SimCopter

Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: Sim Copter is quite an enjoyable game. Yes, the graphics are truly hideous at times (take a look at the freakish Sims and you'll see what I mean) but the overall gameplay is fun. You get to be a pilot in your own SimCity 2000 land or one that the game provides. The flying isn't difficult, you just use the directional buttons on the keyboard (unlike some flight simulators where you feel like you need to go to flight school just to figure out how to get the plane off the ground). The game does have bugs though, like your pilot getting stuck in a wall or on a ledge, impossible rooftop rescues and transport and medevacs that are no where to be found. But it is also humorous, like those ad's on your pilots radio, the crazy colored animal (I have no idea what those animals are suppose to be) and Sims with there faces on the back of their heads. Also, has anyone noticed when you bring a medevac to the hospital, the doctor drops him/her on the ground and runs after your copter like your giving away money?! Overall 4 stars, because of the graphics and bugs.

Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: Simcopter has been reputed to have a lot of bugs. This has been greatly exaggerated and underneath these minor problems lies a fun game with almost endless replayability and one easily able to provide many hours of entertainment. Most graphics are actually well done. There are multiple landscape surfaces, mountains (with snow and all), trees, and animated water. If you travel outside the city limits, you will find a combination of trees, water and mountains that is completely random and provides for a believable wilderness area. Best of all, the game allows you to import your OWN SimCity 2000 cities so you can fly around in them and perform missions corresponding to your city's ACTUAL characteristics. From medevacs to drive-in movies, riots to boat rescues, this game has it all. A must-have for Simcity 2000 fans, but also fun for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: SimCopter Shines -- A Unique Simulation!
Review: SimCopter is a truly unique experience. Yes, you can actually be the chopper pilot who, in SimCity 2000, says "SimCopter One Reporting Heavy Traffic!" as you fly around in your own SimCities or those provided with the game. Each time you go through the Career levels you will encounter something different, sometimes surprising, often challenging, never boring. There's even a hidden bonus in the highest levels.

I don't spend a lot of time with computer games, but this one grabbed me immediately (I'd been looking forward to it long before it was released) and never let go. Sure, some things are unfinished and there are a few glitches and abnormalities, but they only ADD to the experience. One of the appeals is that it is NOT a flashy shoot-em-up. So give it a try, and it may capture you as it has captured me.

Rating:
Summary: SimCopter: A Great Game -:)
Review: SimCopter is a very good game despite it's poor reviews by others.

General: The game will appeal to flightsim as well as strategy game players. Also, the game will appeal to any SimCity 2000 players, as you can import your saved city creations from SC2K into SimCopter. It's really interesting to see your SC2K cities within SimCopter in full 3D.

The game is also suitable for all audiences, children as well as adults, although gameplay may be too complex for younger children.

Installation: Installation is a snap and seems relatively clean, same for the uninstall.

Bugs: The game has numerous bugs, but can all be overcome and don't heavily affect the overall gameplay.

These bugs include:

Criminals located in inaccessable places or "stuck" in buildings.

"Rooftop Rescues" in between very close buildings making it almost impossible to reach with your rescue harness.

Sound problems (see below)

Graphics: Graphics are "dated", but what can you expect from a dated game? The lower quality graphics do help to speed up gameplay a bit on a lower PC though.

Sound: The sound effects really create a super atmosphere for the gameplay. The dispatcher constantly keeps you informed of all of the current missions, and the ambient sounds (traffic, fires, explosions, helicopter engines etc...) give you the impression of really flying a chopper in a real city.

One problem with the sound effects is that some versions/upgrades of the game lack stereo on several soundcards (a Sound Blaster 16 comes to mind), while on others, the stereo sounds are not loud enough. On the versions that the stereo works properly with the SB16, the overall sound quality has been reduced (from a 22k "sampling rate" to an 11k "sampling rate"). I believe that these problems are caused by the DirectX "A3D" sound card support in the newer versions of the game.

Music: The music in the game is similar to listening to an FM radio, complete with radio commercials. There are several "KSIM" radio stations of varying musical styles to listen to, including rock, techno, jazz, and my favorite, classical.

The overall quality/fidelity of the music may be compromised depending on the version of the game that you are playing (see above).

Stability: The game seems very stable on the three PCs that I have played it on. The gameplay is a bit choppy on a P133, but is liquid smooth on any faster PC.

Overall: I would rate this game 4 out of 5 stars, contrary to several of the other reviews that I have read. If you are a flightsim and a SimCity 2000 player, you'll love this game -:)

Rating:
Summary: SimCopter is Awesome!!!
Review: SimCopter is one of the best, most hands-on flight simulators I've ever seen. It's packed with fun-to-do missions and disasters, not to mention a UFO. Also, you are free to roam and fly anywhere you want! You can just walk out of your helicopter and stroll across a bridge, or get in an apache and blow up the whole city for no reason at all! You never get a game-over, like most typical games. The only thing I don't like about it is way they designed the 3-D Highways. As you play, you feel like a real pilot! I recommend this game for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: One of a kind! A good game.
Review: SimCopter is over two years old now, so of course the graphics look old but zipping around a city provides a nice feel for speed and flight, and for pure esthetics, it is a pretty game. There are some Sims who get stuck, but it's not a game breaker and even on the occasional crash, you can still restart and continue on your merry way. You'll get 10X the gameplay if you have SC2K so you can design your own cities, then fly them. It's just plain FUN! With the 1.02 patch, you get a more realistic flight mode so there's more challenge.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Copter Sim!
Review: SimCopter is the most enjoyable 'copter sim there is! Unlike most flight sims, you don't need a PHD to learn to fly. You can fly with either the keyboard or any joystick. And I've heard real helicopter pilots say that the physics of the flight make it feel just like the real thing. Maxis did a wonderful job with this one, even given the few bugs that remain.

The main draw is being able to fly in your own SimCity 2000 cities, which extends the game quite a bit - if you don't have SC2000 you can still download lots of cities to fly in - or just fly the mission included. SimCopter is not a 'shoot em up' game, which does turn off those people who just want a mindless killfest. You can, however kill if you must, provided you can get the 'secret' Apache helicopter.

The graphics are not terrible, like you may have heard, but they don't knock your eyes out either. Which allows it to be played on something as slow as a 486DX2! You don't have to have a killer PIII 700mhz computer or an Athalon, like most new games. And to me, that's a real plus. Hey, what ya want, drop-dead graphics or a fun game?

Rating:
Summary: SimCopter: In the eyes of a true gamer
Review: SimCopter, in its most confusing ways, is one of the most expansive low-grade flight simulators I have ever seen. The graphics are VERY poor, but the game itself is very fun and interesting, full of twists, turns and FUN. Beware, the upgrade option IS NOT YOUR FRIEND! Use with caution, and as always, have fun and don't expect something magnificent, because it's not. Also import cities and fly them as you please. Overall, a good game, but be a smart shopper. -CJK

Rating:
Summary: The true story of Sim Copter
Review: The fun part of Sim Copter is to cheat, yes to cheat. If you are felling especially destuctful,if you have the right code you can destoy the city in a apache. The controls are simple and no joystick is required, too good to be true.

Rating:
Summary: lots of fun
Review: The graphics are bad, there are plenty of bugs to go around, and in the end, there's not all that much you end up doing in the missions. But somehow, this game is super fun.

Maybe its the fact that the graphics are slopped together to the point where you kinda think they're kidding around. The people off the city are all freaks, and you and they make all sorts of real noises. The noises the pilot makes when you walk towards water or near the edge of a buidling are hilarious.

Even though, there's not really ALL that much to do in these cities, you probably won't notice it too much. All the stuff is pretty fun. You get to put out fires, rescue people, chase down speeders, etc. A fun little thing is that when you transport people, if you start to descend as fast as you can, the little displays of them in your chopper show them getting all flustered and scared. Classic.

I wouldn't exactly say that this game is "so bad it's good", because it does have appeal. The gameplay is good for killing some time.

I guess that's what this game boils down to. An extremely fun time-killer.