Reviewed: April 14, 2003
Reviewed by: Aaron Daigle

Publisher
Microsoft Games

Developer
Microsoft Games

Released: October 24, 2002
Genre: Simulation
Players: 10
ESRB: Everyone

7
6
8
7
7.0

System Requirements:

Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe is Microsoft’s latest installment in their ongoing line of flight sims. This time they are taking us to the war over Europe where they attempt to implement many of the features that fans of the series have been requesting for some time, including a dynamic campaign system and more flyable aircraft. While the end results aren’t quite as impressive as I would have hoped after logging some serious hours on CFS 2, Combat Flight Sim 3 does boast an impressive list of features including:

• New collection of 18 aircraft featuring
  • Flyable, crewable bombers – fly medium bombers and take control of the bombardier or gunner position
  • Stunning 3D cockpit detail
  • Accurate performance & damage modeling
  • Medium bomber operations
  • “Edgy” WWII state of the art aircraft, including the first jet fighters
• Custom Graphics Engine Super high detail ground attack targets Improves scenery with enhanced 3D modeling and texturing
• Cooperative multiplayer missions and free-for-all dogfights via the internet & LAN
• Fly as a German, British, or American pilot.
• Cooperative Multiplayer – Players will be able to play Single Missions with friends, cooperating to achieve mission goals as wingmen. Single Missions will be playable over a LAN or on the Internet.
• Enhanced Campaign Play – Players will be involved in fighting tactical missions in a campaign where their success or failure can move the front line, influence the quality of equipment available, and even change the outcome of the war.
• Reactive World – Areas of the campaign world will trigger events, spawn aircraft, generate flak, etc. in response to the presence of the player.
• Role Playing Elements – pilots have qualities like Bombing Skill, Vision, and Health. The player also makes decisions that influence how the war is fought, where to put the pressure on the enemy, and what aircraft improvements are crucial to the war effort.
• Enhanced Expandability - more cleanly supported than in previous versions.
• As Real As It Gets – nothing will be outside of historical possibility.

It could just be that I suck, but I did have some trouble pushing the line back at all. Apparently it’s not an easy task, a task which probably would have been slightly more enjoyable if there was an actual printed manual as there has been in the past. The bulk of the game’s instructions are available only in electronic PDF form on the game disk and printing the three separate handbooks is a major pain.

One of the things that fans of the series have been clamoring for is a wider variety of flyable craft and CFS 3 delivers this, but at a price that I feel is too high. The game features 18 different planes, total, they are all flyable and that’s great until you realize you won’t be seeing any B-17s or escorting any paratrooper transports. Worse still, somehow the Americans only end up with the B-26 as far as dedicated bombers go. I happen to like the solid feel of a bomber and in a title that emphasizes aerial assaults on ground positions it just seems like it should have more than one medium bomber with no heavies for each force. That just really kills the simulation atmosphere for me and when taken into account with some of the game’s other shortcomings, seem to indicate that the game needed some more time in development.

The action in the game is pretty engaging, fly and fight around and through some seriously awesome weather systems and Triple-A fire near the front. I would say skimming 30 ft over the ground is a rush but the terrain is so flat, there’s no thrill to it. This is no action shooter, lose track of your plane’s attitude in the sky as you chase down bogies, and you’ll be pushing up poppies in Flanders Field. The same goes for pulling too many Gs in a dive, which will result in your pilot suffering a red-out. If you have the simulation options turned to the "realistic" setting you will hear your plane's structure groan under the G's as flaps and other pieces of your plane are ripped off.

Not being a WWII era pilot, I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the flight models of the individual planes, they do however all fly differently, some are twitchy as hell, and others are so predictable it's boring. The multiplayer action is actually one of the highlights of the game, having a crew of three other people manning the stations on your B-26 as you duke it out against other aircraft is easily the best part of the game. Keep in mind however that over a LAN connection is definitely the way to enjoy CFS3 with others, as ‘Net games seem to feature an awful lot of lag.

There are some problems with the changes in gameplay from the second installment of the series. For one thing, using the warp system, which can be used to skip ahead to the next waypoint mid mission, doesn’t allow you to destroy targets of opportunity along your flight path. I had problems getting the B-26 to dive consistently, there are glitches in the tracer fire from anywhere but the pilot seat view, the collision detection with trees and buildings is inconsistent and referring to your wingmen as “Artificially Intelligent,” is stretching the definition a little further than anyone should be comfortable with.

While my gaming PC will be due for an upgrade soon, I still exceed all of the system requirements by nearly 400%; I can’t even imagine how poorly this title would perform on a 400 MHz box. The hitching performance, when combined with the flat, boring, glitchy textured landscapes of the game serve only to overshadow any excellence the modeling achieves.

But unless you fall into one of those two groups or just have to give it a try, the appeal that the Combat Flight Simulator 2 brought to the table, just isn’t there this time. And with an SRP of $54.95 the lack of a printed manual is simply inexcusable. At least they provide a keyboard reference card.