Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series - PC

Amazon.com Playing Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator is the closest you can get to being a World War II fighter pilot. Experience the same level of realism as the award-winning Microsoft Flight Simulator, with the rush and excitement of World War II air combat over Europe. Enlist with the Royal Air Force, the Luftwaffe, or the U.S. Army Air Force, and choose from eight modeled aircraft, each with its own realistic flight models and accurately detailed cockpits. Then experience the real flight performance of each aircraft as well as the effects damage has specific aircraft systems on each plane. From the Manufacturer In Combat Flight Simulator, Microsoft uses a proven approach to earning the attention of the gaming crowd. Not only does CFS bring an exciting set of authentic military scenarios to the cyber crowd, it's also an "open system". Now for the first time, CFS add-ons can be used to increase the flexibility and extensibility of this military simulator. Combat Flight Simulator includes many of the classic aircraft from the European front. But during the early 1940s, there was another war taking place in the Pacific. Pacific Theatre Aircraft is a set of U.S. and Japanese planes that saw battle in the Pacific. It includes 12 authentic planes created especially for CFS by designers Terry Hill and Dennis Wasnich. They look great and they fly great. And now, for the first time, we are adding new scenery to Combat Flight Simulator. Pacific Theater Aircraft includes authentic Pearl Harbor scenery and the Hawaiian islands, where you can relive air battles from the start of the Pacific war. Review Sirens wail and ack-ack guns begin to pepper the sky with shrapnel blossoms. The drone of aircraft can be heard on the horizon, approaching in droves to your local retailer. What is it? Another onslaught of F22 sims? No. Thankfully, gamers will once again be able to fly in the glory days of air combat, the Second World War. In the next few months a small squadron of titles will be taking off, with Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator the first one off the tarmac. Initial impressions are highly favorable. There's a range of playing possibilities, including free flight, quick missions, single missions, campaigns, training missions, and multiplayer dogfighting. You can choose from eight single-engine prop fighters to fly: the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire Marks I and IX, ME 109E and 109G, FW 190A-8, P-47D, and P-51D. Filling the sky are numerous other fighters (including favorites like the ME-262), bombers, and even buzz bombs. The sky isn't the only target-rich environment, as the surface is also populated with various targets just waiting to explode in attractive-looking fireballs. All the models look good and are easily recognized as accurate. The terrain is just as attractive as the units. It uses the same system as Flight Simulator, tiled bitmaps with major cities built up of several dozen buildings and notable landmarks (such as the Eiffel Tower). While the terrain looks good and even has elevation in many spots, it does cause a slight loss of frame rate, and let's face it, while in a furball at 10,000 feet the appeal of the ground terrain isn't a factor. The strongest element of Combat Flight Simulator is the flight experience itself. The vast majority of flight sims usually break their flight models down into two modes: easy or realistic. Some include a third mode to fill the middle ground. Combat Flight Simulator handles flying by a series of options that allow you to tailor piloting to whatever skill level is desired. This is fantastic because no other sim is as accessible to such a wide range of user skill. Do you want something quick and easy like US Navy Fighters? It's possible to play with a series of hotkeys to handle most important functions, including the ability to fly from waypoint to waypoint with a touch of a single key. Maybe you want to break out the Snoopy headgear and immerse yourself into what it must have been like to really pilot a P-47. You can have complete control over every aspect of flying. Why bother with hotkeys for the engine controls when you can individually adjust the throttle, prop, and mixture control? And, since everything is optional, you can mix and match. For example, you could use a hotkey to start the engine instead of fooling with all the controls, but instead of instantly heading to the next waypoint, you actually take the time to fly there. Additionally, there are checklists that you can use for pop-up help, taking you step by step through the processes of flying. Of course this is a combat simulator, and there's a wide range of options accompanying players once they get into battle. Standard features such as a padlock view and virtual cockpit (which is a tad rough looking) exist, but it's the nonstandard features that really help out. These include a three-dimensional arrow, which directs you to the enemy, the ability to "lock on" and track a target, and a t