Everyone has ever imagined that flying an airplane can be really difficult and that it requires many years of experience. This is specifically the feeling that Microsoft Flight Simulator gives when you play it for the first time, but believe me that after a few hours and several tutorials the game becomes friendly, exciting and abysmally addicting.
THE GAME
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 marks the return of a franchise that took its first steps in 1982 and that today, after 3 decades, returns with one of the most complete and realistic simulators that exist. Without a doubt, all aviation fans will want to have this title in their library, since it is the closest thing that all mortals have to piloting an airplane through the skies of distant cities.
The simulator was developed by Asobo Studio and it fills the hearts of aviators who have not seen a title in the series for more than 10 years. Inside we can find an amazing simulation of the earth in real time, with real weather and more than 341 “photorealistic” cities (unfortunately most of them are in Europe and the United States). In addition, the title presents 40 airports identical to their counterpart in reality and 30 planes copied to the purest detail.
The latest installment of the most famous flight simulator in gaming is an amazing title, both in its graphic quality and in its realism of flight physics and controls. The first moment we sat in the cockpit we were intimidated by the number of buttons, knobs and controls that we have at our disposal, but the various tutorials help us not lose our enthusiasm.
Personally it is my first time with a flight simulator but surprisingly the video game has completely fulfilled my expectations. Once you get familiar with the controls, you can’t stop touring the cities of your dreams. In one afternoon you can visit Paris, London and Tokyo, while delighting yourself with their great skyscrapers and iconic monuments.
MY EXPERIENCE
As many of us gamers sometimes do, in my first game with Microsoft Flight Simulator I decided to skip the tutorials and try to take off on my own at Haneda International Airport, Tokyo. The result did not leave much to be desired and after several minutes I couldn’t even start the aircraft’s engines (I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to try a passenger plane first).
Swallowing my pride as a gamer, I decided to try the tutorials and understand the difference between a common video game and a simulator. In them they teach you the basic elements of aviation, flight physics (which I had widely distorted from my flights in GTA) and the basic operation of aircraft.
The result after several hours in the tutorials was wonderful, I managed to take off my Cessna 152 from the runway of the airport in Santiago, Chile. Unfortunately this city is not part of the cities that are recreated identically to reality, highlighting the horrible shape of the fictional Costanera Center, but once you gain height, you begin to notice that the grace of the title is also in the sky, the weather and the incredible postcards that I observed from the window of the plane.
In more touristic cities like Paris or New York you can notice the incredible luxury of detail in its most emblematic buildings, as well as appreciate the immensity of what a mega city really means. Another important point to mention is how entertaining it can be to play with the weather, since you can modify it to your liking within the flight and enjoy the cities that with each different climate, show a new facet.
Clearly the guides, which function as a to-do list, are a real success. At all times you feel accompanied by these opinions that mark the steps to follow, for example, during takeoff. Once you start to memorize the steps, you can close this list and tips and reopen them if you need them again.
Another important point to highlight are the controls, despite being many and a bit uncomfortable when playing it only with keyboard and mouse, when adding a joystick (from Xbox in my case) everything is simplified, especially by the help from the aforementioned task list.
Finally, the game brings an autopilot mode that can get you out of trouble (on more than one occasion it saved me from crashing to the ground). You can also use this mode to dedicate yourself to seeing the landscape and taking your best panoramas.
THE GRAPHICS
The graphic section is simply realistic, you can compare the views with any photo of an airplane window in Google and perhaps a clueless person would not notice that it is a video game. The fluidity of the simulator is enviable and at any moment you could take a new wallpaper photo.
The luxury of detail within the aircraft also makes the experience even more immersive. The landscapes of plains, mountain ranges, beaches and everything you can find in this replica of planet Earth are amazing. The map was made with real satellite images and you have the option to synchronize the game with the weather and meteorology in real time.
I have to admit that when approaching the plane to ground level, you can sometimes see yourself a little disappointed, but really in a flight simulator we do not seek to be 50 meters from the ground. The cities present an enviable degree of realism for a video game that was modeled from satellite images.
The different sound of each plane and the immersion that this sound environment generates when accelerating, decelerating, changing altitude or simply moving the flaps is a great plus.
CONCLUSIONS
It really is not a game that can be liked by everyone in the first instance because of its complexity, but after a few hours it manages to hook you as if it were the most amazing story. Don’t expect Microsoft Flight Simulator to hold you in the chair but nevertheless it keeps you up to date with all those little details that make it an immersive experience that is second to none.
If you ever wanted to be an airplane pilot to travel the megacities and wonders of the world, this title may be for you. You have to always keep in mind that it is a flight simulator and that you have to leave behind everything you think you know about flights, physics and especially the movies.
