Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004

This title will always hold a little soft spot for me, as it was not only my first Flight sim, but also my first computer game of any kind. The Game itself is superb, the stock version comes with 24 aircraft and there are hundreds of downloadable aircraft as well. Now since 2004's release Flight Simulator X has also made a name for itself. However I have never played FSX so I can't make a good judgment on it. From what I have heard people who owned FS2004 and then bought FSX have no end of criticism for the latter. But people who have only played FSX say it's great. But back to FS2004. The game not only comes with plenty of aircraft, but also an entire dynamic earth to fly around in. And the best part is if you fly from New York to Hong Kong there are no load points the whole way. The weather system is equally impressive, you can either create your own or fly through real time weather. The one biggest complaint I have is the ground detail. No roads, no cars, no radio towers. In a city you might be able to make out the Empire State building but other than that houses and buildings are completely generic. Another issue is one that I've had trouble nailing down for a while now. It stems from a feeling of detachment, meaning you don't feel like you're in the plane. And the reason is that even in the 3D cockpit your view is rigid and follows the aircraft's movements exactly so that the cockpits' image does not shift on your screen. To get a better idea of what I mean, next time you're in a car pay close attention to how your head moves with the car. It doesn't just sit there does it? It's moving so that your view is constantly shifting. Sorry to spend so much time on that but it really bugs me. But despite even that I would say that Flight Simulator 2004 earns a solid 8/10 from me.
 And just to clear things up I will not be doing a separate post about FSX, so I will pass my judgment now. As far as I can see FSX and FS2004 are very similar, FSX has more interactive missions and probably better visuals. But in terms of the aircraft they look basically the same in both games until you get real close, then you'll notice that FSX has better HD textures. But still if you want an open world to fly in FS2004 is my first choice. 

this is where i get most of my addons.