Longbow 2 is undoubtedly the king of Helicopter simulation games. The avionics are quite well modelled with the flight engine also pretty detailed. The use of 3 different aircraft and the team tasking system is pretty nifty, although with the old addage of "if you want something done properly, do it yourself", the friendly AI could be a little more intelligent.
The playability of the game is excellent with simple arcade modes for those who just want to fly and blow up tanks and expert dynamics modes for those semi-experienced rotary wing simmers who want to actually fly the thing.
Longbow 2 is undoubtedly the king of Helicopter simulation games. The avionics are quite well modelled with the flight engine also pretty detailed. The use of 3 different aircraft and the team tasking system is pretty nifty, although with the old addage of "if you want something done properly, do it yourself", the friendly AI could be a little more intelligent.
The playability of the game is excellent with simple arcade modes for those who just want to fly and blow up tanks and expert dynamics modes for those semi-experienced rotary wing simmers who want to actually fly the thing. It would be pretty cool to be able to undergo a realistic start-up sequence and have a fully clickable cockpit (such as in the
modern game, Lock On: Modern Air Combat: Black Shark) but hey - I’m getting ahead of myself here!
Longbow 2 really is at the top of its game being one of the best helicopter simulator games around - STILL, even though it's several years old. This kind of thing is almost unhead of in this day and age - what with games being in development for years and being superseded before the see the light of day.
The really killer thing about this game is the multi-player coop system. Being able to fly with your mate in the CPG seat engaging the targets is really something and hadn't really been seen before, or since for that matter. I never really tried the head to head games, but I had hours of fun with mates flying in formation and in various seats doing the campaigns. With an expansion pack out there the fun just continues.
It's a bit of a shame that this game is now considered "Legacy", but hey, technology moves on and can sometimes leave the good games behind. This is one of the very few games that make you proud to use a PC to play games as opposed to using consoles. Not to mention the plethora of accessories those are available for games such as this!
