Apache successfully brings the full, PC flight sim expierience to consoles without compromise.
Although Apache does have a story, it isn't a major part of the overall experience. Simply put, the player alternates between three Apache crews as they fight terrorism across three theatres, including the Middle East, Africa and South America.
When developing flight sims for a console, one of the major concerns for developers is striking a balance between depth and accessibility. Make the game too simple and the game stops being a flight sim. Make is too complicated and the player will quickly find that the limitations of their input device make operating their aircraft a lot harder than it should be. Gaijin Entertainment has ensured that such issues are absent from Apache. The tutorial adequately covers the basics of flying a helicopter without bombarding the player with a ton of non-vital information that only experienced players would need to make use of under very specific circumstances. The single player Campaign consists of 17 missions, each requiring the player to accomplish a series of mission objectives prior to safely returning to base. These objectives can range from flying at low altitude in order to mount a surprise attack on enemy ground forces, to supporting large scale assaults on enemy positions and going head-to-head with enemy gunships. Each mission is playable on three difficulty settings, with the 'Training' difficulty providing the player with a simplified flight model suited to those who still learning the ropes. Meanwhile accomplished pilots need look no further than the 'Veteran' difficulty if they want an authentic experience and a real challenge.
In addition to the campaign, Apache also features an online co-op multiplayer mode for 2-4 players known as 'Squad Operations'. Those who have completed the Campaign are likely to notice that these missions present new challenges that are significantly harder to overcome than what they would have faced before. Cooperation and teamwork are clearly the keys to victory here, and a flight of Apache gunships that communicates well is likely to fare far better than one that does not. This impression is only reinforced by the fact that it's nearly impossible to complete most of the Squad Operations unless all players are indeed participating – things start to heat up when players go AWOL or disconnect. Strangely there's no sign of any adversarial multiplayer modes here, which is odd to say the least, taking into account that such a feature has essentially become standard among games from this console generation. On the plus side Apache does support 2-player local co-op for the Campaign and Free Flight modes, in which one player flies the Apache while the other assumes the role of the gunner. Free Flight is a nice little extra that provides the player with a number of settings enabling them to effectively create a customized combat scenario by determining the location at which the battle will take place, defining enemy strength and deciding on weather conditions.
There are however two major flaws with Apache, though the degree to which they impact the game seems to vary based upon the player's circumstances. In the event that the player is unfortunate enough to be shot down (or they crash), the game will typically respawn the player close to the site of their death. Suppose the player was shot down by triple AAA defences or a SAM site, the player will usually spawn within the enemy's line of site and within firing range, sometimes leading to another quick death. This repeats until the player manages to escape the scenario or until they run out of lives. This is a clear example of bad game design, and one that really shouldn't be here.
The second major fault is the fact that most of the single player missions were probably not tested on Veteran difficulty. Often the player is tasked with destroying far more many targets than they have ammo to account for. This results in the player frequently returning to base to re-arm their Apache, before turning back to finish off the remaining hostiles. Although it is realistic, it can also be very tedious. In a real-life combat scenario, it is more than likely that the Apache would be accompanied by a second gunship. This is taken a step further when the player is sent into scenarios that would likely see a much larger force present, likely consisting of a lot more than just a single Apache.
One positive aspect that comes as quite a surprise is Apache's powerful musical score. Every piece of music has been well-composed and adequately reflects the mood of each scene. Flying over the serene landscapes of Lualia is accompanied by a gentle, peaceful piece of music that could lead some to forget that they're playing a combat flight sim. As soon as the action cuts in and the tracers start flying the drums join the battle and the music takes a more violent turn. Even the menu music is a masterpiece that conveys a sense of heroism.
Apache's merits don't just lie in its gameplay and soundtrack. The game features some of the better visuals seen on a console as of late. The explosions look suitably realistic, and great deal of attention was clear paid to capturing the likeness of the real-world Apache in its digital counterpart. Flying over the jungles of South America has rarely looked so good in a videogame before, and it's hard not to admire the breathtaking view whenever one finds themselves a moment of respite outside of combat.
Players looking for a solid helicopter combat flight sim should turn their gaze to Apache. If there's any proof that consoles are fully capable of handling flight sims without making any compromises, then Apache is it.