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The next generation in jet combat from Jane's, with the most
realistic graphics, physics, avionics, and gameplay in the sky.
All the incredible speed and firepower of the world's deadliest
strike fighter is now at your command with F-15. Produced by Andy
Hollis (F15 Strike Eagle series, AH-64D Longbow) with cooperation
from Jane's top analysts, F-15 is the next-generation
jet-combat sim from Jane's Combat Simulations. Presenting the
most realistic graphics, physics, avionics, and gameplay ever
designed for the PC, F-15 delivers the blood-pounding thrill of
high-speed air combat--the way it was meant to be. Whether your
mission is intercepting bandits or stamping a tank convoy, F-15
packs enough punch to handle every situation.
Review
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The Jane's Combat Simulations line leaps from peak to peak, with
nary a bum title in the bunch. ATF, Longbow, Longbow 2, 688, and
now F-15 have secured the company a place as the pre-preeminent
developer of simulation software. Following hot on the heels of
Longbow 2, F-15 is, if possible, an even more impressive piece of
work. By taking on the sadly neglected F-15E Strike Eagle, it
fills a crucial gap in the air combat realm.
The last true Strike Eagle sim was F-15 Strike Eagle III from
MicroProse, also produced by Andy Hollis. That it has taken five
years to create another, while we are flooded with Tomcat, F-22,
and Falcon sims, is a mystery. The F-15E is an extraordinary,
versatile aircraft. It seats two (pilot and weapon systems
officer), carries a heavy payload, and is designed to penetrate
deep into enemy territory at low altitudes. In many ways, it's
not as sexy as a conventional air superiority fighter, since it
engages aircraft from beyond visual range. (That is, if it hopes
to survive.) With a full payload it can be sluggish, but shorn of
the extra weight it can hold its own in a close-in dogfight. Its
mission is to deliver precision munitions to ground targets and
protect itself while doing so, and F-15 captures these roles
admirably.
The first thing that strikes you about F-15 is the amazing
attention to detail in the cockpit. On full realism mode, the
array of sensors and controls is awe-inspiring in its accuracy.
Since the F-15 relies so heavily on these sensors, they are the
heart of the game. Their complexity can be reduced to ease gamers
into the sim, but that misses most of the point. The
multifunction displays for both front and back seats may be
custom configured for air-to-ground, air-to-air, and navigation
modes, placing five MFDs at your fingertips at any given moment.
There are hundreds of potential commands and combinations, which
makes the custom keyboard ping a welcome and essential
feature.
Full virtual cockpit look-around views and padlock mode are
effectively implemented. This goes hand in glove with an
assortment of exterior views that enable you to track pretty much
everything going on. The flight model adheres to the most
rigorous standards of accuracy. It has a terrific feel for weight
and motion, and the variations in handling characteristics are
spot on. If a flight model can get better than this, I wouldn't
be able to tell. Artificial intelligence is strong in both
friendly and enemy aircraft, and the laundry list of nested
wingman commands lets you issue any order you may need to, to the
entire flight or an individual plane. And these wingmen won't run
into you.
There are myriad ways into missions. The numerous training
missions aren't as effective as the Longbow tutorial, but they
get the job done. Single missions allow you to hone various
skills, and instant-action settings provide basic custom
missions. The powerful mission editor puts every element of the
game into your hands, enabling you to craft complex missions
through placement of assets, waypoints, and event triggers.
Finally, the two campaigns (Iran and Iraq) get you to the heart
of the sim. The dynamic campaign system keeps missions constantly
fresh and diverse and gives the battlefield itself a realistic,
alive feel.
There are some mild disappointments. Multiplayer support for two
to eight gamers is stable, but fails to allow for co-op missions,
reducing head-to-head to fur balls. This is silly for an F-15
game. One sadly missed feature is an in-flight recorder for
mission playback. Visually, the game is striking, but even with a
3D card, full detail requires a Pentium 300 and 32MB of RAM.
Other games achieve similar, and in some cases better, results
with less hardware. And, even with a huge manual, numerous
difficulty settings, and an extensive tutorial, you'll need some
serious chops to fly this sucker. Even on easy levels, it is very
instrument intensive, and the learning curve is steep. The
payoff, however, is a superb, thorough, and vastly entertaining
combat sim. --Chet Thomas
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot Review