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GAME REVIEWED: MiG-29 Fulcrum
RELEASED BY: Novalogic
PRICE: £39.99 (with F-16 Multirole FIghter)
REVIEWED BY: G-String
REVIEW: -
This is the Russian version of the Western World's F-16. Released with Novalogic's F-16 Multirole Fighter. You'll be wondering what the difference is between the two planes, well I'll tell you in this review. The Fulcrum has two engines, both capable of 185% each. The F-16 has only one engine capable of 150%. The Fulcrum has a better manoeuvrability than that of the F-16. So, does this mean that the Fulcrum is better? In my opinion, yes. But everyone has their own opinion.
Firstly, the plane is bigger and is easier to manoeuvre. This gives it a great edge over the F-16. Secondly, it's two engines give it that extra power and better speed. This also makes it possible to do the 'Cobra' manoeuvre which is fun to do. Thirdly, the cockpit is easier to understand, again making it better than the F-16. These are reasons why the plane is better, but this does not mention much about the game itself. Please consult the F-16 Multirole fighter review because the two games are sold together.
The graphics of the two games are very similar. The same graphics engine has been used to produce the two games. The terrain for the games are exactly the same. There are rectangular fields in the desert, obviously a flaw in the game itself, and the terrain is pretty not that good. I'll give it credit for the glacier mountains and the sea because these were much better than the desert and the jungle mountains. The plane is excellently detailed and a lot of care and attention has gone into it. Novalogic have spent such a lot of time developing the plane that they even created a small film (Overview on main menu) about the plane and what it's done.
The game's controls are easily mastered for a basic flight. A good joystick obviously helps, which is why I used the Raptor 3D from Primax. The cockpit in this game, is very easy to master, easier than that of the F-16. The controls are much simpler for the advanced user, again, more simpler than the F-16. This may sound like the MiG-29 is the better of the two, but that is not necessarily true, the controls were easily mastered by me, but for someone else, the F-16 might be a better plane for them. It's different for every individual.
The weapon selection is limited to 11 weapons, ranging from air to air missiles, to air to ground bombs, to a cannon. The selection, however small, is all you need to complete your missions. Like I said before in the F-16 review, the weapons' range is incredibly different. The cannon is basically useless unless you like dog fights. But dog fights against an F-16 with heat seeking missiles - who'd be stupid enough to do that, eh?
You have a wide selection of views to choose from, using the F1-F8 buttons which gives you a different perspective on the plane, and by pressing each of the buttons more than once you get different views from within that perspective. There is a wide selection of views for the cockpit, you can 'check your six', see right and left, zoom into the Heads up Display and even check your instruments, such as your map, your weapons, and your fuel/speed/climb/dive. These are important if you are short of fuel or need to reload your weapons. The external cameras are great to check out the detail of the plane, with three separate views. There is also a series of TV cameras where you can watch the plane flying by. Also, you have the opportunity to watch your missiles as they drive towards your enemies. You can even see them blowing the planes up! You can also watch enemy/your own planes as they plunge towards the ground, at high speeds towards their death.
The basic manoeuvres that you need to master are the turn, the half-loop, full-loop and twist. The semi-roll, full-roll, and double roll. These all come with practise and believe me, it takes a lot of practice. I play a few flight sim games but I still found the manoeuvres hard to accomplish. There is another manoeuvre that is quite fun to do. The 'Cobra' is especially fun to watch and is hard to accomplish. However, it is useless in air combat and is there for showing off. But, nonetheless, it is a great move. The campaigns are the same style as the F-16's. Different terrains and different weather conditions, which make flying altogether impossible or a nice drive through a country lane.
Compared to the F-16, the MiG-29 Fulcrum is a better plane with better manoeuvrability. This also improves the game, which is basically the same with different planes in it. So this give the MiG-29 the upper hand. Russia wins over the West. The game design is appealing and well laid out. But I cannot forgive Novalogic for the terrain rectangles. It really does look bad. If you take a look at the Screenshots for the F-16 Multirole Fighter, you'll see what I mean about the rectangles. It is the same for the MiG-29, only I wanted to give you a bigger selection of pictures, instead of two almost the same. Anyway, Russia wins against the West, 93% to 88%.
SCORE:
93%
MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIRED:
CPU: 200MHz
RAM: 32MB
200MB HD Space
V\G Card
Windows 98\95\NT
Joystick
Direct X v5.0+
LINKS: www.maxis.com