Review by: Chris Harding
Published: November 29, 1998

For years Microsoft has owned a sizable chunk of the non-combat flight simulator market. Since taking over the product line from SubLogic, Microsoft’s Flight Simulator series has sold millions of copies and garnered a following rivaled by few others. And while the merits of this series are worth mentioning, I’ve personally never found the installments to be very entertaining. I suppose it’s like someone who doesn’t enjoy the sport of football sitting down and playing the latest edition of Madden; no matter how good it may be, it’s still not fun. And the problems I have with FS98 don’t only pertain to the premise, but also extend into the game’s graphics, which are very poor when compared against today’s standards. So when I first learned that Microsoft was finally doing a combat flight simulator, and that they were using a redesigned FS98 engine, I was more than a bit skeptical.

Lately Microsoft has had a habit of showing up the skeptics, and this time around it’s no different. I’ve been following the development of Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator for some time, and I even did an in-depth preview of the game a few months ago. From the first version I played all the way up to the final boxed copy I have now, I’ve learned that my skepticism was unfounded. For starters, the fact the game is using the FS98 engine is irrelevant, and will only be noticeable to the most devout FS fanatic. Perhaps the biggest difference between this game and its progenitor is how the 3D acceleration is handled. I’ve always described FS98 as the only game that looks better when it’s not accelerated. I’m happy to report that this is no longer the case, and those of you with 3D accelerator cards are in for a real nice change, and it will look even better for those using the RIVA TNT cards. MS Combat Sim is the first Microsoft title to make use of the new version of Direct3D included with DirectX 6. The end result of this (for owners of Direct3D compatible cards) is a beautifully rendered 3D world that moves along at a blistering pace.

Luckily for us Microsoft knew that simply adding in new and improved graphics all set in a W.W.II. setting wouldn’t be enough to win over the hardcore sim crowd; to do that they’d need a lot more. Accurate flight models, detailed historical missions, good artificial intelligence, and a dynamic campaign are pretty much the standard by which these types of games are measured, and they knew that not just one, but all of these features would be necessary to win the dogfight against the likes of Microprose’s European Air War, Jane’s W.W.II. Fighters and Activision’s Screamin’ Demons.

Having spent some time with each of these titles, and having played through both EAW and MS Combat Sim, I am amazed at the high quality of these games, across the board. And in an odd way it’s going to end up being really good for some of these titles, and really bad for others. I don’t imagine many of you will purchase each game, and it is for that reason that I feel compelled to address how this one stacks up against the lot. While it is not possible to directly compare MS Combat Sim against the Activision product, because it has not been released as of this review, I will draw from what experiences I have had with each one that I have played.