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Falcon 4.0: Allied Force (PC CD)
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5/5 |
Incredible and exciting
(July 19, 2008) |
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This flight simulator is an excellent choice if you'd like to add a small fast jet to your collection. Reasonably realistic air traffic control communication with aircraft functions and handling. Graphics are also very good. I recommend this, I don't think you'll be dissappointed. |
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4/5 |
Amazing detail
(May 30, 2008) |
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An incredible simulation of the Falcon and all its systems. You could spend weeks just learning them. This is serious stuff - can you handle it? |
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5/5 |
Good Old Traditional Flight Sim
(January 22, 2008) |
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I've had F4 Allied Force lurking on the hard drive for some time but always felt a little daunted at the prospect of loading it up. Having finally taken the plunge, I was quite delighted to find a military flight simulator in the tradition of the "greats" from the 1990's - Tornado, EF2000, Total Air War to name but a few - which are no longer playable on most PC's today. There's no doubt this is a simulation and not for the casual arcade shooter, but don't be disheartened as the difficulty level can be customised to cater for just about every level of flight sim experience. You can cut your teeth on a selection of Training and Instant Action missions, before progressing to the real core of the programme - Campaign mode.
You fly campaigns in two war theatres - the Korean Peninsula or the Balkans. These are further divided with a choice of enemy starting position ranging from already in retreat (but with a surprise up their sleeve) to camped outside your airfield gates. The campaign is dynamic, that is to say the missions are not predetermined but generated by the game engine according to how the war is going. It is not just a case of the enemy lying down and taking it - they will attack and fight back with their own objectives to win. This is related to how well (or otherwise) you succeed in the missions you choose to fly alongside what the AI has achieved. You can choose to compile your own missions if you don't wish to follow those generated by the computer or customise those offered. You are not just flying alone but in formation with wingmen and other flights. In fact, it's quite easy to get distracted particularly when you hear the distress calls of other allied aircrew over the radio and race off mission but the key to success is completing your primary mission before dealing with secondary targets.
Graphics are reasonable if not quite state of the art as is the sound. One area which has won Falcon considerable praise is the realistic (so far as declassified) representation of avionics and combat/weapon systems which closely follow those on the real aircraft. However help is at hand for those who want things a little easierin the form of simplified radar. This will helpfully give you a 360 degree view of the airspace and colour code targets as friend or foe. The game marks down the difficulty level considerably if you choose this option but is worth considering even if you are not a novice. A joystick and throttle are recommended to get the best out of the flight model - the game actually helps to hone your PC flying skills as although the aircraft has a rudimentary autopilot this will not land the plane for you - requiring a visual approach to the runway.
I can honestly say since starting to play Allied Force in earnest I'm thoroughly enjoying it. There's no shortage of military games, FPS etc. for the PC but most of these offer only a pre-scripted linear campaign with little player choice as to how they proceed. In that respect, Allied Force will keep you busy for months as no campaign will play out the same way. If you lose or only manage a partial victory then try again with different tactics.
Any negatives? Well only one, really, which is that the full manual runs to 716 pages and is only accessible via pdf file. A quickstart guide is included which gives you the basics but only scratches the surface. The keycard also needs to be printed out but is compiled in such a way that printing on A4 paper (even in landscape) is virtually unreadable. One of the enjoyable features of the old style flight sim was the weighty manual which made for excellent night table reading quite apart from immediate reference alongside the game. I guess that should really be half a point off but that seems a bit churlish considering how good the rest of the simulation is.
In conclusion, a must have purchase if you have any interest at all in modern military flight sims.
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5/5 |
Flawless...
(December 04, 2007) |
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If your the kind of person who looks at games like Ace Combat, and suddenly wants to destroy the disc for its far fetched view of air combat...then read on!
I used to think "sims" such as LockOn were as detailed as sims got in a combat environment, on loading Falcon for the first time I was completely blown away at the sheer detail and depth of all the avionics, from interaction of the ATC/AWACS/JSTAR to learning how to do ramp starts and try (try been the correct phrase) to fly the F-16C. Although you can scale the realism/difficulty settings in the setup menu, the sim is best played on 100% where the detail of the avionics really becomes apparent. Another thing you just can't get away from is reading the manual, however tedious it may seem its a great wealth of information for the Falcon "nugget". If you still can't figure things out theres always frug's site (www.frugalsworld.com) which to my knowledge is one of the main hubs for the Falcon community in its different flavours.
A lot of people say "dude, the graphics suck"...aye...perhaps they do (its DX7 after all!)...but when your flying low to avoid a Fan Song radar (SA-2 SAM) you don't really mind the graphics because your trying to watch that terrain zipping past at maybe 400knts or more!
Another thing is that when you think you've "mastered" Allied Force, theres always the option to buy the original Falcon 4.0 disc and download one of the different mods that are widely available...the main two being Open Falcon or Free Falcon otherwise known as Red Viper. They offer some changes in avionics but boost the graphics quite considerably...but are more challenging. Its usually better to start off on Allied Force then move on when you've become comfortable with the avionics.
I really encourage anyone who's interested in combat sims to give this a go, I doubt you will be disappointed! |
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5/5 |
The Best!
(January 24, 2007) |
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This is simply the best flight sim out there. The niggle about the graphics being a bit dated is more than made up for by the depth of the gameplay and realism. By yourself a HOTAS system, a big screen and be prepared to lock yourself away in an F-16 for a long long time! |
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