Red Baron 3D
Score: 80% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Dynamix Developer: Dynamix Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 12 Genre: Flight/ Simulation/ Online
Graphics & Sound: Quite simply, Red Baron 3D has the best graphics in a WWI flight simulation to date. On the other hand, here’s how it breaks down: I’ve seen better aircraft, better terrain, and better special effects (explosions, muzzle flash, clouds). But everything here is the best of any WWI simulation, so take heart fellow Aces -- this sim will be your ticket to ride. Faithfully modeled aircraft types (of utmost importance to myself, an avid fan of military aviation), as well as accurate terrain with trees and, of course, plenty of detailed stuff on the ground to blow up (explosion fires are pretty nifty) all contribute to a very realistic sim of aerial combat at its very birth. Accurate scenery and vehicles are here to make the experience all the more engrossing. If you crash near a friendly aerodrome, for instance, a Red Cross lorry may be dispatched to your crash site. Aircraft will, when hit, flash from impact, smoke, burn, and upon hitting the ground, break up into pieces with appropriate sound effects.
Gameplay: Red Baron 3D offers plenty of single-player modes. Here’s my favorite: Fly Now! Boy, I love this one! Just click and instantly you are headed toward your opponent. You can leave the configuration up to the computer or have a go at the decisions yourself in a “Fly Now” options screen. It’s a blast, believe me. Single mission option gives you the just that -- choose your mission and settings. Also, you have the option for full campaigns. I found the multiplayer gameplay to be quite smooth and enjoyable with few anomalies. I flew in a Melee match with 11 other players on WON, and performance was even and accurate. Games are still somewhat scarce, but Red Baron 3D is attracting an ever-growing following.
Difficulty: Thanks to the very easy and intuitive setup interface, the game will configure quickly. Also being a WWI simulation, it doesn’t have complex systems to master. No landing gear, no flaps, no missiles, no ground control radar. Just point and shoot, it’s that simple! Seriously though, I found Red Baron 3D to be among the simplest Flight sims to get going in to date. You will have no problem.
Game Mechanics: It’s always nice to be greeted with an easy and intuitive setup interface as we all want to get going ASAP and Red Baron 3D is spot-on in this department. Just follow on-screen directions to custom set every option one could imagine for graphics (you can get as in-depth as you can handle here or keep it fairly simple with a few slider knobs). If you are lucky enough to have a Glide capable accelerator, you can play Red Baron 3D in its full accelerated glory. If not, software mode is provided. Unfortunately, there is a mouse cursor graphics corruption glitch which makes the on-screen pop-up options menus difficult to use. Red Baron 3D is a game of Air-to-Air dogfighting in its purest form, with the player that masters the basics of dogfighting being the most successful. The most important advantage I’ve found is the ability to master the various views. The “Target Enemy” view in Red Baron 3D and most other Flight Combat Sims (AKA Padlock view) is crucial. This enables a player to see the enemy’s A/C position relative to his own A/C anytime he uses this function. On my joystick, this is by default, the button #5, or the Right hat up button. To be successful, you must master flying the aircraft in this view as it will enable you to keep the enemy in your sights at all times. I can’t stress this strongly enough. If you master this point, you’ll rule the skies.
-d0gsb0dy, GameVortex Communications AKA Kelly Key
Minimum System Requirements: IBM compatible PC of 200mhz or greater, 32MB Ram   Test System: P2 @ 416mhz, 208MB Ram, Voodoo 3 3000 video card, 56k v90 Modem
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