Flight simulator has been a top favorite of mine since I was a child, it was basically the game that got me wanting to fly planes for a living which to this day I am still currently trying to get too. If you are someone who is interested in aviation and the operation or maybe ATC traffic control, this is the game for you. DCS is a great game but Microsoft perfected the user experience from their previous Microsoft Flight Simulator X game. With a vast array of options to having a great interface for Yokes/Joysticks & rudder pedals which help you better identify button layouts and controls. The game offers help for those who want to just fly. Pick anywhere in the world and BOOM you are there. If you just want to see the sights of the world without having to rely on real world elements you can select that option! OR if you want to go for a real world feeling the offer that too! The training center for those who are new to aviation can definitely get a bit confusing once you get die further on how to fly an airplane. But push comes to shove at the end of the day you learn something new, either its a new flight instrument or learning the basics of a new aircraft you can practically have your own plane without having all that hassle.


The game offers a vast workshop style system where third party creators can submit real world aircraft to sell to the aviation world. Unlike most games these are highly detailed and mock their real world counterparts, some aircraft that are made third-party are certainly better than others and cater to a different type of player. Hand made airports are also a great addition to add to the game for people that want to get a real feel to the airport they live close to. The majority of these items in the game are quite expensive which I'm not a big fan of, but the quality of the game out weighs it in my opinion. The base game itself as a large selection of popular aircraft from GA, to commercial airliners small PJ's, bush planes, helicopters and more! The use of third-party freeware is also available for those who don't want to pay but be aware that these can sometimes be corrupted or not high quality designs and typically copy in game flight models or sounds. I received the game as a birthday present from a friend when it came out but would've bought it if I didn't get it as a gift. The $59.99 price tag I think is a good deal for what the game offers, for me the game gives me the ability to familiarize my self with an area I will fly in the instruments that I will be seeing and especially on VATSIM having the confidence to talk to ATC.


The graphics are excellent compared to other games and due to the high capacity of uploads and updates the game stays up to date with most area configurations using satellite imagery for the majority of the landscape and then forms them to reduce the janky straight edges you see in day to day life. The game is quite a bit to download and I think has a download speed cap when in the game which is unfortunate my download was probably capped at 8.83mbs/ per second for a 12gb download and that was just to update the game. There will be a-lot of days where you have to leave the game running and computer on to keep a long download going, thank goodness it doesn't happen often.

Though when I first downloaded the game this issue made it practically impossible to return it due to the fact that the game counts *download hours* as in game hours, and I doubt you will be able to download this game in less than 2 hours. When I first started I had ALOT of FPS issues and the game running poorly. You will have to spend time watching videos that perfect the game to make it look as stunning and run smooth as possible. After you get past this hurdle the game is fantastic. And to this day use it for familiarizing myself with an airspace or visual references before I go flying IRL, and some times I just fly because who doesn't want to take their dream plane to Hawaii?