Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)A superb simulation of the space shuttle and now includes the first Ares launch as an extra viewable mission. This game follows in the footsteps of the original Virgin Games 1992 Shuttle game for the Amiga, PC and Atari although whereas that one had you start a mission rolling to the launch pad, here you start the mission an hour before launch. And unlike that game this one is generally very stable and you can actually finish the last mission!
About 22 shuttle missions are included all of which comprise launch, orbit ops, re-entry and landing. There are lots of buttons to press in complex sequences, switches to select and a lot of patience is required to operate the MRS shuttle arm in space to retrieve and deploy satellites etc. The launch and re-entry are automated but you get control of orbit ops and landing as in the real thing. So this game isnt for everyone. You have to have a passion for spaceflight and lots of patience.
The developer has continued to support the game releasing new missions as time goes on. There is a new version of the game slated for release around December which promises better earth graphics. In fact this is the only reason I gave this game 4 stars and not five, the earth graphics are not all that great - they arent bad but certainly they dont have you looking down on the earth going wow! Except when the sun comes up that is pretty eye catching. The dark side graphics are particularly lame with big splodges of what can only be assumed to be city lights. However the shuttle is very well modelled and so is the ISS, less well modelled are the payloads. Not anything to complain about loudly but again some of the satellites wont have you gasping in appreciation of the detail. The Shuttles are well modelled they havent reflected the variations other than changing their names, this is a minor point.
Faults and errors are not modelled but despite this you can often get a landing wrong (its very demanding landing a gliding brick) or blow up during reentry if you get the attitude wrong, as I did a few times.
You can dock with the ISS in later missions and generally follow its construction. Some of the construction missions are very demanding requiring you to install ISS pieces using only cameras and the very awkward RMS arm although you can cheat and do it all from the external perspective view. You also have other payloads such as the Hubble, as pretty much every important mission is in the game, and the developers say they want to try to cover every mission eventually. Each mission can take you hours even if sped up, but you can reasonably do most within an hour or so as you can jump to the important bits. And you can save and load at any point which is very important. You will find yourself sitting in the cockpit though soaking up the atmosphere waiting for the deorbit burn to commence, or staring at the sunrise for several minutes every mission I can guarantee it.
Cockpit is well modelled - pretty much every switch is modelled and actually does something. You have three difficulty modes to help you get used to things and you can start missions at several points, trying out just landings or orbit ops etc if you want. There are several very neat aspects to the game such as cargo lighting, cameras and other features of the real Shuttle that you can employ if necessary to assist you but arent required to complete the mission. Also being able to see outside from several windows including the lower deck door window, and even see into the virtual cockpit from outside, show a lot of love has gone into the game.
So overall this sim is superb, you can actually follow a real shuttle mission in real time from the -9.00 minutes hold it is so detailed, and the developer even recommends you study the real shuttle manual to get more out of the game. So its recommended for any spaceflight enthusiasts who want to really experience authentic Space Shuttle operations.
Finally I should say that anyone expecting something special in terms of content from this 'Collectors Edition' will be disappointed. You get the disk and the quickstart b&w manual. The installation does however contain all the patches and updates preinstalled up to the present time to save you downloading them (saving you a minor inconvenience). But it doesnt include any printed checklists, nor a full printed manual, no cockpit panel layouts or even a printed keyboard layout in the box. You can get the full manual and checklists off the website but you will have to print them out yourself. In this respect this boxed version is actually little better than getting it as a downloaded version. But at least the box looks quite nice!!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Space Shuttle Mission
Product Description:
PMDG 919250 SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION
Want to read more honest consumer review about Space Shuttle Mission now ?
No comments:
Post a Comment