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If you have a 3-D accelerator card, MiG Alley's graphics are impressive, and the sound effects satisfy. The real appeal, though, is the game's convincing flight model. Most dogfights during this period were fought at extremely high altitudes where air density is an oxymoron, and Mig Alley does a terrific job of conveying the slippery precariousness of turning in such conditions (according to the accounts we've read by Korean War pilots). One wrong move and you're tumbling earthward, effectively turning yourself into a big fat bull's-eye.
The historical differences between the MiG-15 and the F-86 are also modeled well, as the Russian-built jet trades maneuverability for power while the American plane is nimble but can't keep up with the MiG in a climb. Dogfights are only half the story, however, since you also can go on ground-pounding missions to take out enemy installations, trains, and other critical enemy equipment. Entire campaigns based around bomb runs are available, and those missions are just as tense and fun as the sorties involving aerial combat. You can even direct the entire air campaign, assigning air and ground targets to flights as you try to manage your resources to stem the ceaseless wave of planes and equipment coming from the north. Whether you crave quick action or would like to savor the strategy elements present in MiG Alley, no combat flight simulator fan should be without a copy. --T. Byrl Baker
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good simulator in an area with few competitors,
By A Customer
This review is from: MiG Alley (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)
I purchased this game just over a year ago and still play it quite often. As noted in the editorial reviews this game has few flaws, especially when you consider the competitors for simulators of this period. I particularly would like to have had a flyable model of the F-4U Corsair as it is one of my favorite aircraft of the era, particularly in ground attack, it ruggedness and payload capacity made it a much more effective ground attack aircraft than the P-51 Mustang with it's venerable liquid cooled engine. The F-4U4 Corsair also packed a heavier punch with it's 4 x 20mm cannon instead of the 6 x .50 caliber Machine Guns found in the F-80, F-84, F-86, and Mustang. Imagine how much more fun it would have been to blaze away at ground targets, especially armor such as the T-34s in the game with 4 x 20mm cannons instead Machine Guns. One feature that I didn't like was that it is impossible to frame air or ground targets without going into pad-lock mode, also when the relative location of the target slips from your cockpit field of view you get an external view of your own aircraft with the target visible behind it. This can be disorienting, particularly in a dogfight. I would have preferred it if you remained in the cockpit with some sort of arrow or other indicator to let you know the position of the target. In dogfights this is possible with the perspective indicator but it is impossible in ground attack mode. In evaluated this simulator at 4 stars because of these two shortcomings, which are relatively minor considering the other fun features and challenges build into this game. And one thing the editorial reviewers left out was the historical footage included on the CD-ROM, this adds to the atmosphere of the period considerably and reminds us again of 'The Forgotten War'.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Flawed Classic,
By Ed Boyes (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: MiG Alley (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)
A great flight sim with a great big flaw. It's greatness stems something to do with the guns only, jet fighter combat scenario. The sheer speed of the flying, coupled with close up and personal weapons delivery (machine guns at 300 yards) make the game a blast to fly. Mig Alley is nicely packaged and the documentation comes complete with a reproduction of a Restricted RAF handbook, written during the Korean War that describes, first hand, the experiences of a British pilot who flew with the USAF and offers up some excellent descriptions of the air war (a nice touch and well worth reading from cover to cover).Flight models are outstanding with the controls feeling really heavy if you do something too severe - even without an FFB stick. Since aircraft like the F86 are subject to compressor stall even when they're asleep in the hangar, aerial maneuvering if a very sedate affair, more akin to high altitude Tai Chi rather than an airborne Karate meet. While this high altitude ballet is a real joy - and the low altitude stuff ain't half bad either. Perhaps the best single mission of them all is the Red Air Force attack on your airfield which starts as you return from some mission (probably napalming some naughty commies) only to find 16 YAK-9's swarming all over your turf while swilling gallons of vodka and calling General MacArthur rude names. Naturally, this just won't do and this scenario usually ends up with gazillions of aircraft milling around at 10ft off the deck with everyone hell bent on shooting something that can be called a kill when they submit their highly exaggerated combat report. The target padlock system is the most intuitive I have ever come across; the canopy cues and the floating artificial horizon provide continuous positive orientation and it is just about possible to have an entire furball without unlocking the target once. "Get outta here before I slap your face" I hear you say - but it's true I tell you, it actually works. Graphics are generally good, ground texture maps represent a dull landscape fairly well - things like trees and buildings provide an adequate impression of built up areas but, like most simulators, tend to `pop up' rather unconvincingly. Flying top cover has its visual rewards, with haze and contrails adding realism. Formation flying at high altitude is extremely difficult and frustrating so unless you have a complete simulation suite with stick, throttles, rudder, ejector seat, instrument panel, F86 cockpit tub, full avionics, oxygen and a ground crew of thirty people, you are better off engaging on the autopilot and just enjoying the ride. Missions are a bit paltry in terms of quantity, but you can fly a variety of unusual aircraft on the allied side and two versions of the MIG15 on the North Korean side. Mig Alley provides some interesting ground attack missions using prop and jet aircraft, all based on historical missions so there are no nasty surprises - essentially once you have completed your bombing/strafing/air combat sortie, you get to fly home in peace. Other flight sims tend to throw in an extra twenty squadrons of bad guys just when you are trying to haul your bullet-riddled, avgas-leaking, wing-flaming, undercarriage-dragging, flap-drooping wreck back to base. Another nice concept is the ability to customize the nose-art on the aircraft - so if you have a drawing package handy, why not whip up some dirty picture to plaster all over your aircraft - this is sure to frighten the bejesus out of those North Korean flyboys (or make them defect, depending on how excited they get). Regrettably the game producers have managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The first is the music which is so unbelievably awful that it is difficult to describe in the English language - it's...it's...like a Latvian clog dancing team playing the piano accordion at a funeral, somehow strange - yet frightening. While funereal organ music is not catastrophic, the next bit is! The second (and major) snag is the multiplayer mode - or should I say, lack of it. It is almost impossible to play against anyone online. This is truly tragic since I spent ages at MCOM waiting for someone to turn up and have a game - I was there so long I had three birthday parties sitting in front of my computer. And when someone did show we couldn't get the game to work - what a crock! Ultimately it means that the game has a short shelf life - once you've played it out there's nowhere to go. Other gripes are: poor intro animation sequence (come on people, be creative); irritating user interface; lack of flyable aircraft (no twin Mustangs, Corsairs or YAKs); no carrier operations (you can't refly the `Bridges of Toko Ri' and return safe home to the charms of Grace Kelly to show her your joystick) and clumsy map visuals: but these would be probably be acceptable if the multiplayer aspect was corrected (I would still whinge but I would take less space to do it in). As a stand-alone game it fills the Korean War niche, not completely, but enough, and most of the game experience is exemplary, but the multiplayer bit... oh, the horror.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
bad results,
By
This review is from: MiG Alley (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)
no good on windows xp patches dont work dont buy if you have xp
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