GameSpot editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 07/22/1998
- Updated on: 05/02/2000
- Released on: 05/31/1998
- Originally published on GameSpot: Team Apache (PC) Review
Team Apache is a different kind of sim. It falls into a nether region between Comanche and Longbow for realism and playability, but offers some unique elements that have not been seen before in a sim. The trade-off is downplaying realism of systems and flight modeling in order to focus on realism of command and the battlefield situation. The result is a whoppingly entertaining game.
Team Apache was, along with Flying Nightmares 2, one of the titles jettisoned by Eidos after producer and former Apache pilot Bryan Walker left for Jane's. SSI/Mindscape snapped up Team Apache and saw its UK-based developer, SIMIS, through the final stretch. Knowing they were not going to be able to compete with the rigorous modeling of Longbow 2, they decided to pitch it as an upper-mid-level sim in terms of realism - a game that was more readily playable than Longbow, yet more accurate than Comanche, but with its own twists. Those twists, and the sharp graphics engine, are what make the game.
Visually, Team Apache is a real treat in almost every area. The hardware-accelerated graphics provide some of the most fluid frame rates and interesting textures in any recent sim. Software acceleration is not quite as effective, and the visuals are choppy and uninteresting without their hardware-essential chrome. Compared with Longbow 2, there are some pluses and minuses. The cockpit and object modeling in Longbow 2 is more detailed, but the textures, buildings, trees (yes, trees!), and other terrain elements are more interesting in Team Apache. Plus, even on a midrange system (like a P200) Team Apache simply runs better.
The cockpits, however, are Team Apache's real weak point. The clear cockpit is the most effective, yet it lacks sensor overlays. The rendered cockpit allows the widest range of view and clearest image of the instruments, yet offers limited visibility. The floating cockpit is very difficult to use, but allows the most fluid range of viewing motion. The problem with this virtual cockpit is that instruments are not sharply defined, making them hard to use. Reflections on the canopy provide a nice effect but also make that detailed terrain look drab and blurry. The final flaw is the lack of a padlock view.
Continue reading
%20PC%20Game%20reviews%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/pc-games/team-apache-pc/4505-9696_7-30973514.html){kind=small}