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Best heavy bomber sim ever made, if you're patient enough

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: September 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As the title says, if you have the patience, you will get plenty of mileage out of this game. You get to take over nearly every aspect of flying the famed B-17 Flying Fortress in strategic bombing missions over Europe. You can let your 'Fort pretty much run itself, or you can manually take control of any of its 10 crewmbers, from the Bombardier, to the Pilot, to the Tail Gunner. Whenever you're not in manual control, the plane "flies itself" although your input can greatly affect the outcome of the mission. As the campaign progresses, your crew gains experience and they are more able to do their respective jobs. The famous Norden bombsight is included in the game, designed with the help of an actual World War II bombardier who used the Norden to bomb Japan. It's as close to the real thing as you can get with a computer, and you'll feel like a champ once you figure out how to use it properly and are able to drop your 6,000 lb bomb load exactly where you want it to be from 25,000 feet up in the air. It's quite a feeling to watch your bombs drop one by one out of the bomb bay and hit the target. First you see the massive train of explosions wreaking havoc to your chosen target, followed 10 seconds later by the deafening roar. The flak is done to perfection as well. It's a bit terrifying to fly through heavy flak and watch your plane getting shot to shreds and not be able to do anything about it. It's like flying through a bunch of grenades, and when you're inside the plane you can hear the shrapnel plinking off of the airframe. You can name your crewmembers after anyone you like, you can even design your own nose art with the help of a mod. If you're really ambitious, you can be a Squadron Commander and be in total command of 12 bombers, and are able to name all 12 of them along with their 120 crewmembers. You can request reconnaisance film and intelligence information on any of the hundreds of in-game targets, and then choose which ones to target on the next mission. I've learned more about the geography of Europe from playing this game than from all the history classes I've had in my life. I could go on and on about the great times I've had on this game, but I wouldn't be fair to anyone who reads this if I don't mention the #1 pitfall of this game: the crashes. Depending on your operating system and hardware, you could have a hard time running this game without it crashing. I fought it for a month before I realized that the game didn't like my integrated sound card, and once I replaced it with a PCI card, everything was fine. Some people run the game without any difficulties whatsoever. For the $20 or so that it costs these days, if you're interested at all in flight sims or the B-17, and are willing to learn the massive amount of controls, then by all means buy this game. It's one of those games that you can play incessantly for a few months, put it down for a year or so, and then fall in love with all over again for a few more months. I don't see this game coming off of my shelf for a long long time.

Could be a 5 star game but......

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 19
Date: April 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

IT DOES NOT WORK. It's a shame that Microprose and other software developers put such a lot of work into the building of the game, then fail to react to customers when the game does not work. My PC is above the recommended requirements but every time the game crashes once the game loads. The help line have proved to be as much use as a chocolate teapot. My advice is to wait until you here that the problem has been resolved through a patch. Is it too much to ask for a game to be released that works when you open the box, without having to log on to the Internet to download a 16mb patch every 6 months to update a program that should of worked in the first place.

the best game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: February 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

i thought that this game was the best game i ever bought, besids ACES in 94'. the grafics are amasing but the piloting the b-17 is kind of hard. i recomend this game to only serious gamers.

Hasbro/Microprose

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 21
Date: October 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Since Hasbro has been 'involved' in ANY Microprose or simulator software company, consumers and loyal enthuisists have been totally up in arms. Thousands of people have found out how they have been let down in 'future' releases of numerous products, and Hasbro's tech or customer support is the WORST, or fuctionally non-exsistant. A good example is the Roller Coaster Tycoon releases, and the numerous message boards jam packed full of angry and mislead consumers. This latest realese of B-17 IS NOT close to being worth [the money], and should be [less], because of Hasbro's intervention.

Too much machine needed for too little game

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: January 16, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I waited 6 months for this game. Rushed home and started the long road of upgrades. DO YOUR SELF A FAVOUR .. DON'T BUY THIS GAME. Yes I had the min requirements ATI 128 16mb video card. 128 mb of ram and a celeron II 600. It ran < 15 frames per second @ 800x 600 x 32 (16 bit color is way too ugly)

Upgraded to 256 mb of ram NO change in frame rate.

Install new Maxtor Diamond ultra 100 harddrive with fresh install of win 98se NO change in frame rate.

Swap ISA sound blaster 16 for SB live to help the CPU No rate change but sounds great

Overclocked cpu to 750 hz Only 2 fps rate increase.

Overclocked the video card to over 107 hz (from 90) about 4 fps frame rate increase

Moral of story you need at least 32 mb video card to get over 20 fps playablity. These upgrade are beyond the average computer user and I'm not going to speed another $300 on a video card for this mediocre game.

Great game bad graphics

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 47
Date: July 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is awesome, when i had it i used to play it all day and all night. The graphics didn't bother me because they were average for the time. The gameplay is great. Not only do you shoot and bomb targets, you take care of a crew that can pass out, be injured and die. It's fun for the whole family.

Take the time and learn carefully...you will enjoy!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Ok, i have read all 36 reviews..yes, i agree you need a powerful machine with good graphics but to say the game is difficult to play or use is going a little too far. Look, read the manual and do some practice flying and bombing. It did take a little time to figure out how to play at a usuable level, but i had no trouble taking off, flying, bombing, defending from gunner to gunner, and finally landing. Take time to learn the "ropes" of this game. You will enjoy it and have fun moving from mission to mission. Bombs away. Oh yea, why would a C-130 pilot rate this game?

Excellent But....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Things seem a bit repetitive after a while, plus I found it near impossible to hit anything in the turret gunner mode, but other than that its great

the graphics are wonderfully detailed (read: need a GOOD computer), it offers some challenge, and alot of flexibility

if they would add some dedicated fighter missions then it would be spectacular(I know this detracts from what its called but they added the ability to fly the fighters they should have added a few campaigns) get it if your a WW2 fan, other than that stray away...

A great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: January 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

A truley great game. If you like very realistic and historical games get this one. Just like real life on bomb runs you might have to attempt to hit the target multiple times. You can control all 10 crew postions and even control your escorts and the german interceptors. The flak is unbeliveible. (And deadly) Ive waited for a good game like this to come 9out and my wishes have come true. But now if they come out with one like this except where your a soldier in the ardennes.

just okay

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have most of the major flight sims and now I have this and have only worked with it a bit but I find it a little too overcomplicated, it's taxing even for someone who is a flight simmer and is already flight tested and combat tested.
The graphics are good but first there was the necessity to download a patch which at 25mb is the largest game patch I've ever seen, the list of fixes is enough to make you question why they released it in that form anyway.

Although the amount of interactivity is less with the bombers in Janes Attack Squadron so is the level of overhead.

If you are really a B17 nut though and you want total realistic immersion in that plane then you'll like the sim.

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