Summary
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??
