Today's flight simmiest video: Vulcan - BlackBuck raid test in Falkland/Malvinas flight sim
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Feb 2nd 2007 at 12:40AM }
Anyone else heard anything about this flight sim? It looks PC-based, but it just got us to thinking that we really need to see some flight simulator goodness on the next-gen consoles. I'd even settle for a low-grade graphics version on the Nintendo Wii. Back in our college days, we spent hours and hours flying around in LucasArts' Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe, and Wing Commander III, and we want to keep doing it. Build us a good, quality, realistic (and fun) flight simulator, and the masses will come. Is that too much to ask for?
In the meantime, enjoy the footage, and pray for something good to come down the pipeline. Our wallets are ready and willing.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kpeezy @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:19AM
Agreed. Everytime I think a console-based flight game looks promising, it ends up being some anime crap with punk-rock pilots and awful butt rock background music.
I want to take on MIGs with realistic missions, not fighting some giant mechanical spider with friggin' laser beams. Maybe that's just me.
Einhanderkiller @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:24AM
Mechanical spiders with laser beams are cool.
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j136/chiroho/supcom1.jpg
LilBlackDemon00 @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:53AM
Looks like XPlane, or maybe FlightGear.
MTigerV @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:33AM
A Falklands flight-sim!? What's next, Call of Duty 5: Bay of Pigs!?
Matt @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:02PM
Crimson Skies 2, damnit!
Azerael @ Feb 2nd 2007 6:51AM
X-Wing/TIE Fighter, plz.
Andrew Fong @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:56AM
Realistic + fun = difficult combination
Tyler @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:38PM
Could it be part of the Combat Simulator Project.
http://csp.sourceforge.net/wiki/Main_Page
Kelvin @ Feb 2nd 2007 3:12AM
God bless the Queen and all her Royal realms!
I look forward to Medal of Honor: Grenada Holiday.
jcmschwa @ Feb 2nd 2007 3:47AM
Realistic and fun isn't a difficult combination...but realistic+fun+modern is...anyone who has played IL-2 Sturmovik (any version or expansion, including Pacific Fighters) and Lock-On: Modern Air Combat Operations knows this. Both were developed by Maddox 1C, and both are quite realistic. The difference is that a modern flight sim is a shitload harder because planes, avionics, weapons systems, and defense technology is so much more complex. If you want a good, fun flight sim you're going to have to start gaming on your PC. If you want a fun flight game that doesn't have to be realistic you might find one in Ace Combat or any of those types of games, but nothing will give you the rush like out-flying someone in a P-38 vs. A6M2 dogfight. IL-2 Sturmovik + Aces Expansion pack + Pacific Fighters is definitely the way to go if you're really looking for a fun realistic flight sim.
Robert MacKie @ Feb 2nd 2007 5:12AM
What about the lost "Space Sim" genre? Games like Wing Commander, the X-Wing series, and the king daddy, Descent: Freespace and Freespace 2? What the hell happened to those games? Can you imagine the huge space fleet battles you could pull off with modern graphical capabilities?
ivanv4 @ Feb 2nd 2007 6:08AM
Seems like jet thunder to me. it's a PC sim that have been developed for a quite time now.
Here is the link.
http://www.thunder-works.com/news.htm
@8 Lock on was not developed by maddox but by eagle dinamics. And its true what u said. Few ppl apreciate Modern air combat bc it has stepper learning curve.
I dont thing those are games for console, u need too much buttons for all functions, flight gear and patience bc of the nature of sims.
ivanv4 @ Feb 2nd 2007 6:18AM
Ah and by the way on those sims one missile hit and u are certainly going down
Steven @ Feb 2nd 2007 6:43AM
You wanna play a fun flight sim on a console? It might be old, but Sky Odyssey is a great game for the PS2.
t_m @ Feb 2nd 2007 7:24AM
Well, there is Heatseeker for the Wii.. (and other consoles?) its much more of an action oriented game than a proper simulation.. but the wii controls sound pretty sweet.
I can't help think that you could make a really cool helicopter sim with the wii controls.
We are way overdue for a resurgence in the space sim market.. there hasn't been anything since X Wing Alliance. ANd with today's graphics and physics they could make something pretty sweet.. especially as an online multiplayer game. (IF they update the gameplay along with the graphics. Decent squad tactics, dynamic campaigns, etc..)
Allegiance 1942 (Galactica edition anyone?)
(actually, same goes for normal flight sims.. a robust, large scale Live multiplayer option could breath a lot of life into the genre.. online squadrons, etc..)
Scotty @ Feb 2nd 2007 9:37AM
I want "Chuck Yeager's Air Combat"
Jake @ Feb 2nd 2007 10:07AM
I like realistic old school machine gun dogfighting type flying games and futuristic space laser types and the occaisional Ace Combat type.
I agree with others, though, that modern realistic sims aren't all that fun. That one where you fly a warthog A-10 or some crap is about as far as I'd go, and that still isn't very "realistic".
Tarek @ Feb 2nd 2007 10:52AM
PilotWings 64 FTW!
And I can't wait for PilotWiings, if and when heads are taken out of asses to make it.
Gimbal @ Feb 2nd 2007 10:56AM
Falcon 4 FTW!
*sounds of crickets*
...you people suck.
I want me some Black Shark. Can I get a "Hell yeah!"?
...no? Not so much?
I think the major problem developers run into with console sims is that they dumb down all the wrong things.
I played Over G Fighters and it got me hopes up that someone may one day get it right. I mean...I didn't have 800 gazillion missiles to fire. I had a realistic loadout. And holy crap! It didn't take 8 missiles to take out an aircraft! It did, however, have copious amounts of butt-rock and other ridiculous crap going on.
And I second Scotty's recommendation of Chuck Yeager's Air Combat. I had the best dogfighting fun of all sims going head-to-head Sabre vs Mig 15 in that game.
An M1 Tank Platoon would be fine too.
sonicyouth @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:28AM
I am playing Blazing Angels (PS3) and Heroes of the Pacific (PS2) until the next Ace Combat. All are arcade style, but online modes in Blazing Angels are good (and people are playing online!) Oh, and it's free 360 fans.
sonicyouth @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:32AM
And yes, I would be awesome to see a more realistic sim style flight game on any console, but I have a feeling we'll be waiting for quite some time.
uh_oh @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:57AM
Console players don't have the attention span for a game like that, it's true.
Rich @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:59AM
Forget those fancy missiles, lasers, lock-ons, and whatnot. I miss the old WWI games (Wings, Red Baron 3D)
AirIntake @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:42PM
I'd love to have some Freespace 3 or Wing Commander 5. WHY DON'T THEY MAKE THOSE KIND OF GAMES ANYMORE!!!!!
John @ Feb 2nd 2007 2:48PM
@14 -- Chuck Yeager's Advanced Air Combat was one great game! I remember spending many a sleepless night playing it -- I still have the original floppy. I've given serious consideration to buying a 486 to play it on. Good to see there are still folks around that remember it!
ivanv4 @ Feb 2nd 2007 3:54PM
I think air combat Flight sims are to niche market for even taking into consideration for consoles.
Besides not everybody is willing to spend 1 hr to reach the target location just to get shut down without knowing how.
But i would love some air combat sim love for console too.
dustandechoes91 @ Feb 2nd 2007 6:41PM
theres gonna be an ace combat 6 most likely on ps3 soon
WhiteHawk @ Feb 2nd 2007 6:59PM
You guys, this is Microsoft Flight Simulator, it's a series that's been going like 20 years on the PC check this for a history: http://fshistory.simflight.com/fsh/start.htm
The video looks like either FS2002 (8th version) or FS2004 (9th) with a addon Vulcan, the bombs and explosions are just an animation connected to the plane (so it's kind of fake) as FS is a civilian flight sim not the miltary kind built for the purpose of combat, the latest one FSX (Ten) was just released last year.
Space Traveler @ Feb 4th 2007 6:38PM
New non combat space flight sims that are MMOG capable, were we actually have some learning objectives supported by cognitive scaffolding while earning Linden dollars (substitue any net currancy) would be a welcome addition to the learning curve.
depatta @ Feb 14th 2007 10:58PM
for 27.: Whitehawk, this is 'Jet Thunder', our homebrew flightsim technology we're been developing in the last 3 years or so, completely unfunded and in spare time because we have daily jobs and lifes. Has nothing to do with Microsoft Flight Simulator, although I agree that in a blurry youtube video all flightsims look quite similar. You don't have any addons enabling explosive ordnance for MS Flight Simulator. Falklands war was choosen as theme because probably the last historic scenario when you have decent forces in both sides - UK won but lost 6 ships sunk by argentinean air attacks - u don't see this kind of thing today in the Gulf or Afeghanistan.