Pro Flight Simulator

There's been a fair bit of hype over Pro Flight Simulator as of late.  I'll admit I was skeptical.  I should point out that the term "flight simulator" gets used in a couple of ways.  Sometimes it refers to plane games, where the focus is on flying.  Other times it refers to war games, where the focus is on combat.  In the 90s there were some great plane games.  However, in the last decade, the flight sim market has been flooded with some pretty mediocre games.  But, I decided to check it out.  Much to my delight, they offered a 60-day money back guarantee!  I can't recall EVER seeing a game come with a guarantee.  A warranty? Sure (for disc based games).  Or trade-ins of course, at less than half of what you paid for it.  But a full guarantee?  Sweet!

So now I really had no excuse not to give it a chance.  And I have to say, I'm glad I did.  By far the most realistic flight simulator I've played in years.  Certainly not one of these dime-a-dozen flight "simulators" that lets you take off with a single button press, only to find yourself in a dogfight 12 seconds later.

I should point out that this game isn't really about air combat.  It's about flying, a plane game rather than a war game.  Although there is a combat add-on for the game that is included as one of the four free bonuses.  It can get pretty intense.  The enemy planes can be pretty clever, unlike some other games which will remain nameless.

Both the combat add-on and the core game offer the OPTION of multiplayer.  But it isn't forced on you.  And although I despise multiplayer games as a general rule, the way Pro Flight Simulator does it, it pretty unique.  It ties in with Google Maps!  Online players are superimposed on the map as radar blips.

The game also includes over 20,000 real airports, stunning aerial views, and somehow manages to incorporate real-world weather data into the game environment.

I can easily see myself losing a year to this game, touring the world in my very own MIG.

The only "con" I can really give this game is that at 150+ aircrafts to choose from, it's pretty tough to decide what you want to fly first!

In conclusion, I give Pro Flight Simulator a 10/10 for the flight simulator genre, and a 9/10 overall.


Coming in June a review of Sid Meier's Civilization V: Gods & Kings