Windows

Jane's Combat Simulations: WWII Fighters

What I would have liked to see coming from Jane's is details on each avionics instrument and how it is to be employed. Energy management (E-M) tables for a/c comparison would have been useful. Granted, much of the historical and pictorial details are embedded in the Museum GUI, so that detail was not left out. I did notice that the cockpit instrumentation from the museum did not match those in the cockpit art while flying (specifically the placement of the gas temp and pressure gauges are swapped). The good news is, WW2 Fighters is the most graphically and sound pleasing (engines, weapons, explosions and that wonderful big band music) sim ever crafted to date. The enemy AI is splendid. The damage modeling is unparalleled. The attention to detail on both the cockpit interior and exterior accuracy and flight control surfaces is very good. The multi-player support continues to be an area of strength for most all of Jane's Sims.

I don’t know how MS Combat Flight Simulator stacks up, but this is the best WWII simulation I’ve ever seen since Sierra’s Aces series. If you are a lover of the no-radar, no-smart-bombs, close-engagement-dogfighting action, you may want to seriously think about buying this game. WWII Fighters has really kept me busy for a few weeks. Just to show you how intense this game is, I’ve included some of my own screenshots from the game, rather than the company-made ones. Happy flyin’!

Although graphics aren't the most important part of a simulation, they're definitely the standout feature of Jane's WWII Fighters. The cockpits are exacting, 3D recreations of the real things, including not only a full suite of working instruments, but even warning placards on the instrument panel. Aircraft exteriors are similarly detailed, down to the rivet lines on the skin.

De troeven van WWII Figters zitten vooral in een originele campagne en in de adembenemende visuele effecten tijdens het vliegen. Neem daar ook nog eens de gedetailleerde afwerking van de (vele) grondobjecten bij en je komt al snel tot het besluit dat ook deze flightsim unieke factoren heeft die bepalend kunnen zijn bij een aankoop.

Mich haben die flotte Aufmachung und der hollywoodtaugliche Soundtrack sofort angesprochen. Besonders die gut aufgemachten Informationen zur Ardennenoffensive haben mir sehr gut gefallen. In World War 2 Fighters stimmt aber nicht nur das ganze Drumherum, sondern auch der spielerische Gehalt. Die gut durchdesignten Missionen spielt man gern ein zweites Mal – nicht zuletzt wegen der herausfordernden Gegnern. Was mir fehlt, sind einzig die Riesengefechte mit Dutzenden Feinden gleichzeitig, wie sie European Air War bietet. Dennoch: Die Luftschlacht um die Ardennen sollten Sie sich nicht ohne guten Grund entgehen lassen.

Von allen historischen Flugsimulationen besitzt World War 2 Fighters die mit Abstand beste Cockpit-Atmosphäre. Die sich der Spielsituation anpassende Orchestermusik, die englischen und deutschen Funksprüche samt der mit der Maus steuerbaren virtuellen Steuerkanzlei sorgen für ein Erlebnis ohnegleichen. Dazu kommt die ausgesprochen hübsche Grafik, die vor Details nur so strotzt. Leider simulieren die Programmierer mit der Ardennenoffensive nur einen Konflikt. Auch eine volldynamische Kampagne wäre nicht schlecht gewesen, doch angesichts des im übrigen guten Missionsdesigns stört das Fehlen weitaus weniger als erwartet.

Still, its user-friendly approach, high production values, and wide array of missions make it an entertaining game. It misses the mark it aims for (an all-encompassing sim to satisfy both novice and hardcore gamers); nevertheless, it's fun.

With WWII Fighters, Jane's has another excellent simulation on their hands. I expect the flight model and combat to be as realistic as possible from Jane's, and this is no disappointment. In addition, you also get some very nice multimedia information and plane description detail as a nice bonus. Bottom Line: Extremely well done accelerated graphics, with a cloud model that is unparalleled. Flight models are excellent and gameplay is configurable for use by almost anyone. Joystick configuration is nowhere near as adjustable as it should be.

Appearing on store shelves after Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator and Microprose's European Air War, Jane's World War II Fighters completes the triumvirate known as this holiday season's "Big Three." WW2F is another classic example of the "survey" type of simulation for which producer Paul Grace is well known (as opposed to the more hardcore "study" simulation so often found coming from Jane's other sim figurehead, Andy Hollis). While survey sims can have some appeal for the most purist of computer combat pilots, it's obvious the moment you padlock your first enemy plane that this game is targeting a much broader audience. But whatever concessions WW2F may make in areas of realism, it more than makes up for when it comes to the visuals and atmosphere. You've never seem a sim like this before, and you're not likely to see anything as pretty again for quite sometime to come -- at least, not until next time this year.

De vliegtuigen zijn bijzonder gedetailleerd en scherp en als je een kist neerknalt, zie je mooie vuurballetjes uit het vliegtuig komen. De explosie die volgt op een crash is helemaal een plaatje. De kisten vliegen lekker maar helaas duurde het soms lang voor ik een vijand binnen bereik had. En als ik er dan eentje in mijn vizier kreeg, was het bijzonder lastig om 'm neer te halen. Vermoedelijk gaat het beter als je veel speelt en de sim echt goed leert kennen.