|
Hello fellow
flight sim extremists! I say that because if you're not
an extremist, you won't get that far off the ground in this
sim. The manual for this sim is immense, over 400 pages
explaining everything from SAM evasion tactics to how to shut  up
the bitchin' betty. Of course, it's a good idea to read
the entire manual before starting the game, but with a manual
this thick, I can understand if you just skim the interesting
parts. Although the manual teaches the reader volumes,
it assumes that you know the very basic basics. Even
though the manual says exactly what you should do in almost
every situation, to fly the F-16 requires hours of practice
and dedication.
If you're looking for thoroughness, this game is right up your
alley. The scenario is, basically, "North Korea
invades South Korea, and the U.S. is called in to help."
Unlike other combat simulators, if you destroy a tank in
one mission, it won't be there in the next. The game
comes with a fully functional war generator. Which basically
means that there is a war going on inside the computer. This
war is completely automated, with AI pilots flying AI aircraft
attacking AI targets and being shot at by other AI aircraft.
Why, you could sit around all day watching a war go on, but
what fun is that?
The graphics in this game are intense! In this game, and
only in this game, I've flown so close to another airplane to
see the pilot's facemask. The density of
scenery is extremely thick, with bridges, buildings,
and roads scattered all around Korea. Although the
afterburner sequence is a bit cheesy, the rest of the
aircraft's details are excellent. Vapor
trails, smoke, fires, even little puffs of smoke from where
you touchdown!
In CFS (Combat Flight Simulator), the missions were made up of
scenery files and a little artificial intelligence, but in
Falcon 4, each airplane is doing it's own thing, from it's own
takeoff to it's own landing. If you botch one mission,
that's it, you can't just click "replay" and do it
all over again, because the war keeps going on without you.
There are the same types of missions, but almost never
the exactly the same.
If this game didn't kick in other areas, it would be known for
it's multiplayer.  Falcon
4 gives the other aircraft extreme detail, with amazing
smoothness and reliability. It's common practice in the real
world and in the game to fly in formation with other aircraft.
This game's great multiplayer capability makes that age old
excuse: "I wouldn't of crashed if the game hadn't lagged
up" obsolete. It's great multiplayer, but can only take
around 6 aircraft at once before slowing down.
Like I said before, this game is for the extremist. If you
enjoy sitting down in your spare time and buzzing the tower,
that's just fine, but don't go spend money on this game unless
you're really ready to commit to a simulator. If you're
hardcore, gung-ho, and ready to read 400 pages of manual, this
game is for you. But if you want a fun flight for 5
minutes, go get CFS. This game gets a 6 for player
compatibility, it's money down the crapper unless you're ready
to read the manual.
This is a GREAT
simulator for the enthusiast. Don't hesitate! Buy it!
-Brandon Voorhees |
Learning Curve: 48 hours
All scores are
out of ten possible points.
Gameplay: 10
Graphics: 10
Replayability: 9
Multi-player: 8
Player Compatibility: 6
-Highs-
Graphics, Good User
Interface, Helpful Manual, Realism
-Lows-
Extreme Complexity
-Bottom Line-
Excellent for the
hardcore enthusiast. However, Jane's is a better start for
newer players due to the addition of realism controls.
86%
|
