actually did happen during WWII, and history buffs will definitely love what they see here. The missions play out accurately and still manage to be very thrilling and exciting.

You can replay the campaigns again and again, and they never really get boring. Shooting enemies and flying away from an enemy freighter as it explodes to bits and pieces below you is always extremely intense and thrilling, and even though the non-combat sections take away greatly from the experience, you will want to keep coming back for more shooting sections.

There’s also a multiplayer and co-op component to play through, and while it is still fun, it doesn’t have the depth and complexity you see in other multiplayer games these days. It certainly has its appeal and will last you for a few days, but it gets boring fast, especially since they’re not many players online at a time anyway.

On the aesthetic side of things, Birds of Steel is certainly an ambitious game- the draw distances are, as expected, top notch and plane models are accurate and beautiful. However, the game does have a few texture and lighting problems that bring down the score of the visuals department by at least a couple points. Birds of Steel isn’t an ugly game, but it isn’t breathtakingly good either.

However, the music and sound effects are at the top of their game. A few thumping soundtracks will remain with you for some time, and the sound effects will definitely blow your mind- bullets whizzing past you, explosions all around and planes flying all over the screen… it’s like an aural heaven.

Ultimately, Birds of Steel is a great game. It has a few faults, ones that cannot be ignored even if you wanted to do so, but its pros outweigh its cons. It’s a game that you should definitely get, especially at its very reasonable $40 price tag.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360. 

***Please note this walkthrough was not uploaded by GamingBolt.com

Special thanks to Youtube user ChanoVideoGamesHD.

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Without further ado, let’s begin!

Birds of Steel is shipping to retail stores.

Developed by Gaijin Entertainment, Birds of Steel lets players take to the skies in over 100 famous fighters from the entire axis and allied forces, including the Spitfire Mk.V, P-51 Mustang, A6M Zero and the F4F Wildcat. Players can pilot planes in the American, European or Japanese fighting forces and experience lifelike aircraft damage, cockpit views and flight controls. As players complete missions, new planes are unlocked, letting players jump in the cockpit, grab stick and engage in both single and multiplayer campaigns, while doing battle in some of the most iconic moments in history, including the Battle of Midway, Guadalcanal, Coral Sea and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Key Features:

•20 historical and hundreds of procedural missions, spanning 16 different world locations

•Over 100 historically famous aircraft with hundreds of hit points where the plane will reflect health and real world attack damage

•Realistic flight environments, weather conditions, time-of-day changes

•Enhanced flight controls providing arcade style game play, realistic or simulation depending on player ability

•Ability to create and edit hundreds of different paint scheme variations and insignias from World War II to customize your plane

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news and updates.

Birds of Steel offers 20 historical and a wealth of fictitious missions, spanning eight world-famous campaigns, and users are given access to over 100 famous planes from the entire axis and allied forces rosters. A number of planes ideal for each campaign can be selected, and have been faithfully recreated in terms of handling, capabilities and weaponry. The classic Spitfire, P-51D Mustangs, and Messerschmidt 109 are all lined up for combat, as players opt to player opt to fight for the Allies, Japanese or Axis forces. Likewise, the war zones are brilliantly brought to life, while the handling and battle-scarred planes are susceptible to damage and will suffer in terms of control accordingly.

Konami have announced a brand new game titled: Birds of Steel. The game will release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 & is being developed by Gaijin Entertainment.

Birds of Steel will offer 20 missions which will take place during the events of World War II, including the battle of Midway, Guadalcanal, Coral Sea, the historic attack on Pearl Harbour, the Mediterranean Maltese island, Germany’s Ruhr Valley, and others.

“For far too long, first-person shooter fans have been tied to the foot soldier point of view, but we aim to bring the seat-of-their-pants skill and daring of dogfighting and aerial combat to a wider audience,” said Martin Schneider, General Manager, Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “Birds of Steelpushes the throttle of realism by giving fans what they’ve been missing when it comes to co-operative online gameplay, incredibly realistic visuals and game dynamics, while spanning the entirety of the war’s air campaigns.”

The game releases early 2012.