Computer And Video Games - The latest gaming news, reviews, previews & movies

	Sam & Max Interview: Telltale talks detectives and... Cheerios?!
	Interview: Blizzard Expansions, the future and plans outside WoW
	Command & Conquer 3 ^PC Preview: First hands-on with Nod Vs. GDI
	Test Drive Unlimited ^PC Preview: M.O.O.R. goes hardcore

All

PC

PlayStation

Xbox

Nintendo

Mobile

BROWSE CVG

PC GAMING

Contact us
Feeds

Login

Not a member yet? Click here to register!

Video

Launch Player

More Magazines

PC Zone	OXM
Total Film	PSW
Next-Gen.biz	T3

All PC

PC Reviews

Anachronox ^PC

Red Faction ^PC

Review

Falcon 4.0

9.5

Format PC

Developer Microprose

Publisher Microprose

Genre Flight Sim

13-Aug-2001

After what seems like years, Falcon 4.0 is finally ready for release. Has it been worth the wait? Our man in the cockpit is Jeremy Wells

After three long years in the making, the latest instalment in the awesome Falcon series is finally here. For a long time Falcon 3.0 (PCZ #68, 50%) was the flight sim to which all others were compared, and in many respects it was considered to be the benchmark modern-day flight sim. Since then we've had EF2000 (PCZ #31, 97%) and, more recently, F-22 ADF (PCZ #60, 93%) and Jane's F-15 (PCZ #64, 92%), all of which have eclipsed Falcon 3.0 in terms of graphics, design and features.

Looking good at 500 feet

Previous Falcon sims have never been up against such impressive rivals, but that's not to say the developers have been resting on their laurels. The advent of 3D accelerator technology means there's no excuse for games looking crap, and this applies doubly for flight sims. Unsurprisingly, Falcon 4.0 doesn't disappoint in the graphics department - as long as you've got the kit, that is. The terrain is both varied and accurate depending on which part of Korea you're flying over, and it doesn't break up when you're skimming over the trees at 500 knots. In truth, some ground objects look a little at odds with the terrain at times, but we've yet to see a flight sim that doesn't suffer from similar problems.

As you'd expect, the cockpit is recreated in exact detail, and there's a clickable 2D mode that enables you to flick every switch and twiddle every knob using your mouse, as well as a 3D mode that lets you look around the canopy and stare at your legs. The first thing you notice when you select this mode is that everything in the cockpit is reflected in the canopy - just as it should be. It's far from annoying, and in fact as you become familiar with the layout it actually helps you orient yourself when you're in padlock mode or in the heat of a dogfight.

All the usual camera modes are in evidence, and the external views confirm that the developers have really gone to town with the aircraft detailing: you can actually see the afterburners open up for extra thrust, the air brakes and flaps move, and your pilot smiling in the cockpit. There's plenty of lens flare too when the sun is shining, and realistic fluffy clouds when it's not. There's also a rather cool 'action cam' that neatly jumps from one action point to another as your mission progresses, and is compulsive viewing as you sit in the cockpit on your way to the target area.

Thankfully, all the detailing is scaleable, so if you haven't got a ninja-bastard machine you can at least set about finding a compromise between graphical nicety and frame rate. On a P166 with 32Mb of RAM and no 3D card, it's just about playable; on a P2-266 with 64Mb of RAM and dedicated 3D hardware, it's really rather special.

You can make a difference

There are many ways to play Falcon 4.0, and thankfully you can toggle the level of realism to make it as easy or as difficult as you want by adjusting the numerous flying aids. There's Instant Action, which sticks you in the air with enemy who just keep on coming; Tactical Engagement, which includes 30 progressively difficult training scenarios, from simple take-off to more difficult flame-out landings and mid-air refuelling; Dogfight enables you to see how good you are against a specific enemy, as well as a pretty comprehensive multi-player facility (see Multiplayer Ecstacy boxout on page 80). As well as flying specific missions, you can design your own using the scenario editor, and even create your own campaigns by stringing several scenarios together. These can then be saved and given to your mates, or stuck up on the dedicated Falcon 4.0 website for all to play.

Thankfully, MicroProse have had the foresight to include a campaign mode in the initial release of Falcon 4.0, instead of cashing in on hapless punters by releasing it separately at a later date. Set in Korea, you can start at any of three progressively difficult stages (the first being the easiest). And as it's dynamic in structure, anything can and will happen after the first day, depending on how you and your chaps perform. You can choose to fly any mission on offer at that time, and as the timing is often crucial it's imperative that you don't mess up. For example, one mission might involve three packages: one team goes up to clear the flight path, the second goes in and bombs the target, and then the third brings up the rear to photograph the damage to the target area. Arrive late and you risk messing up the whole mission and potentially causing irreparable damage to the war effort. You can dive into a mission at any time, even during flight, and also let the computer AI take over at any stage. In practice, the tactical side is best left to the CPU AI, but you can take control yourself if you wish. In fact, you can even choose not to fly at all, and just concentrate on deploying your forces at the right time and in the right places and play it like a RTS game. just like the real thing

What impresses most here is the overwhelming feeling that you're really inside the conflict and playing a part in the war. Fail to complete your mission successfully and take out that bridge, and the enemy ground forces advance. Ignore those enemy fighters while you're on your way to bomb a nuclear power station, and you could get back to your base to find it levelled to the ground. Dawdle too long on the runway, where there are always aircraft waiting to take off and land, and you'll incite a rude comment from the tower. When you're flying a mission, it's not uncommon to see plenty of action going on around you, on the radar and on the horizon. You really get a sense that there's a war going on and that you're a part of it, but at the same time you never feel as though all the action is centred on you. If you do well, then you can actually help change the course of the war. Unlike with many other flight sims, you actually feel as though you can make a difference.

Let's fly

It's important to point out that in many ways Falcon 4.0 is not a game, but rather a full-on, hard-core simulation, and you really do have to learn how to fly the F-16C and use its various weapon systems in order to get the most out of it. Once you do, it becomes one of the most absorbing and compelling pieces of programming you're ever likely to install on your machine.

Thankfully, because it's so scaleable it's pretty accessible to even the novice, but even on the lowest realism setting it still takes time to get to grips with. Once you've grasped the basic principles and controls, it's possible to progress through a campaign, reducing the number of flying aids as you become more proficient. Once you're confident you know what you're doing you can start again. And because the campaign is dynamic, chances are it'll be quite a different experience, which means there's massive potential for replay value.

On the down side, the training mode could be a little more helpful, but if you don't mind referring to the rather weighty manual then there's little at issue here. It would also be nice to be able to save your progress mid-mission, though this is understandably difficult due to the dynamic nature of the game.

Flight sims always seem to score highly, because in many ways they represent the cutting edge of PC technology. And Falcon 4.0 is no exception. It is quite simply a breathtaking game (if you can call it that), and one that flight sim fans will ignore at their peril.