Flight Simulator X

E3 2006 First Look Preview

Due out at the end of this year, Flight Simulator X is not only the tenth game in Microsoft’s Flight Simulator franchise. This entry will be a landmark in a different way, as it marks the 25th anniversary in the series, and is poised to be the most comprehensive flying sim ever to grace the PC.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator series has always been praised for providing realism to the flight sim genre, giving gamers full control and access to realistic places and situations. Flight Sim X expands on this by upping the ante in terms of graphical presentation and realistic physics.

Flight Simulator X gives you control of many different aircraft, like the Maule M7-260C Orion, through more than 50 missions. The game will have 24,000 airports programmed in for you to visit, each with their own unique happenings, like AI controlled jetways and so on. The whole world is thriving and constantly moving, with added touches like moving cars and highly detailed buildings providing an added touch of realism.

The graphics in Flight Simulator X are nearly photo-realistic, with meticulously detailed landscapes and buildings, as well as extremely accurate vehicles. The game’s graphics will have an immediate effect on how you play the game, as well. For example, the game will use bloom-lighting effects, so the sun will glare off of the reflective paint on the nose of your plane, making it quite difficult to see when the sun is hitting your plane just right.

When it’s released, Flight Simulator X will take advantage of Windows Vista’s capabilities, and will also feature online capabilities, allowing players to share the same airspace with other gamers the world over.

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