Ubisoft needs to have their wings stripped. This game is permanently grounded.
Graphics: Models look good. Environments not so good. I fail to see why a game like this can't have water that looks as good as Far Cry's. The water in this one looks like blue carpet. Explosions lack anything even remotely exciting, as a simple, generic "boom" is all you get with your puff of smoke. Are they serious? Cockpits are done well....and are totally confusing. 360 view of the cockpit is nice though, and I liked being able to look to both sides and see the horizon. Whoever decided to implement "grayouts" and "redouts" should be fired. It was supposed to resemble blood rushing from your head or to your head due to g-force. Sounds like a good idea, but in reality the execution couldn't have been worse. Why would you even try for realism with that addition when the rest of your game sucks hardcore? Ah well, a gimmick I guess you could say.
Sound: Sub-par to maybe par repetitive voice acting. The cockpit chatter on the radio seems to lack any sense of urgency, as it often seems like the characters could be talking about what they're going to do this weekend just as easily as talking about the missile on your six. Explosions are a joke...and nobody's laughing. Music..all 5 tracks of it...is extremely repetitive. Planes sound generic. I really wish I could say something good here, but there's nothing good to say. Total letdown in this department, which is really bad in a flight sim game. Your call sign is "Gargoyle 1"....and you have no voice. Gotta love budget games.
Control: If I was to ask someone on the development team what that word means, they'd probably think it goes on a salad. Ever see "Spaceballs"? Know the flying Winnebago? That's exactly what your 10 billion dollar plane flies like. It literally turns like a bus with wings. I could never tell what missiles I had active, and many times had to make multiple passes on ground targets because my air-to-ground missiles wouldn't lock on. Guns are USELESS. Don't even bother with them. And if you can land a plane on the aircraft carrier, you deserve a medal. WTF wants to taxi their airplane to the runway in a game like this??? Stupid little annoyances like that whittle away any fun factor that may have been left in the carcass of this could-have-been-good flight sim.
Entertainment: I had a 1981 Honda Civic DX at one time with over 100k miles on it. Going off the speed sensation in this game, I'd bet $5k it could outrun an F-14 traveling at full speed with the afterburners going. Seriously. There is NO sensation of speed at all. When you look and see your speed is over 400 mph and there's not even any wind effects on the cockpit glass, that's when you know your game sucks. Missions are over and done in thirty seconds or less, and most only require the destruction of one or two planes. AND HERE IS THE BIGGEST QUESTION OF THEM ALL. "Your mission is to destroy the enemy transport aircraft. It will be protected by two squadrons of enemy fighter jets. Down the transport aircraft. You are NOT AUTHORIZED TO ENGAGE ENEMY FIGHTERS." Um......WTF?????? Realism huh...yah, right. I can see someone being told that hey, even though enemy fighters are trying to KILL YOU, you are only concerned with the transport craft. Although, if you manage to hit the transport, it's quite hilarious how the mission is over successfully despite the 50 fighters buzzing around you ready to kill you. WTF Ubi...WTF. Also, if the enemy fires a missile at you, just start the mission over. You will not be able to dodge it. Mostly because your plane turns like an 18-wheeler with 6 flat tires. Chaff all you want, it's no good. And before every mission, Ubisoft decided to use the same dang intro cutscene each time..and it blows.
I can't tell you to stay away from this game enough. I wish I had thrown my $60 out the window. Would have been better than wasting it on this garbage. I know this review may seem harsh, but I had really high hopes for this one (thanks Gamespot, Game Informer..really..) and its a real stinker. I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone who likes a good flight game, action game, or even my worst enemy. The only reason this game will garner ANY good reviews will be because its a new 360 game and people are just looking for new software. New this is, and crap this is too. Stay away. I can't recommend a purchase, or even a rental. Sorry fellow flight game fans, but the wait for an even halfway-decent flight game on 360 continues.