Review by Gary Evenett

Name:         SU27 Flanker
Publisher:    Mindscape
Format:       CD-Rom
Available:    Now

Requires:

O/S:          Dos 6.0+
Processor:    486/DX2-66+
RAM:          8Mb+
Graphics:     SVGA
CD-Rom:       X2
Soundcard:    All major cards supported

Tested on:

O/S:          DOS 6.2 & Win95
Processor:    486/DX4-150MHz
RAM:          16Mb
Graphics:     Cirrus 5436 SVGA 1Mb
CD-ROM:       Vertos Quad speed
Soundcard:    Soundblaster 2MB AWE32-pnp
Controls:     Keyboard/mouse/F15 Talon

SU27 Flanker

Previously released earlier this year in WIN95 only format, SU27 returns in its second incarnation, this time supporting both Dos & WIN95 simulating one of the most powerful multi-role fighter aircraft in the world.

Conceived in 1969 the Sukhoi SU27 Flanker made its first maiden flight in 1977, designed to be superior to the American F15 Strike Eagle, the single seat Flanker outperformed everything in its class, including most other nations front line fighters. Once you have seen the SU27 in action you realise just how maneuverable the aircraft is compared to Western aircraft like the F16, F15, Tornado (patriotic ) etc. I have been to many airshows over the past few years to watch Anatoly Kvochur (the famous test pilot who crashed the Mig29 at the Paris Airshow) put the SU27 through its paces, a memorable sight I would recommend to anyone.

After seeing the SU27 parked next to other fighters it`s amazing just how large this aircraft is, as an example imagine the Big Foot Truck parked next to a Harley Davidson. Ok, so maybe I've exaggerated a tiny bit but that`s basically what this plane looks like next to the F16, Tornado & Mig29, which for some reason Anatoly tends to choose to park next to at the airshows here .

Right. I've bored you enough with my Airshow stories, so I'll get back to the game now. The new version of SU27 now contains two versions of the game on one CD. The game comes with a 200+ page detailed manual, map & reference card. Both the Dos & Win95 versions are almost identical in game play and presentation, the only few advantages to playing the Dos version is a quicker frame rate if your system isn't up to it, or if you don't have Win95. Apart from that the only things you miss out by playing the Dos version are changeable colours on the map, TCP/IP network play, online manual and multitasking whilst surfing the Game-Over! web site .

Graphically SU27 looks quite ancient compared with most of the texture mapped processor straining sims we take for granted these days. However, although the game runs in 640x480x256 and could be mistaken for Tornado (DI) at a glance, the fine detail on all the objects and vehicles greatly improves the overall look of the game. There are plenty of nice touches which many sims still tend to leave out, like moving control surfaces, moisture trails streaming off the aircraft in tight turns, smoke trails from missiles which twist and turn showing the path the projectile has taken, and individually numbered aircraft.

The flight model in the game is very good indeed, this is one of the main things I look for in a flight sim. There are various skill levels which you can choose to make the game easier, but there`s no arcade mode if that's the sort of game you are looking for. Saying that though, the aircraft is very responsive and is very forgiving in most high G maneuvers with a good feeling of momentum at low altitude. Probably the closest I could compare this with is Falcon 3. The dials and controls are all labelled in Russian and although you can change a lot of the settings to metric the game still uses measurements like Kilometers, which is pretty alien to us poor Brits who still prefer miles, feet, pounds and ounces etc . But, it doesn't take long to recognise and adapt to the controls.

Combat in SU27 is something else, personally I found it a bit too hard, you really do have to be a top gun to survive a lot of the scenarios as fast thinking and skilful actions are essential to outwit the enemy fighters and SAM's. You can choose up to 3 wingmen to fly with you and issue them orders in flight. All friendly and enemy aircraft can have their skill level pre-selected if you wish.

Another of the main points I look for in a flight sim is the situational awareness aspect, ie. the ability to feel and know where the threats are in combat. In games like Air Warrior I tend to be able to know exactly which way to turn or climb to get on the enemies six, but I've found myself on many occasions ripping my joystick out of its socket weaving all over the sky trying to break the enemy weapon lock, which nine times out of ten ends the mission for me.

There is however a virtual cockpit (with rear view mirrors) which tracks the enemy aircraft to a certain extent, and this greatly improves the "SA", and although I haven't played SU27 enough yet to get used to it I'm sure this will make it much more playable. Taking the aircraft for a flight with no enemies around is seriously enjoyable, its an absolute beauty to fly. You can also fly with a wingman performing an airshow if you wish, with coloured wingtip smoke trails for real precision flying. Using the flight recorder you can then sit back and watch just how un-precise you really were .

There is a large selection of weapons to choose from on each mission, and if you are used to playing modern fighter flight sims you will no doubt be pretty clued up as to the capabilities of the Sidewinder, AMRAAM, Maverick etc. You will now have to study all the Russian weapons and capabilities to see which resemble the ones you are so used to so that you know what you are firing. Air to Air and Air to Ground weapon delivery is pretty similar to the majority of the US flight sims, so unless you are new to the jet flight sim world you should soon get the feel of the weapons.

Unlike most sims these days the missions in SU27 are all individual stand alone missions which do not connect with each other in any form of campaign. There are plenty of pre-set missions which you open as individual files, and a rather good mission planner with which to alter them all or to create new missions with. The mission planner itself is probably the nearest thing so far to resemble the excellent Tornado planner, and allows for accurate waypoints, object placement and timed starting points. This would have been an excellent asset if some form of campaign had been implemented, even if there was a way to string all your missions together into one file it would have opened up many new possibilities. Sadly, I feel this makes an impact on the overall addictiveness of the game as there are no long term goals to achieve.

SU27 includes an IPX, TCP/IP & the WIN95 Plus Pack Dial Up Server link up feature so that you can use the pre-set or user created missions head to head or Co-operatively. I haven't had chance to try any of these but as with any multiplayer game I'm sure this will be a great feature.

Overall, SU27 has great potential and many things going for it in the PC flight sim world. Although the graphics make the game look dated, the extra effort that has been put into detail, flight model, enemy AI and playability almost makes up for its lack of campaign structure. I'm desperately hoping that this is not the last upgrade SU27 will receive. The Russian programming team have made a great entrance into the Western dominated PC games market, and have shown that they can produce a quality game which could compete with the big budget rivals. With the backing of SSI, Mindscape & The Fighter Collection I hope we will see a lot more from Eagle Dynamics in the future, and I wish them all the best.

If you haven't already bought SU27 then I'd say this is a sim for people that liked games like Falcon 3 and Tornado. It`s definitely one for the serious flight sim fan, because shoot-em-up sim'ers may find it a bit daunting with its large selection of operating keys and difficulty.

NOTE: For those that bought the WIN95 only version of SU27 the new version is v1.1 which has also been released as a free upgrade patch from SSI.

Finally its worth mentioning that included on the CD there's some nice clips of an interview and in-cockpit views of Anatoly Kvochur performing an air display.

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Rating: 7/10 (Good)
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