For hardcore flight sim buffs
Take to the skies in SU-27 Flanker, a realistic flight sim that places you in the cockpit of a famous Russian combat plane, and sends you into battle against both ground and air-based enemies. While the game is notable for its realism, authenticity and complexity, all but hardcore sim fans will have much fun here. Set in the Crimea, Flanker gives players the opportunity to participate in numerous pre-defined missions or to create their own via the mission editor, where virtually every element can be tweaked to suit your preferences. Although this is sure to be a major drawing point for flight buffs, the interface is clunky and awkward, rendering designing your own missions more of a chore than anything else. Graphics and sound too are less than spectacular, with flat textures, minimal background detail and dull, droning engine noises. However, for those not put off by such things, Flanker may be worth a play, for when it comes to realistic flight simulation, the game is hard to beat. The enemy AI is tough, the action (when it comes), is tense and exciting and the detail offered renders the game as close as most of us are going to get to flying a Flanker. However, to get to the action, there is a lot of tedium, where nothing really happens and for the average gamer, this is likely to prove a turn off. For hardcore flight sim fans however, this provides exactly what they enjoy and may even be considered better than the benchmark Falcon series.
