Lock On (Modern Air Combat, Flaming Cliffs, Platinum)

The Lock on series (again From Ubisoft do I sense a trend?). Is an unofficial sequel to the Flanker series. The first version had the same Russian aircraft and the F-15C and A-10A from the U.S. and Flaming Cliffs ads the SU-25T Frogfoot. There is a significant graphical improvement over Flanker and the same great landscaping. But it is set in the same place, and remains so through all its expansions. Platinum attempts to switch things up by moving the setting several hundred miles southwest. The greatest strength of Lock On is its incredible realism. Individual flight models, authentic radio chatter, and complex aircraft systems. It even has a similar damage simulator to IL-2. However it's greatest strength is (in my opinion) also it's greatest weakness. Even when on lower difficulty settings the game is so real that it often loses the fun turn and burn feeling of Flanker 2.5. Although you can still decimate enemy aircraft with unlimited missals and impossible maneuvers, it feels like you're cheating somehow. Although Ubisoft will try to sell Platinum as the best version, Modern Air Combat is basically the same game. (And I feel as though MAC is more visually pleasing in the game menu). I would say that Lock On is a great series that only fails by taking its self to seriously, although there are some comedic moments in the radio chatter for scripted missions. It is a simulator all the way and if you but it only to play with invulnerably, unlimited ammo, and unlimited fuel on, you just overspent by a good 40 bucks when H.A.W.X. is available on Steam for $10.       

      

IL-2 Sturmovik (1946)

IL-2 is yet another Ubisoft masterpiece. With 229 Flyable WWII aircraft, after all expansions, no other game matches the variety that IL-2 does. Better than decent graphics and gameplay that works for both rookies and aces alike make this game a whole lot of fun. probably the most appealing aspect of the game (at least for me) is the damage simulator. Your aircraft will break apart from where the bullets are hitting not from some set point. And the best part? Addons are still being made, IL-2 Cliffs of Dover was released in early 2011, and although its not an addon in the same way as Pacific Fighters or Sturmoviks over Manchuria its made by the same people and is a similar game. The biggest issue that I came across playing IL-2 is that after a while all those aircraft loose their appeal. In fact some times it feels as thought there are a lot fewer planes than advertised, and that's because different models of the same plane count as different aircraft, there are at least 10 versions of the  A6M Zero. Also the game's mission editor is very buggy and far from intuitive. But once you get passed all that the game, and I use game loosely because it's really more a simulator, can be lodes of fun. Just one thing though, you will need a joystick. keyboard and mouse just aren't gonna do it for this one.

here's were you can try a Demo.
http://www.fileplanet.com/63881/60000/fileinfo/IL-2-Sturmovik-Demo-v2.0

A little introduction

Every week (approximately) I will discuss a different flight sim. The term "sim" will be fairly broad as I will cover everything from IL-2 to piloting the chopper in GTA IV. I will cover old, current, and upcoming sims and  I mean for this to be a reference for anyone looking to buy a game and who wants some sort of review. So please come fly with me :)