Customer Reviews

Fighters Anthology

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Realistic backgrouds give the illusion of being in the real location on Earth. Comments from co-pilots and back-seaters add humor and realism. The controls are easy to learn and the reference files give detailed descriptions, pictures, videos, and some have test flights for the planes. If you love planes or flight sims you will love this game.

Just because we can keep 30 year old fighter planes in active service doesn't mean that we should try to do the same thing with computer games about fighter planes. But EA keeps at it anyway with "Fighters Anthology", a compilation of previous fighter's titles, with some added bells and whistles for multiplayer as well. Those older games themselves show roots stretching back to the original "LHX Attack Chopper" of 1990. FA throws in the meat of USNF, "NATO Fighters" and ATF, but little else. Unfortunately, the qualitative differences of those games aren't so great, and you might just as well have picked up any one of those older games. In each of the older games, you were able to fly single or multiplayer missions in a variety of aircraft. You could fly single missions or campaigns, or even craft short missions using the mission editor. Though the campaigns limited you to a few planes, you had a much larger choice of aircraft in single missions (In ATF Gold, you could fly anything from an A-10 to the Russian Tu-160; from the unlovely AC-130 to the F-22; from the hoary old MiG-21 to some exotic experimental types that have never left a drawing board; you could even pit F-14's against F-5E's ala "Top Gun"). The problem was repetitive gameplay - the planes were dirt simple in terms of flying and avionics. Though each plane came with its own instrument panel, they were just for show - you could turn them off and not notice the difference; you got the real data from pop-up screens. The surface scenery, though using the naturally contoured terrain standard since "Falcon 3.0", is otherwise so bland and featureless, that they recalled 1991's "Chuck Yeager's Air Combat". Gameplay boiled down to the same two things - take out a primary target on the ground (like an HAS); splash an airborne target (or targets in the case of one mission against a host of incoming B-52's). Even though the missions were generic, they were also linear - you flew the same mission until you've achieved the mission goals. That is, that the missions were pre-scripted, but not even scripted that well. (EF2000 also has simple missions, but is campaigns were dynamic and, being a single plane game, was much more detailed. It also had much more modest system requirements) In each case, the story was always the same - too few wingmen against to many targets and threats. And boy, does it get tired fast. When you've reached a point where all you're doing is dogfighting, the games shine - but that's not enough to distract you from the cartoonish gameplay, crude flight dynamics and blocky graphics. Putting all of the Fighters titles together doesn't really add much, since any one of the games will have enough features alone to keep you coming back - just not enough flavor to hold you for long after your return. To its credit, FA has a much meatier multiplayer option than its predecessors, one allowing for broader conflicts - you can even hop into one of those self-propelled ack-ack guns like "Zip-23" and take over while on the ground. It's actually a lot of fun, but not enough to overcome the unreality of the game as a flight simulation. Also, though this is packaged in a box as a "classics" title, there is no printed manual, only (as ina jewel-box edition, bane of gamners!!) a CD manual in Adobe .pdf format. You can print it out, if you know somebody at Kinkos (it's a biggy) or if you work on weekends, and nobody notices a missing ream of printer paper. Instead, I'd go for USAF with its better graphics or, if you've got a mighty machine, wait a spell for Janes next crack at a "survey sim" game - you know you never have to wait long for a Jane's game to come out, or at least get previewed. If you've got an older machine like a low end Celeron or an early P2, FA or the other Fighters titles (other than IAF) will probably be the best you can fly. If you try and pick up one of the older "Fighters" games, you'll get a slightly weaker game, but perhaps a manual you can actually read. In short - if you already own ATF, USNF Marine Fighters or NATO Fighters, save your cash.

When I purchased Fighters Anthology, I was expecting the realism that Jane's is known for. For the most part, I was not disappointed.

The flight model is excellent. If your used to games like "A-10 Tank Killer", you'd better start with the single missions first. The initial missions have a great stepping stone structure that enable novice pilots the opportunity to learn without getting pasted, and give advanced pilots better feel for the limits of the flight model. They also give an opportunity to fly a meriad of different aircraft, from the X-32 to the C-130. The lack of a physical manual does complicate things a bit. Another great feature is the different levels of experience given to all units in the game. This is especially helpful in the mission creators.

I haven't really gotten into the campaigns yet, but my mistake of starting one the first night I got the game was somewhat degrading. Between not knowing the systems (like how to turn on my radar, or change weapons) did not help the fact that I had a short in my joystick (now replaced). Though these problems have been taken care of, I am not about to dive in again until I am truly proficient in the single player missions. The campaign is pretty real, what little I saw, and if your not used to it, you will be toast.

The single failing is the blocky polygon graphics. They were great for when the games origionally came out, but seem chunky now. I do like being able to choose my squadron logo, though. Another thing that gets irritating after a while is the long tedium of scrolling through the missions. The interface is a cool idea, but having to click individually past 30 pages gets old.

Overall, I really enjoy the game. It's archaic graphics are more than overcome by what truly matters - an exciting flight simulation.

The graphics wernt even all that great when it came out, the game play is pretty boxed, and the scenery is just an updated version of the flat terrane of the old Falcon 3.0, and the flight models are simplified at best.

But....

the sheer scope of this game in theater and platform makes up for its now obsolete gameplay. 100+ different aircraft, 50 different weapons (plus the ability to mod in nuclear weapons) a dozen theaters, a hundred nations. Wow. Israel VS Jordan, Turkey VS Greece, Japan VS Russia, France VS normal people! The options are endless. Gameplay is quick and slick, and the mission builder while lacking the complexity of most modern day builders, still gives the game a lot of replayability. The campaigns are allright, especially the Vietnam campaign which offers the best graphics of the game.

To quote Vladimere Illyich Lenin "Quantity has a quality all its own", and this game certainly lives up to that idiom. It would be wonderful to see Janes do a remake of this game using the detailed sort of 'voxel-space' type graphics we saw in their release of "IAF: Israeli Air Force" with the HD JPG graphics used on the fighters and ground vehicles in that game. While it may be fun to fly the plethora of sierra-hotel F-15/16/18/22/117 or MiG-29/Su-27 simulators out there, there is something to be said to be able to fly a Bosnian Su-7MBK fitter or BAE Strikemaster type aircraft that makes up the real numbers in the airforces in the world. It may take a good F-22 flyer to defeat a Su-35 in single combat but it takes a real ace to beat something like an F-15 in a Vietnam era MiG or Mirage.

For the price of the game today (under [price]) its a great buy.

This is an old sim. I mean, I've had this sucker for a while. And you know what? I keep coming back to it. True, the graphics aren't that great. The flight model (despite what that one guy said) is almost poor. But this sim has one thing most new sims can't duplicate. Perfect gameplay. This game is a lot of fun. It has great scripted campaigns, and the learning curve isn't too steep. This is THE most well-rounded game I have ever played. When this game first came out it was the best, today Jane's Fighter's Anthology is still "The Mother of All Flight Sims." This is the sim by which I judge all other sims. If you don't already have this game, do yourself a favor and get a copy. You'll be glad you did.

It's a wonderful game. Although the cockpit is not that realistic, but the gameplay is perfect. You get to choose all kinds of plane, load a variety of weapons, and proceed with a lot of fun missions. I like it because it's very intense but also "according to the book." And the air-to-air dogfight is probably the best part of the whole game. It teaches you how to maneuvre your plane, avoid radar detection, and all sorts of stuff, treating you just like a fighter pilot. You get to use your brain. I love the campaigns and the missions. Anyways, it's a very good game.

I miss the days when games were so much fun. This is the first game I played as a multi-player. The graphics are low compared to today's standard, but good enough to keep things interesting. It's just a fun game to play.

This really is a fun game, even though the graphics is quite old. The simulation is more in-depth compared to an arcade game, but not as complex as dedicated simulators such as Falcon 4.0. There is a large variety of planes, from different nations, to choose from, as well as weapons that can be carried on each of the plane's hard points. Mods by members of the on-line community are able to greatly enhance the realism of the flight mechanics, weapon performance, etc.

How it is more realistic than an arcade game:

The player has control over flight surfaces such as rudders, flaps, and air brake, weapon bay doors, landing gears and hook (for carrier landing), wheel brakes, and even vector-thrusting (pointing the engine nozzles away from straight afterward).

Flight mechanics, such as the speeds for take-off and landing, and the effect of speed and altitude on maneuvrability, is treated professionally.

Low-altitude flying helps one avoid being detected by ground/sea based radars.

Your radar and sensors in general have a limited detection range, a limited tracking/lock-on range, and a limited field of view (degrees off to the right and to the left of the forward direction).

Different missiles use different means for guidance. For instance, semi-active radar homing requires the same target to be locked on for the entire duration of the attack, but an infra-red seeker can guide the missile independently of your plane's sensors.

Weather conditions affect your weapon's performance. Fog would make it almost impossible for an IR missile to obtain a lock, whereas a bright sun, if it is in the same general direction as the target, would draw your missile away from its intended target.

You have a limited amount ammo and countermeasures; the latter is used to mislead incoming missiles.

In addition to exploding after being hit, your plane can take on different damages, such as radar malfunction, banking to one side, leaking fuel, leaking hydraulics, and overheating. Whether you can make it back to the base may very well depend on your skill.

How this game is less complex than a dedicated simulator:

The radars and sensors in general have only one mode, as opposed to different configurations for scanning horizontally, vertically, narrowly, and broadly.

The throttle is a single function, as opposed to one or more engines each with distinct settings such as normal flight (adjustable), military power 1, military power 2, and emergency shut-down.

Flight is made more stable. In other words, the plane goes where you point and generally stays that way, instead of easily spinning or bobbing up and down.

Landing is made easier by having a forward view that is minimally obstructed, an extraordinarily strong under-carriage, and graphic instrument displays that are, in more dedicated sims, not installed or less accurate to reflect realism.

With a few simple codes, you can fly any thing from 'Air Force One' to 'V-22 Osprey' to a 'B-2 Stealth Bomber' to a forward wing design aircraft to a Tomcat. It even has a reference section with so much information on aircraft and other machines that it has be on a separate disc from the rest of the game!

I haven't played many flight sims but I do like this one a lot. The graphics aren't the greatest but they aren't to bad, sound is pretty good, and the ability to play it over and over it a big plus. There also is a lot of info on the planes that you fly which is cool. One problem though is I can't seem to find the web site for it or any janes game. Overall I think that this is a great game.