A new way of approaching Flight Simulation, one that uses a DLC-Model that suits the gametype extremely well.
Instead, i was greeted with a friendly PC-centric menu system, with a nice simple approach to the tutorials and world maps. I was faced with a limited, but beautiful little selection of aircraft which started the game off well, offering both skilled flying aircraft like the Mustang, and fun basic craft like the Icon A5, a brand new aircraft released this year to buy for the same price as a mid-range Mercedes Benz.
The engine has been improved no end, scenery looks more convincing, and it's clear the artists have spent time hand-crafting the terrain to be as close to the real Hawaii as possible. Having been to Hawaii several times as a Cruise Line bridge officer, i can say quite a bit of it is very realistic and close to actual.
Disappointed they didn't impliment any DX11 goodies as they were indicating throughout development, so -0.5 from me there. But i cannot fault the visuals as they are, nice weather effects and beautiful sun rises and settings. Nice touches with the HD textured aircraft cockpits. The A5 looks ESPECIALLY lovely, like a sports car interior.
The sim side of it has lost the razor-edge feel from MS FSX, however it's not like some reviews say "dumbed down". Sure use a mouse and it's made easier, but use a Joystick and it's very similar to FSX. The realistic Wind vectors are very good! Physics occasionally a little strange. For those with short term memories or lacking taste, air-crashes are deliberately nerfed. 9-11 still has relevance to a lot of people...a disgrace on IGN's reviews that they mark it down for not including flaming explosions....
The content is limited in this initial release. But for £15 you get a fair medley of content to muck about with and another plane. With the huge Alaska DLC coming soon, there's a lot of exciting stuff clearly to come, just please MS reign in the price tags just a little or people will stay their hands at the checkouts. Which doesn't do anyone any good.
Overall, a well finished product with pleanty of promise. As with all DLC-tethered games, it's a small start. But a big splash in the Flight Simulator arena. A pleasant change from just another World-FS with slightly higher resolution ground textures.