Ive been to one
Worlds Fair, a picnic and a rodeo, and Ive never seen a chopper sim this easy
to fly. Lets not kid ourselves, NovaLogic wasnt really making a sim here;
theyre more interested in making something with some entertainment value. I
dont agree that necessarily sims are boring, though they might not sell to the
adrenaline addled public like shootin, killin and explosions. You like
explosions? NovaLogic got you hooked up. This game has more explosions than Action Channel
B-movies-- you know, the ones where they economically wreck the same Jeep four times, once
from each side.Comanche 4 is about as accessible as it gets. By default, traditional
first-person shooter controls are mapped out on the keyboard. First-person shooter mouse
and keyboard controls arent quite as nice as a joystick, but are more than adequate
for this game. In fact, I found it quite a hoot without the stick, especially when using
first-person view. This view turns out to be the best option, as the cockpit view is
cluttered and the third-person view is set at an unchangeable side-view angle that impedes
accurate carnage. I dont think that they could make flying any more straightforward
than this, almost everything, including avionics, is taken care of for you. All you need
to do is pick a weapon, and get it pointed in the general vicinity, as the game does the
target acquisition for you. Altitude can be set to specified terrain-hugging heights with
one keystroke, and "nap of the earth" flying is a breeze as long as youre
wary of your speed. The result is a flight model that is very simple; the Comanche is
exceedingly easy to pilot.
There
are six campaigns consisting of roughly five missions apiece. These range from search and
destroy to ground-support roles. Missions are kept to a minimum of complexity. Most of it
can be described as "go over there and shoot some stuff, then head on over here to
blow up some other stuff." That said, the missions are, however, not particularly
easy. In fact, some of them are consternation-inducing. Your enemies are numerous and
particularly good (sometimes god-like) at their job. There will be some replay here, be
warned. I dont particularly enjoy having to replay the same mission several times to
finally scrape through by the skin of my gritted teeth. This kind of difficulty is
typically a pitfall of console games, one employed to simply extend play-time, and one
Id rather not face on the PC. Id rather vote for consistency any day.
Comanche
4 features some great graphics. And, like I intimated before, the explosions are a
highlight, as well as the water effects caused by your rotors wash. The terrain is
great looking but rather generic. Habitats included here are a desert, a forest, some
snow-covered place, some islands, and a city. Each well stocked with your prey consisting
of air and ground-based combustible units. On top of the great graphics is some excellent
sound design. Brief quiet is punctuated by storms of gunfire and explosions, each
identifiable through the war-composed cacophony. Above it all is the steady whir of your
choppers rotor.
Multiplayer
is included as well, with all of the typical offerings for the five or six people who are
actually interested. I wouldnt be opposed to giving this game a try at deathmatch,
as its obviously well suited for that style of play.
Overall,
Comanche 4 is a high-quality game for the audience that like military flying games without
the learning curve. Theres enough action here, however to make the cross-over to the
first-person action crowd. Simple control coupled with nonstop shootin make this
game a worthy offering for anyone interested in explosions. Wait . . . isnt that
most everyone?