Apache Air Assault: (ps3/360/pc)

Apache air assault is a flight simulator that puts you in charge of helicopters not planes. if you are a fan of the hawx series don’t despair as the game gives you one of the deadliest and most efficient gunships of all time - the apache.  it may be too hard for most players as it requires a certain level of skill to play but if you are a fan of flight sims its a must have.

The missions are straight forward enough and offer a briefing at the start so you know what you will be doing, fighting terrorists and modern day pirates seem to be the order of the day and the game serves them up in bucketful's. The training too also helps you get the best out of your helicopter – again its not easy but in time it can be picked up. the levels are fantastic looking and for the most part appeal to the eye, however like a lot of flight sims once you come close enough to the ground it gets a little choppy. the thing is though if you are playing properly you shouldn’t need to be that low in the first place. when the action gets going the explosions and weapons all seem very realistic and look well polished.

The controls are and can be utterly frustrating to the point where you will start to really respect what real pilots must go through. there are a number of difficulty levels, each level changing not only the AI but the way you fly your vehicle – realistic mode is something i tried but gave up almost immediately after crashing into the ground constantly.  the combat really feels fine tuned and helicopter’s are packed full of weapons to use on the enemy. it features everything you would expect from machine guns to rocket pods/hellfire missiles and so on. the thing i really liked about the game is the offline co-op, its fun to fly around with a friend either being a gunner or pilot – not a lot of games feature such in-depth offline co-op anymore and it was a big reason for me getting the game.

The game offers a vast number of boeing’s super beast that is the apache but other helicopters do pop up in the various side missions such as a russian mi-35 hind and the mq-8b fire scout but for the most part you will be flying apaches like the ah-64d logbow and the ah mk1 apache. it uses the same engine as il-2 sturmovik: birds of prey so it is at its core a very satisfying looking game that plays hard but rewards you for it. helicopters can be customized with decals letting you give your helicopter the perfect look, there are a lot of decals on offer so the perfect looking chopper is just a few button presses away.

The online multiplayer adds a little extra life to the game and it can be fun working together with another player but they could have done a lot more with it. its not a bad thing really but the opportunity was there to create a truly engaging multiplayer experience.  in closing i’ll admit i really liked the game, the developers had previously made a game i enjoyed and i wondered if i’d feel the same about this one – trading a squadron of planes for helicopters could it work?. it did and its unique in that way but its uniqueness causes it to only appeal to a certain audience. if you like flight sims like tom clancy’s hawx or the sturmovik series i’d highly recommend giving it a go, it delivers in terms of combat and looks but not controls . i’m giving apache air assault a well deserved 9 out of 10, if it offered a little more in terms of mission types and multiplayer it would be a straight 10 – the controls could do with a little work too. it may just be a combat flight sim but for fans of the genre and of aerial assault vehicles its deliciously decadent eye candy.