Comanche 3

Moby ID: 1346

Critic Reviews add missing review

Average score: 83% (based on 17 ratings)

Player Reviews

Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 12 ratings with 4 reviews)

Voxeltastic

The Good
This was a smart voxel-based flight sim, intended as a more arcadey version of Digital Integration's 'Apache'. The graphics stand out - using a 'Delta Force'-esque voxel engine, the terrain undulates by as in no polygonal game, but at the expense of CPU power. The upside of this is that the graphics haven't dated too badly, as you can just bump up the resolution. There is a decent variety in the missions, and the gameplay is challenging to say the least.

The Bad
It's very hard in places - you grow to fear the 'beep' of an incoming SAM, because you can't really dodge them. And the flight model is unforgiving, and really requires a joystick and throttle combination for effective play. It's not all that large, either.

The Bottom Line
A decent voxel-based chopper sim, worth it on budget.

DOS · by Ashley Pomeroy (225) · 2000

Nice "light" sim by Novalogic, but not without it's flaws.

The Good
Beautiful graphics, tremendous production values, lots of action and military hardware... Those are the best things about Comanche 3, a simplified (make that VERY simplified) helicopter simulation by Novalogic. Clearly catering for the "weekend warrior" and those that get a hard on with all things military instead of the hardcore simmer, Comanche 3 provides a spectacular and flamboyant simulation that goes easy on AI, damage and flight models, and concentrates on delivering flashy (if substantially realistic) action, and for the most part it does it right. The game has a collection of tutorial missions and then throws you into a linear campaign that has you blasting enemies in no time. You'll get to blow tanks, bridges, enemy helicopters, buildings, trains, etc... you name it. The missions are relatively simple but due to the Comanche's stealthy fighting profile (which make it the helicopter equivalent of the F-117) they become exciting affairs where you usually sneak on your enemies and then start picking them off until the inevitable showdown goes down.

As I mentioned above the game boasts tremedous production values, meaning that you get incredible Dolby Surround audio, as well as a streamlined interface with plenty of options including a very handy flight recorder that can replay the mission up until the point you got toasted (or any point before it) and gives you the chance to jump in anytime and modify it's outcome. Truly a godsend when you are faced with a mission that you just can't beat.

The Bad
While the game is a significantly realistic simulation (complete with complex controls and authentic units) there are many concesions to the action-oriented player that set it pretty far from hardcore simulations realism-wise. For starters the flight model is tremendously forgiving and enables you to virtually fly anyway you want, anywhere you want. I realise that the Comanche is the ultimate in helicopter technology, but unless it's some sort of alien hover-vehicle there should be more turbulence and drag effects. Similarly, the Comanche may be super-durable but there are some damage-related issues that are just ridiculous. Regardless of how much armor it has, several times I continued flying even after mid-air collisions or after my rotor blades cliped a canyon ridge... yeah, right. Then you have the weapons, which are absolutely perfect in their accuracy and stopping power (I think years of "collateral damage" have taught us no such thing is possible) and the lack of any real use for most of the on-screen displays that are there mainly for show.

Last but not least the AI in this game is terrible, you usually don't get to see this with the enemies since their reaction flaws fall in with the concept of the game, but your wingman has got to be the most stupid thing ever programmed for a game, most of the time I just sent him around and prayed for him to suffer a quick death (since he is absolutely inept in combat) simply because keeping him around you is a death sentence! What you have here is a wingman that will try to shoot through you to get it's foes, and that will consistently (get this) Ram you if you make sudden stops or just happen to, you know, try and pilot your helicopter in any way....

The multiplayer aspect is nice, but I really couldn't get much enjoyment out of it, a little more time tuning the player placement and coordination options would have definetively made an improvement.

The Bottom Line
Nice combat-oriented simulation. Some key flaws and the lack of a decent campaign model make it a no-no for serious simmers, but those of us insterested in just blowing some shit up will find it an amusing, if irritant at times (that damn wingman!!!), action game.... thing is, why don't just get a Real action game for that??

DOS · by Zovni (10504) · 2003

The Comanche flies in a new direction

The Good
While all former parts of the series focused on fast easy accessible arcade flight action Comanche 3 literally flew in a new direction. The game is still far from being an ultra-realistic hardcore flight-sim, but this time it is a bit tougher to keep your helicopter airborne. So for this time you have to watch your altitude for example as it is now easier possible to crash-land your multi-million Dollar machine than it was in previous games of the series, but in the core it is still very easy to handle.

When the game first appeared the graphics looked absolutely fantastic, and they still do today! The new Voxelspace-engine managed to show some very impressive details like sun reflections in the cockpit windows, the pilot and co-pilot visibly moving their heads when watched from an outside perspective and the cannon pointing in the correct direction when locked onto an enemy just to mention a few examples.

Since it is (as already mentioned) a arcade game it is easy to learn, and just after a few missions you became more and more familiar with the flight model as the game has a moderate learning curve, including a training campaign.

The Bad
The artificial intelligence, especially of your wingman. I guess that in almost 80 percent of the missions he gets shot down. He seems to behave like a kamikaze pilot as he is almost always rushing directly towards the enemy most times not wasting time by searching for adequate cover even if you don´t order him to attack. So in many times he isn´t a great help. The helicopters from other squadrons are even worse. In most cases these Apache and Cobra helicopters starting the mission by flying at high speed directly into the combat zone and usually are all shot down before you appear. Great "help"! So mostly the whole mission is solely depending on you. That isn´t very realistic!

It can also be very frustrating when you are immediately shot down although you have spotted an enemy for about 2 or 3 seconds especially if that happens shortly before a mission is accomplished, and believe me EVERY opponent is a threat to be taken seriously in Comanche 3! It can also be annoying if you have only a a few mission goals left only to realize you are running out of ammo but okay that is also the players fault. But this is often also because you lost your "professional" wingman early in the mission.

The Bottom Line
Don´t get irritated by the fact that the second column is longer than the first one. Comanche 3 is a great game in whole! If you are looking for an excellent looking arcade flight-sim than the Comanche series has always be an excellent choice, and this game is no exception. Although with this part the series became more realistic it is still very easy accessible, but you have to life with the faults mentioned in the 2nd column.

Overall: Highly recommended!

DOS · by Victor Vance (18070) · 2014

Hot stuff, for its time !

The Good
For its time, Comanche 3 offered a significantly realistic flight-model, but was still quite fun to play. The game offers a wide variety of missions, set in a broad assortment of environments. The cockpit model is right-on, and the training missions designed to teach the player all of the "bells and whistles" located there are adequate. Virtually any camera angle you can think of is attainable, but my favorite was the "chase" version which allows you to keep a close eye on your aircraft, but also be aware of enemies in front of you. Although Comanche 3 offers linear campaigns, the player can find pretty much any terrain to fly over, and a wide assortment of enemies, both in the air as well as on the ground.

The Bad
Learning to fly the helicopter took a bit of time, and even the "easy flight model" offered wasn't always that easy. Your computer-controlled wingman's AI leaves a little to be desired, as you can almost always bet that he'll be dead within 2 minutes of the mission's start-up.

The Bottom Line
Comanche 3 is a combat helicopter flight-sim, set in the early to mid-1990's that offers spectacular graphics and realistic simulation as an Army attack helicopter pilot.

DOS · by Paul Budd (425) · 2000

Contributors to this Entry

Critic reviews added by Wizo, Virgil, Patrick Bregger, Jeanne, garkham, Open_Sights, Tim Janssen, Havoc Crow, Rwolf, Skitchy.