Mixed feelings but still a great sim and a good time.
User Rating: 7.5 | Microsoft Flight Simulator X PC
I have mixed feelings writing this review. I'm older than most here but probably close to the same age of most serious flight simmers. I've owned and flown every flight sim released by Microsoft including the ones created by SubLogic in 1980 (some say1979). All, in my opinion, have been great for their time. When I read the previews and saw the screen shots for FSX, I sat in amazement, mouth ajar and drooling. My only concerns were the steep system requirements and the idea of adding missions to the game. I was afraid that too much concentration or focus would be placed on the missions in order to draw in a new group of buyers that they would lose touch with what I've loved most about all of the Microsoft Flight Sims in the past – and that is realistic flying. I tried the demo and was less than pleased. The graphics were horrible compared to FS2004 and my frame rates were in the teens. I then participated in the BETA testing and things were somewhat better but not much. What I found while testing the BETA is that I really enjoyed the missions. What a pleasant surprise. After the sim was released, I purchased the deluxe edition. Being an Air Traffic Controller in real life I wanted to try this feature out only offered in the deluxe edition. Graphically, the final release copy isn't much better than the BETA. In my opinion FS2004 looks better and I get better frame rates. I'm sure it would look better if I had a monster PC but it just doesn't make since to me that it looks worse than FS2004 but also has lower frame rates than FS2004. Another thing that puzzles me is that FSX does not support Dual Core CPUs or SLI and Crossfire. How can one expect great frame rates at higher settings if the sim doesn't support the latest technology? So, I've read many forums and I've tweaked the settings as best I could to get the best performance. I still enjoy the missions and Microsoft was able to maintain the realistic flying that I was hoping for so I'm keeping this one. The sim is still fun to fly and I really like the new added touches even if it doesn't look like the stunning screen shots found here and on other websites.
