***Longbow 2 By Andy Hollis and Team at Janes***
My Initial Impressions by Darryl Sato
MORE In-depth review TO COME LATER
My Test System is a P200MMX with 32MB of SDRAM, a Diamond Monster 3d Card used to play the video, a Sound Blaster AWE 64, and a 3 button mouse for the control of MfDs, a Ch F-16 Combatstick and Prothrottle(Programmed), along with a WIN95 Keyboard.
I just want to start of by saying how nice it is to have a good Sim to review. As we here at The GamePAD have said before, we have to purchase our own copies for review. With that in mind, let's begin. I will say that I am more of a Fixed Wing sim fan than a heli fan. But with the lack of a truly excellent 3DFX sim I chose to get Longbow 2 (just for a change, also the game was supposed to be amazing). The last time I played a heli sim was Gunship 2000, and at that time in history I wasn't into REALISM so I played it TIE-Fighter style. So that's where I am coming from. Also keep in mind that this review is based on only a few hours of stick time, and a few hours of ground school.(reading the maual)
My first encounter with Lb2 was from all of the previews presented by the definitive page
Led by LEN
I'll come right out and say it. Longbow 2 puts the FX in 3DFX. Once you get into some real missions Longbow 2 really shines. The Virtual Cockpit is excellent! You can see your CP/G moving his head and you can even see lens flare from the weapons fire. The extrernal views are excellent and you can even see into the cockpit from the outside. I haven't tried running the game without the 3DFX so I am unsure of what that would yield. So as of now this game get's full marks in the graphics dept.
Longbow2 3dfx in all its glory!
The sound of this game is impeccable and everything is included. The tutorials have good voices, but when they tell you to push the "R" key it does sound out of place. Anyone remember NHL by EA. I am sure this was necessary due to the fact that the voices needed to be recorded at different times; it's just that the key commands sound out of place(not the same tone). I haven't experienced much else so I can't really say more on this subject.
The AI seems Ok, the CP/G seems to target correctly. In this category I just haven't had enough time to whitness the AI in campaigns or Single missions, I am still learning to fly. This brings me to the next point.
Gameplay in this sim has a very steep learning curve!!! If you haven't played any heli sims or maybe have played (just sooo many years ago) don't get frustrated. There are two options to play at. Casual is fairly easy and takes this game to an arcadish level. For those hard core guys like me there is Expert. I never played Lb1 but I hear that many people complained of the BlackHawks always getting shot down. Well Andy Hollis let's you take your turn at it; included in the sim are the LB with or without FCR, the Blackhawk, and the Kiowa Warrior. The helicopter is an intricate piece of machinery and really handles like one too. For you beginner jet jockeys, start with the tutorials. You'll need to learn a whole new set of Acronyms to get going. IHADDS,FARP,ASE, and so on.
There are many options to use to play. There are TUTORIALS, INSTANT ACTION, SINGLE MISSION, and CAMPAIGN. With a dynamic campaign, I would assume that you would have an unlimited number of missions to fly. The game comes with 3 dynamic campaigns. I haven't even scratched the surface of finding out what this puppy can do.
Multiplayer is all we have dreamed, you can have your DM, co-op single, or campaigns. Fly as two choppers or as one. (One pilot , CP/G). The only one I have tried is DM, it's quite fun to attack a buddy using a mini gun as the Black Hawk Gunner. But the single, and Campaigns are where the MEAT of the multiplayer rests.
For starters, don't even bother with this one if you only have a 2 button joystick. With all of the commands that are needed, I am feeling constrained with my Ch setup. I feel that for a helicopter sim, a THROTTLE is not a want but a NEED. I haven't tried using the keyboard so some of you may disagree with me. But I feel that a throttle wheel is a bit less that optimal. Now the complexity of the controls are NOT A COMPLAINT, just a statement of fact. This is afterall a hardocre sim.
What did you expect? This after a Hollis production. The manual is SPIRAL BOUND, very complete with almost everything you would want to know. I haven't had a chance to go through the whole thing yet. (far from it J ) but it is excellent reading. Concepts like lift... are explained in great detail.
Included is a top notch keyboard reference contol card and a multiplayer manual. The multiplayer manual I haven't even used yet! Couple these with informative JANES info on every craft in the game and you've got a winner!!!!
Wow! This is what we have been waiting for, a truly 3DFX experience, and Andy Hollis delivered. I haven't had much time to try out a campaign or any great missions, but one thing is for sure-this game will be on my HD for a long time. Big thanks go to EA for providing support on the NG,
Kudos to Andy Hollis, and Boomer!
Sites worth a visit
http://www.janes.ea.com Janes COMBAT SIMS
http://www.combatsim.com Combat simulations
darsato@acs.ucalgary.ca Feed Back to me
