For those of you who don't like Flight Sim because "you just fly around for no reason," this is your tonic. The game puts a greater emphasis on scenarios with specific goals. Speaking of missions, they're one of the game's welcome departures from the usual formula. Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It It's very easy for casual gamers to pick up, and just a few button presses get you going. The game's early missions are tutorials that walk you through the steps, down to a voice telling you what buttons to press.
As complex and realistic as Flight Sim is, this is never an issue.
I have grim memories of playing games like Spectrum Holobyte's Falcon, and spending at least an hour on the tarmac, manual in hand, trying to get the freakin' plane in the air. My Name Is Accessible and I Will Be Your Co-Pilot There is a fan community and even companies that supply add-ons, but I wish the game would at least keep aircraft from previous editions right from the install. I realize that it's no easy feat to realistically model an aircraft, but the greedy gamer in me wishes that Microsoft would go out and nail down licenses from every aviation company they can find, just like a lot of driving games offer rosters of real vehicles in the hundreds.
I miss some of the aircraft fromįlight Simulator 2004 - I want to fly the Wright Flyer and Spirit of St.
I do wish that the Flight Sim series would build on itself a little more in the aircraft department though. The aircraft included in FSX provide a good amount of variety, catering to different flying styles. You've got an ultralight: the AirCreation SL-450, a glider: the DG-8085 Competition, prop engines like the Cessna Seahawk, large commercial jet planes like the Boeing 747, and two helicopters-the Robinson R22 Beta 2, and the Bell 206 B JetRanger III. This edition goes back to aircraft still in service today, or still favoured by flight trainers and enthusiasts. The previous edition was subtitled A Century of Flight and put an emphasis on flying notable aircraft from across the history of aviation. In some ways, FSX is a return to the "classic" Flight Sim formula, and a departure. That's a cool touch, and I can't remember anything like it, except for an ancient and forgotten Microprose title, You can even try controlling a plane yourself this way. The Deluxe edition also allows you to play as the "Tower" and act as traffic controller for your friends in the air during multiplayer sessions. The Deluxe edition comes with two DVDs, and it has 24 as opposed to 21 aircraft, more detailed cities and airports, and it also has the "glass cockpits," the high-tech digital instrumentation that's used by a lot of real planes today. The latest edition,įlight Simulator X (FSX), manages the trick of being accessible to a wide range of gaming skill levels and being remarkable detailed enough to impress hardcore fans of the series.įlight Simulator X comes in two different packages - the Standard, and the Deluxe. During that time, the game has gone from being the nichiest of games for the nerdiest of hardcore gamers, to a user-friendly product that many people can enjoy. Not many games can claim a lineage going back to the 70s, as Flight Sim can. Even if you've never tried a flight sim before, you should give it a go.įor decades - and that's not an exaggeration -įlight Simulator has been the first and last word in flight sims. Flight Sim is a great game for all skill levels. The Verdict: Built on IX editions worth of experience.It's best to get a joystick or gamepad for optimum control. The Bad: 24 aircraft is pretty good, but we're hungry for more.Very accessible to all levels of experience. Mission activities provide more structure to the game.
Reviewed on: Windows XP Pentium 4, 3.06 GHz 1 GHz RAM ATI Radeon 9700 Pro.