Over the last dozen or so years, the slogan “simulator” has ceased to be associated with a serious game that really tries to show the reality of the topic it is undertaking, and more reminiscent of embarrassing “games” made on the knee for a packet of matches and 2 slugs. Fortunately, however, there are still companies such as Microsoft that take the subject extremely seriously and with each new version of their brand, they try to blur the line between the game and the real world.
Preparations for take-off
Due to the fact that Microsoft Flight Simulator is a purebred simulator, do not count on any story campaign or the game of being a pilot from junior to senior. The Asobo Studio team focused in their work primarily on giving us the right tools, thanks to which we ourselves can tell any story we want. Before you jump into flight, however, I strongly recommend that you make friends with the tutorials available in the game, because without them you won’t get much better – you won’t even take off.
Contrary to appearances, the operation of such a machine is extremely difficult and in order to learn to fly properly, you will have to spend at least an hour with a given machine to get to know it properly, to feel how it is operated and to check how all its “buttons and switches” work. If you do not have a typical Joystick for such productions, you can go ahead and use an Xbox One pad or an ordinary mouse and keyboard – this control requires knowledge of a hundred different commands, but after a short introduction it does not look so terrible. I don’t know if this is only true for my version or for the keyboard, but in my review I sometimes noticed that the game’s hint system confuses the climb buttons with the descent buttons – but that’s just a minor bug.
Microsoft Flight Simulator – Content
Microsoft has released its creation in several versions, from the “poor” standard edition to the super-brilliant Premium Deluxe edition, where you will find almost everything the game has to offer. First of all, the developers boasted about the possibility of visiting absolutely the whole world, which is not offered by any other production available on the market. Of course, with my review, I must disappoint those who dreamed of flying over their house in Pcim or Poznań, because this “whole world” consists mainly of data available in online maps, so not every building or region has even a three-dimensional model.
Nevertheless, it is extremely impressive that we can use literally every airport on Earth – even microscopic such as Lublinek or the facility in Radom. The less important ones were modeled on the basis of data available on the Web, so as much as they resemble their real counterparts, they are far from the highest-class detail. Otherwise, the case is with airports in large metropolises or the most iconic facilities in the world – these have been treated perfectly and we will notice even the smallest details.
But again, the number of such beautiful locations is limited, because even in the Premium Deluxe version, which I received for review, there was no main London airport, which, as it soon turned out, I would have to buy. The same applies to the planes available in Microsoft Flight Simulator – we get 30 beautifully modeled machines into which the producers put a lot of work, but we will have to buy more machines as quite expensive DLC.
The prices of all extras range from PLN 37 for a nice city district, up to PLN 137 for a new plane. For many, it may be outrageous that even in a package costing PLN 599, we do not have access to the full content implemented in the game, but we must also understand that with this business model, the game must survive on something for the next decade.
Admirable realism
Okay, content with content, but how does the gameplay hold? Well, honestly, I was surprised in places how many cool features Microsoft Flight Simulator offers. First of all, as I mentioned, we can set off from any airport in the world, and by connecting with all online players, we will be able to see where, what and how other virtual pilots are flying. Interestingly, the title of Asobo Studio is also synchronized with the international network of real flights, so in addition to watching digital amateur pilots, we can look at real aircraft – we get the aircraft number, its altitude, speed and model.
The cockpits themselves and the behavior of all machines have been reproduced so perfectly and with such details that we can read each of us and touch every knob available in the machine – and proper preparation for the flight is almost essential. Each machine is piloted differently, so before take-off it will be worth having a look inside and familiarizing yourself with the entire operation. It is worth taking a look where the throttle is, what power the engines have, where the lights are turned on, what kind of refueling, how to make them and other such issues. Seriously, you will spend a dozen or so hours on training and clicking various buttons.
The physics of flying itself is also great, thanks to which a skilled pilot will be able to play like a stuntman doing pirouettes between mountains, bridges or skyscrapers. The only thing I missed here was the option to turn on the autopilot, which would itself correct the flight direction. Well, unless during this time spent with the game I just haven’t discovered it yet. Ah, and it’s a pity that you cannot crash into a mountain in a spectacular way, but nowadays it is rather understandable.
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