Rating: Summary: Super realistic! The best flight sim! Review: This game is definately the mother of all flight sims. It is totally realistic in all aspects. The cockpit insturments are so cool, as is the dolby surround sound. This goes on top of all of my flight sims. A definate must-buy for all fighter plane enthusiasts like myself!
Rating: Summary: Falcon 4.0 Review: This game is very impressive at first sight featuring stunning graphics and realistic gameplay. However, the campaign is full of bugs and almost impossible to really play. Microprose has put out patches but they haven't fixed anything. This is a cool game, but it needs some work
Rating: Summary: A distinguished piece of work Review: This is a wonderful, wonderful simulation. Hugely ambitious, it was released a bit too early with too many bugs. The patch (available for download free from the company's site) fixes any of the problems I found. One of the most incredible simulation experiences ever. The fully dynamic campaign is a wonder to behold. The user manual is excellent. Only one (very minor) criticism: the music on the setup screens seems to be a derivation of the guitar music they had on Top Gun, which is somewhat obnoxious. However, you can turn this off. I would rate this game a 9.9 out of 10. Outstanding in almost all respects. I wish all sims were made this way.
Rating: Summary: The only true combat flight sim on the market Review: This is as real as it gets. Falcon 4.0 on it's own is not that crash hot, you need to get the community addons, (current standard is SP3), and that is where the negative reviews are coming from. But if you have the addons, you will find this the best simulator on the market by a rediculously huge margin. I am a current pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force, and know quite a few other pilots who swear by Falcon, we recently tried LOMAC and were hugely disapointed. There really is no comparison, and with Falcon OIR on the horizon which is going to be a simple easy install of falcon and all the community work, plus some new improvements, Falcon is only going to get better.
Rating: Summary: For those who want real without enlisting Review: This is the best combat simulator I have ever used. I will not bore you with the details (you can get that from other reviews). It is a shame however that Microprose rushed the release of Falcon 4 without adequate testing. It is even more tragic that no other project from Microprose is to be released. Users must rely on 3rd party patches and addons. Why, because the true power is in its untapped potential: the electronic battlefield. In Falcon 3 you had the F-18 and the Mig29 complementing and opposing the F-16. I am hopefull that one day other aircraft will be integrated making the air campaign that much more dynamic. I am a pilot myself flying in the military and I recall the feeling of dread and fascination of formation flying, well I felt it in Falcon 4, especially the air to air refuelling(at real settings). You can plan,fly and fight with your friends. For people who want authenticity are not afraid of a learning curve and for pure satisfaction this sim is for you.
Rating: Summary: Request vector to target Review: Truly a work of art Falcon 4.0 is a hyper realistic simulation of air combat with impressive detailed graphics and sounds. Set in Korea it contains 31 training missions, multiplayer, dogfights, and a Tactical Engagement window that provides accurate detailes about allied and enemy ground, air, and naval capabilities. The Campaign provides radio comands, pre-mission planing and post-mission evaluation. Everything is run in real time with ground and air forces attacking, crashing, even calling for help all around you. It stays true to it's realism with accurate weapon effect, realistic turns, G's, and stalls. But it's still not perfect with some glitches (ie stalling, slowing down and sometimes no sound) and the occasional annoying return to windows it shows some choppy workmanship and inadequet testing. Yet with it's flaws it is a must have for airplane fanatics with a fast machine and joystick.
Rating: Summary: A phoenix that's rixen from the ashes numerous times. Review: Unfortunately, the author of the Gamespot review wrote it barely 2 months after Falcon 4.0's debuet, and a whole month before Microprose (its original owner) started releasing patches that tried to fix the problems. By the end of that year (December 7, 1999), the 1.08 patch had been released, and the game's code was relatively stable & bug free. Of course, many have said that each patch, while fixing some things, actually broke other things in the source code. Sure, the last patch that was issued was a step in the right direction. Many thought, though, that it could've gone much further. Unfortunately, the original owner ceased all efforts with the 1.08 patch. Luckily, though, their efforts were picked up & continued by 3rd party modification groups (i.e. Realism Patch Group, eRazor, F4UT), and the code, bit & bit (through tons of turmoil), over the next 4 years, was fixed. This is the best flight simulation I've EVER played!! The realism will BLOW YOUR MIND!! It's even better with the latest SuperPAK patch, and the Free Falcon & BMS add ons. They take Falcon 4.0 to new & exciting heights!! You will definately get your money's worth if you buy this game!! It just keeps on giving & giving!!
Rating: Summary: The only sim you would ever need Review: Well what can i say but this is the best game.First of alleverything about the game is so accurate except for a few things.Youmay need the patches but that just improves the game by so much. I know real pilots that say the game is so accurate that it is scary.If you think about buying janes f-18,don't even think about it,i bought it right when it came out and played it twice and put it back in the box wishing i never bought it.That game is not even close to accurate.
Rating: Summary: JUST GOT THE GAME! Review: When I first opened the box I looked inside figuring I would find a CD and a registration card. Only to my surprise to find the longest manual I've seen. (besides my ACM Air Combat Maneuvering book) Being an amateur at the game, I tossed the manual on the ground (A BIG mistake) and proceeded to install the game. After a minute or two on installation I began to play. Wanting to get right to the action, I went straight to Campaigns and passing all the crucial training missions. 15 seconds into the flight I got 2 Migs on my 6 and no wingman. After lasting for about ten minutes I had the most beautiful shot with a AIM-9L and right as I prepare to fire and get the cleanist shot, I get warning signs lighting up everywhere. The next thing you know, other pilots are laughing at me. So my advise to you, read the manual and don't get overconfident cause then you'll be nothing buy smoke and a hole in the ground.
Rating: Summary: Still the most realistic jet sim out there Review: When you buy this title, you should realize you are not buying your typical computer game, but instead an incredibly realistic simulator. Therefore, you should realize it will take a lot of practise, training and reading through the excellent manual before you start flying serious online or campaign missions. However, I believe going through that process is part of what makes it so great - you really feel a sense of achievement once you start noticing you don't end up being killed during every campaign mission anymore, you are able to get your weapons on targer and you actually start understanding what is going on around you. It has been quite a while since the original, buggy, sim that some people here complain about was released. In the meantime it has been upgraded to an incredible level of realism. This goes far beyond just the official patches - a group of coders (eteam) have actually improved it to a level where almost every button and switch in the cockpit is functional and they are still at it. At the same time, the graphics engine has been improved to make use of the newer graphics cards. These are all free upgrades and the latest at the time of writing was eFalcon 1.09. Just do a search on the web for links to all the downloads or helpful forums. You can also find incredible cockpits, skins and now even new theaters on the web. The work and time spent by the people creating all these add-ons have turned this sim into something that I believe won't be matched for a long time. And since they are still at it, the game you get in the end is brand new and much, much more than what you find in the box. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, someone buying this product should realize it is much more than a game and about as realistic as a non-classified sim can get. Therefore, if you are looking for just a "game", I suggest you look elsewhere as this sim is demanding - in setting up and managing all the add-ons as well as of course the actual gameplay. However, there is also an extremely wide range of resources, including many forums with very helpful enthusiasts, available to help you get the most out of it. This sim, like most flightsims, also demands a good computer and be prepared to turn down some of the graphic settings in order to achieve smooth play if you have an older system. If you are a hardcore simmer and would really like to know what is is like to fly a modern jet fighter, this title is what you were looking for.
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