Pacific Fighters

by UBI Soft

Product Features

• WWII flight combat game
• Fly a variety of WWII fighters and bombers over the Pacific theater
• Take off from and land on aircraft carriers; try to take down enemy aircraft carriers in combat
• Fight in famous historical locations such as Midway, Okinawa, Pearl Harbor, and Singapore
• Online multiplayer option

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002AL1YW
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches ; 8.8 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 26, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,910 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC

From the Manufacturer

The award-winning flight combat from Oleg Maddox's IL-2 series moves the setting from the Eastern front to the fierce combat of the Pacific theater. Allied fighters and bombers square off against the notorious air power of the Japanese empire. For the first time, a large variety of British aircraft will be included along with U.S. and Australian planes. Target enemy ships, vehicles, airfields, and a host of AI-controlled aircraft. Re-enact some of the most famous air battles of WWII in places like Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima.

Game Features

• Fly a variety of WWII fighters and bombers: Fly for the U.S., Japan, Great Britain, and Australia in famous fighters such as the F6F Hellcat, the deadly Japanese Zero, and the UK's Supermarine Seafire. Flyable bombers such as the Aichi D3A1 Val, G4M2 Betty, SBD Dauntless, and A-20 Havoc are also included. Over 40 flyable aircraft models are available.
• New! Includes aircraft carriers: For the first time in the 1C: Maddox game series, players will be able to take off from, land on, and engage enemy aircraft carriers in combat.
• Accessible to players of all skill levels: With its extensive tutorials and customizable settings, the game will appeal to both beginning and expert pilots. Nearly every level of realism and difficulty can be tuned to fit user tastes.
• Award-winning IL-2-style combat-simulation gameplay: As with every product in the IL-2 series, Pacific Fighters offers unparalleled attention to detail. The smart AI, unequaled damage model, and sense of realism combine to immerse players like no other combat flight simulation.
• Maps of the most famous battles of the Pacific: 16 new maps are included with famous historical locations such as Midway, Okinawa, Pearl Harbor, and Singapore. Wave movements on the beach, volumetric clouds, and thick vegetation are some of the visual attributes that are rendered in detail.
• Attack a vast array of targets ranging from railroads to battleships: Ground objects such as trains, trucks, and tanks can all be pounded from the air. Torpedo historically accurate ships, drop parafrags on enemy airfields, and encounter over 100 other targets on the ground and at sea.
• An unsurpassed multiplayer option: Take part in massive live engagements on huge maps that feature plane formations, numerous ships, and ground troops in a variety of modes from free-for-all dogfights to multiplayer campaigns.

Product Description

Wanted:  Pilots for Intense Pacific ActionProduct InformationThe IL-2 series moves the war from the Eastern front to the fierce combat ofthe WWII's Pacific theater.The award-winning flight combat from Oleg Maddox’s IL-2 series moves thesetting from the Eastern front to the fierce combat of the Pacific theater.Allied fighters and bombers square off against the notorious air power of theJapanese empire. For the first time a large variety of British aircraft will beincluded along with the U.S. and Australian planes. Target enemy shipsvehicles airfields and a host of AI-controlled aircraft. Re-enact some of themost famous air battles of WWII in places like Pearl Harbor Guadalcanal andIwo Jima.Product Features Fly a variety of WWII fighters and bombers: Fly for the U.S. Japan Great Britain and Australia in famous fighters such as the F6F Hellcat the deadly Japanese Zero and the UK’s Supermarine Seafire. Flyable bombers such as the Aichi D3A1 Val G4M2 Betty SBD Dauntless and A-20 Havoc are also included. Over 40 flyable aircraft models are available. New! Includes aircraft carriers: For the first time in the 1C: Maddox game series players will be able to take off from land on and engage enemy aircraft carriers in combat. Accessible to players of all skill levels: With its extensive tutorials and customizable settings the game will appeal to both beginning and expert pilots. Nearly every level of realism and difficulty can be tuned to fit user tastes. Award-winning IL-2-style combat-simulation gameplay: As with every product in the IL-2 series Pacific Fighters offers unparalleled attention to detail. The smart AI unequaled damage model and sense of realism combine to immerse players like no other combat flight simulation. Maps of the most famous battles of the Pacific: 16 new maps are included with famous historical locations such as Midway Okinawa Pearl H

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best WWII flight sim, October 28, 2004

By 

II./JG2_Oesau (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pacific Fighters (CD-ROM)

Note: this is out in Australia and I have played it, and I did pay for it:

The latest instalment of the IL-2 Sturmovik line of combat flight sims. First released in October 2000 IL-2 Sturmovik was met with praise for it's attention to detail and also for covering a area of conflict (the eastern front) that has up to that point been ignored. Following this was the release of IL-2 Sturmovik -Forgotten Battles (from this point on referred to as FB) in 2003. This was initially expected to be a add on to the original game, however this developed into having a greatly improved version and was released as a stand alone install. Earlier this year a expansion to FB was released; Aces Expansion Pack (from this point forward referred to as AEP). This included a new Western Europe theme with new maps and new aircraft.

Shortly after the release of AEP it was released that the next project would be a pacific theme combat flight sim called Pacific Fighters (PF). This was based on the FB game engine but would include aircraft carriers which was something that was missing to this point (no need for a aircraft carrier on the eastern front) along with a host of other refinements and additions to make it truly a Pacific combat sim.

I must admit that I have followed the development of this game with much anticipation and had high hopes for it. I really enjoy the FB + AEP (this refers to the game Forgotten Battles with the add on aces expansion pack) and am a regular online flier. So how did it hold up when I played it; love it!

But before I go on any further I need to clarify something. There are 2 options for installing this game.

1. install PF as a stand alone game
2. install it over FB+AEP

If you choose the stand alone option you get the aircraft that were developed for PF. The important thing to note is if you intend to fly online you can only play with others that have the PF stand alone install (sorry, no joining games that are FB+AEP+PF based.

The second option of installing the game over your FB+AEP installation will give you one mighty combat flight sim. You will have all of the content from the previous install plus everything new to PF. This gives you approximately 200 flyable aircraft! The same online restrictions apply for this install, you can not join a game on the internet that is a based on the PF stand alone install. Now with the Forgotten Battles Gold pack (this has FB + AEP bundled) out at a good price this option of installation is the way to go.

Moving along with the review. The level of playability is scalable to match different levels of skill. New people to this series of games have a entry level difficulty setting which will allow them to enjoy the game without getting frustrated. On the other hand if you want to change the settings to their hardest level you give yourself a challenge, and a step learning curve. Overall, a very flexible game to match all peoples wants.

How does it look? Fantastic is the word for it. The attention to detail in this game is amazing and the effects such as the water, smoke, explosions, clouds, not too mention the look of the planes is great. A great thing about this series of games is the ability to configure the graphics to match your PC. You don?t need a super computer to run it, but be warned. If you want the eye candy level up, you better have a machine that is has at least a 2.8Ghz CPU, 1Gb of RAM, and a video card along the lines of a ATI X800 (9800 line is good as well) or a NIVIDA 6800. It's a compromise on the look of the game and the playability. The only real concern that I have with the game is all of the anti aircraft fire from the carriers. While it looks impressive, it can cause you PC to chug along a bit.

The aircraft; a good selection of the important aircraft in the Pacific theatre during WWII though a little thin of the different types for the Japanese. My biggest gripe at the moment is that there are no carrier borne torpedo bombes in the game that are flyable (they are their, but they are AI controlled by the computer). In saying this however, there has been a long history of releasing free patches for the game that include new aircraft. In fact, there is a patch due very soon that will include more aircraft to fly. The word is that more planes were developed, they just couldn't fit them on the 2 disks. So expect over time new aircraft to be released (along with maps and bug fixes) and for free. The commitment to this game from the developers is well known, this is no drop it in the market and leave it with all it faults game, it's a evolution of the best combat flight sim ever made.

Carrier Operations - this is the new part of the game that I've personally being looking forward to, and it doesn't disappoint. Take off is the easy part, landing it isn't. But it is fun, and the rolling motion of the ship adds to the level of immersion (the amount that the ship rolls is weather dependant, so bad weather leads to a one rocking ship). Arrestor wires are fully animated, along with folding wings (for the aircraft that had them), tail hooks (to catch the wires with), and a new raise seating position (again, for the aircraft that had them). This last bit helps see over the nose when on approach to the carrier.

Training- This has always been a issue with the game. The training is bear bones and the manual is very light on information (something more and more common now days). There is some more information with the installation of the game (as pdfs) but it still leaves you wanting to know more. In saying that, there is a great community out there on the net with sites that provide guides and there is much help from people on the UBI forums. Don?t be afraid, ask them for help if you need to.

So there you have it, long winded (but I only covered the tip of the iceberg) but I think the game is fantastic. Well worth it regardless of whether or not you have FB+AEP installed. If you love flying, or have had a interest in combat sims, this is the one to get.

PS - I realise that I refer to PF as a game and a sim throughout this review, it's up to you as to what you think it is. To me, it?s a lot of fun!

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another fine simulation from 1C:Maddox, November 1, 2004

By 

musickna "musickna" (Saint Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pacific Fighters (CD-ROM)

Firstly, I am writing this from the point of view of someone who has installed the game on top of Forgotten Battles and the Ace Expansion Pack - a feature that needs to be advertised more prominently in the box art literature. It can also be installed as a stand-alone.

Pacific Fighters introduces carrier and carrier operations into the 'Forgotten Battles' series. It does so quite entrancingly with astonishing graphics and a level of realism that completely eclipses that found in the older Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2 game. I found myself captivated as I wobbled down to a carrier landing in my little Wildcat - this game is first and foremost a lot of fun.

A number of features new to the IL-2 game engine appear - reduced and less blinding muzzle flashes, aircraft landing and staying on the airfield rather than just disappearing (a definite improvement for strafing missions), a 'skip' feature that allows you to jump rapidly from waypoint to waypoint - amongst more specific carrier functions such as arrestor hooks, wheel chocks and opening/closing cockpits.

With a GeForce 6800 GT card, I can get an astonishingly real looking ocean - sadly at maximum settings my hardware runs rather slow (Athlon64 3200), and it is more fun to watch the game play out rather than be an active flyer under those condtions.

The only major problem with the game is it currently being sold is that it is incomplete - a major and extensive patch should be available shortly to increase the aircraft complement and address a number of bugs. The post-release support offered by 1C:Maddox is second to none, and I am totally confident that all problems will be fixed based on my experience with prior releases.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Defacto WWII Sim King, November 3, 2005

By 

T. Gorman "Triad773" (US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Pacific Fighters (CD-ROM)

If you want a WWII combat flight sim, look no further! The graphics engine is a few years old, this game is an extension of Ubisoft's IL-2 flight sim. The textures, light and shade are excellent in the game. Game play is very scalable as well. There are a variety of missions included, and it can have multiple players on a LAN or the internet. There seems to be quite a community on the Ubisoft forums- where one can find custom plane skins, community-authored missions, and a screenshot thread in the forum at is over 118 pages and growing.

I can't say enough about this game. One of the more unique aspects about it is that it it isn't socio-centric in any sense: if you want to be German, Finnish, whatever-- you are not locked into just being American, or Russian. Most all the participants of WWII are represented. It is one of the good watersheds of globalization!

The only qualification I can think of is this: if you want the best performance and graphics, be prepared! A machine running 2+ghz processor and a 256mb video card will go a long way toward enhancing your immersive experience.

Buy it and enjoy! It is not the type of game you will play for a couple of months and put away. The publisher also offers free patches AND enhancements.

Triad

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