Typical combat flight sim scenario: over your radio you here that enemy fighters are coming into visual range. You see them, a dot, growing slowly. Suddenly that dot has flown past your aircraft and put a missile up your arse. The end. Dull, dull, dull.
This ultimately sterile genre of gaming has thankfully been given the once-over by Namco and, Jesus, they've come up with a whole different ball game. The play is simple and fun, but the most astounding element is the graphics. I have never seen landscapes rendered so brilliantly - from pristine mountain ranges to lush farmland, even the clouds are perfect. I might be showing off here, but I ended up using the Olympus EyeTrek glasses (put them on and it's like watching a 52in TV, a snip at £300).
The result was phenomenal. This is the first time I've found any flight sim even remotely realistic, down to me swaying all over the shop. It's a cracker. (NP)