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| Introduction: | |
| The F/A-18 Hornet is considered by many to be one of the best fighter-bombers in the world. Although it has seen relatively little active combat compared to aircraft like the F-16 and F-4, it is a machine of deadly abilities. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is exactly what they call it. A Super Hornet. The aircraft is about 25% larger overall, and the engines produce over 35% more thrust, than the original one. Although this aircraft has yet to enter service, you can fly it now with iMagic's iF/A-18E Carrier Strike Fighter. |  |
| Graphics | |
| The terrain in this game is very impressive, and the aircraft appears to be very accurately modelled. Opposing aircraft however, do not appear very realistic. Flying below the clouds in this game is great, but as soon as you get above the clouds, the disappointment sets in. All there is to see is a monotone white layer of "cloud" and an off-blue sky and horizon. Even with the graphics settings cranked all the way up, I wasn't impressed. The weapons on your wing pylons look very good, although firing missiles looks a bit too "fake". Even worse is when your aircraft is hit by a missile. The fire and smoke that are painfully evident are nothing but a streak of smoke and a very phoney looking fire. Another thing that annoyed me was the lack of visible afterburners. When your plane is in afterburner, your HUD will indicate it with an AB over the speed readout, but outside views don't show anything different. Perhaps this is more realistic, but personally I don't like it. Those are the negative aspects of the game, so I figured I'd get those out of the way first. The non in-game graphics are absolutely wonderful, and very entertaining. You start off with a "map" of a Naval Air Station and you can choose what to do by clicking on the buildings and aircraft (i.e., clicking on the "training" building will bring you to a room with a simulator in it). |  |
| Cockpit | |
| The cockpit of the Super Hornet is one of the most advanced in the world, and iF/A-18E represents it very well. Everything from the RWR to the Moving Map is very realistic, and looks very similar to photos I've seen of the real thing. The whole cockpit is point-and-click compatible, which makes learning how to use the MFDs that much easier. All of the displays are clear, and it's easy to quickly get the information you need when you need it. Even the little details are covered in this cockpit. For example, you can even change the FLIR from dark-hot to white-hot! |  |
| Gameplay | |
| This has to be one of the more realistic sims I've played in a while, but realism comes at a price. The learning curve for this game, even in "relaxed" mode is rather high, and it will take you at least a few days to get the commands down. As I said above, the point-and-click cockpit helps a lot, because you don't have to memorize many of the MFD commands. One feature I especially like, which I haven't seen in any other sim I've played, is the ability to get a data link with an AWACS aircraft, so you can get a clear picture of who's around you without having to turn on your radar. You can also use them to vector you to the nearest bogeys, which is a valuable asset in combat. Distances to the targets seem to be fairly realistic, as you often have to fly a 250nm return trip to your target! The TALON campaign system seems to do a wonderful job at generating missions, but since there are no pre-scripted missions, the lack of a proper mission briefing is a problem. |  |
| Carrier Operations | |
| It seems only appropriate to reserve a section of this review to carrier operations, since you will spend most of your time landing and taking off from carriers. Taking off from the carrier is realatively harmless, provided you have started your engines and have them at full power. Landing is much more difficult. First of all, you must find your carrier. This isn't too dificult provided you have the TACAN frequencies handy. Once located, you must request permission to approach. If granted, you can choose either a manual landing or an automatic one. The Automatic Landing System ("ALS") is very easy; once activated you can just sit back and watch the aircraft land itself. The manual landing is somewhat more challenging. It requires an almost flawless approach. At about 1/2 of a mile from the carrier, you "call the ball" and are either given small corrections from the LSO, or, if your course deviates too much, you are waved off. Overall, carrier operations in this game are very difficult, but pleasingly realistic. |
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| Documentation | |
| The manual that accompanies iF/A-18E is a great guide to teach you how to play the game. Not only is it easy to read, but it's also very easy to understand. The manual is rather large (150 pages), and it helps to have it handy for reference as you play the game. There were virtually no spelling or gramatical errors, although I did find a couple of mistakes. For example, in one section it said the F/A-18E was capable of Mach 2.34, while some quick trips to rec.aviation.military proved that it is only "capable" of Mach 1.8, and it still has yet to achieve that speed! Overall however; the manual is very good, very helpful and very well written. | |
| Conclusion | |
| iF/A-18E Carrier Strike Fighter is a very realistic game, and has wonderful terrain, but those are about the only areas in which it excels. The graphics are mediocre, as well as the missions. I would definitely recommend this game for advanced simmers who like realism, but I would not suggest it for the casual simmer who likes good graphics and ease of use. | |
| System Requirements | |
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Reviewed by Bryan Samis
