User Reviews (1 - 11 of 14)

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3 Rating: 3, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: October 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This program may have a nifty new title, but many of us combat sim nuts have already played this game some time back when 3dfx was something new. It's GSC's "F18 Korea" in sheep's clothing. For those of you who have played this before, you can skip the next few paragraphs.
For those of you who haven't, this is actually a pretty decent combat flight sim centered around the versatile F18. Training missions are flown around Hawaii, a desert area near Nellis AFB is used for multiplayer missions (no, there isn't any Las Vegas scenery), and combat missions take place in Korea. The combat missions are available through a "Korean Campaign" menu, but don't be fooled; these are just sets of individual missions that have no effect on any greater conflict. If you want a true campaign where you plan your own missions and your performance has an ultimate effect on the enemy's overall forces and such, then you need to get Falcon 4.0.
I found the flight model to have a good mix of realism and ease of flying. Turns and climbs bleed off speed nicely. This is no arcade fighter that can maneuver with impunity, nor climb straight up without any loss of airspeed, yet the model is still very managable for novice flyers and landings are fairly easy. Radar and instruments can be a bit complex for some, but not nearly so much as in F18 Super Hornet or Falcon.
Combat can be tricky, in that enemy missiles are VERY difficult to evade. I don't know enough about real modern air combat to judge, but the key in this game to winning, is identifying and firing first. At least enemy aircraft have an equally tough time evading your missiles. Wingman commands are relatively simple and easy to execute. Overall, I thought the AI was pretty good. The selection of available weapons does not compare to Falcon 4.0, but it suffices. I did greatly appreciate the availability of tactical nukes.
The mission editor, a necessity with any combat sim, is nicely done. It provides a good set of tools and variables, without being overly cluttered and confusing and I found it easy to work with.
When F18 Korea first came out, I thought the graphics were incomparable. The day/night shading and dynamic lighting effects were far better than anything on the market. Surprisingly, the atmospherics still hold up fairly well today, but the models and texturing to do not compare to games like USAF, Falcon, and Super Hornet. Though the perspective seems true, the terrain is woefully pyramidal in shape. This is supposed to be an updated version, but the only graphic improvment I noticed was the addition of sub-par 3d clouds. NPC aircraft are particularly lacking in detail. Even so, the sim manages to maintain a certain look that I can still enjoy.
Make no mistake, I loved playing GSC's F18 - when it first came out years ago. I still enjoy this game to a certain extent today. Watching the sunset turning to night on the cirrocumulus clouds can still bring tears to my eyes, ... The package claims this game has been updated, but the only updating I noticed was a few 3d clouds and compatibility with newer video cards. They didn't even bother to update the FA18 model with more realistic landing gear.
Seems the folks at Graphsim wanted one last shot at cashing in on an old title. Well, I bit, and out of respect to Graphsim, I didn't return it. I wrote it off as a gift to an old friend, though I doubt others will be so generous.

Best Hornet Sim By Far

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: September 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is the best and most versatile Hornet Sim I've used, and I've owned a copy of every Hornet Sim available in the U.S. since Graphsim's original Hornet Sim for Mac from the late 1980's. It can be played easily by beginners or by experts when set to its highest difficulty. Don't let the large user's manual scare you-- The sim can be played with less than 10 keyboard commands, actually only 5 specialty keys need to be used if you already understand that F = Flaps, G = Gear, -/+ = Throttle, etc. At higher difficulty levels, the entire keyboard is needed to operate the sim's complex systems. Jane's F/A-18 has perhaps a little more refined scenery, but Xicat's F/A-18 Precision Strike Fighter has BY FAR the absolutely best cockpit rendering of any Hornet sim. Since 100% of my flying is done from the cockpit, this makes all the difference for me.

Falls Short of Expectations

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: January 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Being a recent release, I expected a lot more from this game as far as graphics and joystick support goes. The clouds in the game appear to be volumetric and are excellent, but the ocean is just bad.... no waves or anything, just a static texture map to represent the ocean. I would have expected more comprehenisve Direct Input Support like in Combat Flight Simulator 2... but despite the claims of "USB Support" the game only supports a single input device instead of allowing multiple devices (as would be used for a USB forcefeedback joystick, USB rudder pedals, USB throttle etc... all connected together). The manual is good, but the lack of a proper keyboard map (as provided with Jane's F/A-18) makes the game very difficult to learn and not fun to play. The downloadable keyboard shortcuts on the xicat websight does not appear to be complete. Really the only thing good about the game is the realism of the avionics and radar systems. Unlike Jane's however, it does not allow you to use the mouse to manipulate the cockpit buttons and switches... this further makes the game harder to play.... it's like using WordPerfect 5.0 for DOS over again without a menubar, mouse or keyboard template.

WAY too hard to play

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: March 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I guess if your in the market for a true combat sim, this is for you. It's a 100 something page instruction booklet. I've been playing computer and video games all my life and I never got so frustrated after spending money on a computer game. If your not a SERIOUS flight sim gamer, you will end up like me. I wanted some cool missions, some cool weapons, and some flying fun. It will take the average person 3-5 hours to even START to be able to play this game with any level of success. I guess I should have stuck to playstations Top Gun or Air Combat.

Way too hard to play

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: December 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I guess if your in the market for a true combat sim, this is for you. It's a 100 something page instruction booklet. I've been playing computer and video games all my life and I never got so frustrated after spending (...) bucks. If your not a SERIOUS flight sim gamer, you will end up like me. I wanted some cool missions, some cool weapons, and some flying fun. It will take the average person 3-5 hours to even START to be able to play this game with any level of success. I guess I should have stuck to playstations Top Gun or Air Combat.

Target Locked!! And so is your computer.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: December 09, 2001
Author: Amazon User

It has all the appeal of a flying game, but it locks your computer up and forces you to reboot! Try flying a mission, completing that mission, and successfully landing at home base only to lose everything to a unpredictable system lockup.

(...)P>The instruction manual doesn't have a keyboard shortcut section either, but if you dig around then it can be found on their website.

FA-18 Precision Strike Fighter

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I bought this one (out of many flight sim choices) because it looked like a descendent of the FA-18 sim I played and loved on my Mac (sorry don't recall the company). I believe it is in fact an update of that excellent game.

What makes this sim a winner for me is the combination of realism and flyability. The plane is easier to handle than, say, the MS Flight Simulator series, but you will still need practice to pull off carrier operations and evasive maneuvers. The instrumentation is incredibly detailed and all the weapons and radar functions are there. The sheer number of keystrokes you need to memorize to pull off all of the aircraft functions are daunting at first, but I find they can be learned quickly. (A reference card for the keyboard commands would come in handy here, guys).

I can recommend this one to any flight sim buff unless you are a purist for the most demanding flight models, a la MS Combat Flight Simulator (frankly I get tired of struggling with coordinating my turns and fighting torque on that one).

Very challenging

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I too have played other flight sims but to date this is the most challenging and realistic. Also very addictive and adreline pushing. I have played for about 3 months and am still learning. That is what makes this worth getting. I am nowhere tired of playing the programmed missions and have not even tried online yet. This has alot to offer and will get updates or next version. You must have fast computer and good joystick, xicat offers many page manual that can be printed.

Fairly good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Sure, the manual is long, but you have to expect that if the real thing costs in the tens of millions of US dollars. The training videos and classrom lessons provided help out, but you might need to take a lesson over and over a few times (i.e, landing, and the use of certian wepons). But maby not, if your a fast learner, or a vetran of fighter jets. The demo video is verry cool, proving the reason why this plane is used by the US Naval and Marine forces as well as the Air Forces of Many other countries. Try not to get into the habit of ejecting because you cant land on the USS Enterprise well enough. One has to know the uses of each weapon (as well as the weight limit of the plane, to allow it to get off that training funway in Hawaii!) and if you'll need extra fuel for long-range missions. Just look in the table of contents of the manual, and learn the methods you need. not a bad game

Not an easy start, but worth the work ...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: December 31, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This sim is perhaps one of the best out there from what I hear. I'm not the veteran of similar programs, but I am a veteran of the Armed Forces and am amazed at the realistic systems and chances of survival - if nothing else, this game will help you appreciate the intricacies and complexities of what our forces do every day. It is indeed very complex and not easy to get into and used to, but it is well worth it. Use the training programs available which are very extensive and you'll find that you're much better off for it.

Enjoy!

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