"Good Game, But Serious Problems"

(Before I start, I would like to mention that I use a 1.6Ghz P4, 512MBs of RAM, and a 32Mb TNT 64)

Combat Flight Simulator games from Microsoft have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. CFS and CFS2 have eaten serious chunks of my time. I totally expected CFS3 to continue the tradition, but it turned out the exact opposite.

Graphics 8/10

CFS3's Graphics are some of the best I have seen, but much of the models seemed marred by the low setting I saw them on. Unfortunately, when i tried to raise the settings, the game would lock up and refuse to run. I blame my Graphics card, but the requirements on the box specifically say that my computer greatly exceeds the minimum. One cool feature is the high detail explosions that cover the screen. They are extremely realistic, and add to the overall detail.

Sound 8/10

Sound is excellent. My subwoofer was roaring from the engine thunder and the explosions around me. Many sounds skipped, which adds to the long list of bugs and problems.

Features 6/10

Microsoft should not have tampered with some of the features, but the ones they added are very interesting. The addition of certain role-playing elements intrigued me, and the evolving campaign is very slick. The addition of a good dozen planes, such as the Me-262, the De Havilland Vampire, and the Gotha Go are all interesting planes, but I have yet to experience them. Some, like the P-55 Ascender, are completely foreign to me.

On the negative side, one of it's greatest caveats is the removal of the traditional warping system. In earlier games, the warp key instantly whisked you to the next zone of interest. Now, you must wait as the game merely speeds up gameplay, forcing you to live through a break in the action. Also it is really touchy. Sometimes you can, but more often than not it will assume that all unidentified planes are enemy, forcing you to inspect and group all your allies. Even more of a fault is that there is no automatic land key, which warp used to do. This may appease reality buffs, but from my experience the framerate was to slow to do that task. Plus, I like to save time and keep the action rolling.

Gameplay 1/10

CFS3 has some really nice gameplay, but most systems are unable to run the game at even a decent level. The box grossly understates the requirements. My computer well exceeded it at all points and I was still getting some pretty crappy frames. Also, the missions are very repetitive, mostly Combat Air Patrols and Recon Missions. I also found that my P-47 could not catch up with a Ju-88, dispite the great speed difference. This killed some of the realism. It is very hard to aim as well, the bullets will jump wildly as you plane bounces up and down from over correction. Another main defect is that I found the control to be sluggish and crude. It was like playing Chuck Yeager's Air Combat from 8 years ago. The list of crippling effects goes on.

Overall 4/10

I personally found this game to be overrated and disappointing. The game was tolerable, but all of my pent-up frustration came out as I tried to land. If my father hadn't been in the room, I would have taken the nearest blunt object to my computer and would have crammed the CD into the nearest Microsoft employee's mouth. I had a personal vandetta against Microsoft before, and the fact that they ruined one of my favorite flight sims due to bad playtests and enormous requirements has further increased my hatred. In short, I do not recommend this game, but if you have an out-of-the-box new computer and a fascination for realism, and you truly have the time and patience to master it, it may be worth a look.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/02, Updated 11/21/02