When this title came out, it was like that kind of game that was praised for the quality of it. I always wanted to, but didnt even try, for whatever reason, "i dont have a joystick", "too much keystrokes" .. im not afraid of keystrokes, i worked as a live sound engineer for years and played lot of "keystrokes hungry" games, but perhaps thats why, you get lazy over time ... So i buyed this game, with the expansions, finally, thousands of years after i was aware of his existence, with that question in my mind: "is this the masterpiece it was claim to be?". Short answer: yes. This is the first time that before even tempting to play a game, i watched all the "train" missions (which actually are sort of passive training, like a movie made with the game engine and some simplistic and big subtitles) .. yes, foget about the blabbering with the "honor" and such, no disrespect but no thanks .. putting aside that, is not only that you feel like you are having a sort of brief private lesson about aeronautics and history, a glimpse of the reality of what means to put a bunch of metal in the air with success, all the problems and solutions or workarounds ... with so many details, you find yourself just enjoying watching the (in another game or situation) "boring" passive tutorials, with pleasure ... you can feel how much love and atention to detail is in the game. The level of atention that is more for the "art" than the "profit" if you know what i mean. Of course profit is needed, and deserved, etc etc. Is not the point. This game has put a spell on me, and now i have to buy a HOTAS or it will not let me go. And is not that i never played a 3D ship or speceship before. You know, the ones you are happy and ok with mouse and keyboard. But even if you can, with this game it doesnt feel rigth ... is the Hotas evil knocking on you door to shake your economy, alongside the "you will never abandon this room" gnome behind your back. Beware.
