New sims for virtual pilots

Flight Journal, Dec 2002 by James, Jeff

VIRTUAL PILOT

* Strike Fighters: Project 1 * Red Ace Squadron * Jane's Attack Squadron * Lethal Skies: Elite Pilot-Team SW * Mosquito Squadron * Battle of Britain: Memorial Flight * Matrox Parhelia-512 GPU Video Card * Saitek Cyborg 3D Rumble Stick

For this issue, I've checked out some of the newer products that are--or will be-available in the new "virtual" season. Be sure to include some of these on the list you give Santa.

Strike Fighters:

Project 1

Developer: Third Wire Productions

Publisher: Strategy First/Infograms

Platform PC

Retail: $39.99

Website: www..strategyfirst.com

Highs: one of the best new PC flight sims in years, it has stunning visuals, detailed plane models and lots of play options.

Lows: no Vietnam campaign. The perfect historical venue for the F-4 Phantom is strangely absent Some early versions of Strike Fighters released to retail also are buggy and lack features found in later releases.

Bottom line: early release glitches aside, Strike Fighters is an excellent first product from Third Wire and a must-buy for any PC pilot who wants the latest in jet-powered combat sims.

The combat flight-sim renaissance continues, thanks to the arrival of Third Wire's excellent Strike Fighters: Project 1 jet-combat sim. Set in the 1960s and early 1970s, the centerpiece of the game is the renowned F-4 Phantom (although the F-100 Super Sabre, F-104 Starfighter and A-4 Skyhawk are also available as flyable craft). The game offers a variety of play types, including instant action, single mission and multiplayer modes. My favorite bit is the dynamic campaign, which starts you off piloting an aging F-100 Super Sabre. Good mission performance will see you flying more capable aircraft as your flying skills improve.

Strangely, the theater of war is a fictional desert environment. Although it works from a game-design perspective and allows some unique play elements, such as giving players the opportunity to become mercenaries for hire in the campaign mode, it is a bit of a disappointment not to be able to fly the Phantom in Vietnam. Perhaps a future expansion pack will rectify that situation.

Some early versions of Strike Fighters available at retail stores lack features included in later releases and are a bit crash-prone. Check out Strategy First's website at www.strategyfirst.com for the latest patches and other information.

Red Ace Squadron

Developer: Small Rockets

Publisher: Global Star Software

Platform PC

Retail: $19.99

Website: www.globalstarsoftware.com

Highs: quick to install, easy to play and reasonably priced; WW I subject matter.

Lows: simplistic flight model and ho-hum graphics make this a pleasant diversion, but not much more.

Bottom line: inexpensive and perfect for a few afternoons worth of play, it also serves as a good basic introduction to WW I air combat; good for the beginner simmer.

As much as I like to spend a few hours working through the intricacies of IL-2 Sturmovik, X-Plane, or Flight Simulator 2002, I can't deny the appeal of the short and simple flight experience provided by a game such as Red Ace Squadron. It's set in WW I, and you can fly a variety of combat missions for either the Axis or Allied powers. Accuracy isn't a strong suit here, as the game is controllable entirely via the mouse. What is a big deal is the ease of play-hopping into the game for a few quick minutes is much more enjoyable than playing Solitaire.

Jane's Attack Squadron

Developer: Mad Doc Software

Publisher: Xicat Interactive

Platform: PC

Retail: $39.99

Website: www.xicat.com

Highs: good (if dated) visuals, lots of plane variety and many enjoyable mission types. Also includes a mission and plane editor for "roll-your-own" mission creation.

Lows: buggy initial release; generally lacks polish and refinement of previous games in the Jane's series.

Bottom line: download the latest patch, and Jane's Attack Squadron emerges as a solid and playable-albeit slightly dated-WW II combat flight sim.

Jane's Attack Squadron has been bounced among various developers and publishers over the last few years, and unfortunately, it shows. The patch currently available for download at Xicat's website fixes many problems and makes Attack Squadron well worth a second look.

The game ships with a fully featured mission and plane editor that allows you to create your own missions and tweak and configure your own custom plane types. A small community of user-created add-ons has also emerged on the Internet, and they add additional life to the product.

Lethal Skies: Elite

Pilot - Team SW (PS2)

Developer: Asmik Ace

Publisher: Sammy Entertainment

Platform: PlayStation 2

Retail: $39.99

Website: www.sammy-zone.com

Highs: excellent graphics and plane models and a high-quality replay mode stand out as strong points here.

Lows: uneven mission difficulty and inferior cockpit audio.

Bottom line: if you are an experienced simmer, rent Lethal Skies for a test flight before you buy it.

Another PlayStation 2 combat flight game in the same vein as Namco's Ace Combat series, Sammy's Lethal Skies allows you to jump behind the controls of a wide array of modern jet aircraft. The background story is some bizarre tale involving melting icecaps and other apocalyptic events, but the core gameplay-- zooming around in jets and splashing bad guys-is well done.