This sim is awesome for being a DOS-era game. The flight model is incredible, vith torque and other dynamic effects, that make the Hind very difficult to learn (try to take off putting the torque at maximum, and the helicopter counter-rotates very dangerously, and need to be adjusted with rudder). If you are used to flight simulators, it is very accessible once you know the keyboard shortcuts, and the combat missions are incredibly exciting. For example the unusual, for an helicopter, air to air first mission of the Khazakstan campaign, where you must intercept enemy rebel Hinds with R-60 missiles, is very dynamic and well constructed, with tanks under you that fires at enemy ones, SAMs trying to lock you, airplanes and helicopters of your side that combat with you bombarding the enemies, and the sense of speed is good, altough the game graphics engine has sadly no shadows. But the graphic detail is notable for the age this sim has, you can see the cities composed by a huge amount of buildings, the height of mountains is simulated using lot of flat polygons of different colours, etc. So also if the engine has its limits, the graphic artists did a great job. And I manage to play it effectively with a keyboard, and this is a point! Obviously the game, also if this GOG version runs in standard Dosbox, supports and is better played with joysticks with rudder and throttle, and it works great (I have an economic generic plug and play joystick with these features and the game recognized it). If you want an intense combat sim, with an unusually detailed flight model, I think this, and probably his sibling Digital Integration sim Apache Longbow, are the best you can get. And they runs OK on a very, very low spec PC: if you can't afford a PC for sims like DCS, that obviously are immensely better for the graphics, you can get this. Yes, an "ancient" DOS game, but much more accessible and immediate, and with exactly what you need: exciting combat and fantastic flight model.
Simply put one of the clearest strategic game. The rules are easy to understand due to very advanced graphical interface for the time (1996). Being able to both fire from a distance or melee dragging the unit on nearby adversary adds a lot of tactical and strategical options that make the game very funny and enjoyable, and the graphics and sounds makes the action very engaging and exciting. And this is not a surprise because behind the game there is the developer and designer Norm Koger, which later will became notable for Operational Art of War games series. But this game has a special fashion itself. Highly recommended.
Ok let's start on a technical point of view: with a midrange RTX3060 I am able to play this RPG at 4k at about 60 FPS, this must mean something about the quality of the development on a technical point of view. This because to run good old RPGs like Risen 3 and Dragon Dogma at 4k with a RTX3060 is fairly normal, but this game is more recent and aniway its graphics are technically superior (not artistically, i'm talking about technical quality and complexity). I'm pretty sure that if the game would have added support for RTX and FSR or DLSS (sadly it has not), I would have been probably able to run it in 2K with my video card, and this is a point. As for the Gameplay, the game has a lot of commands, but they are needed to manage 4 techniques of combat (in this singular aspect it remembers Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 from Sega and this is a good point) and has supernatural powers to manage too. The joypad layout is a bit different from other games, and ithe keys to press change with the style choosen. Notable the 3 sections of upgradable special abilities: the personal (biological) special abilities (force, agility, resistance, etc.), the special abilities itself (furtivity, charisma etc.) and the 4 techniques abilities trees: a lot of abilities, wonderful work. Said that, after half an hour I get used to controls perfectly, and also with a simple XBOX360/One controller you could manage every aspect of the game without recurring to mouse and keyboard. Then... after 1 hour and half, I battled against the first boss (no spoiler) , I get beated a couple of times, then I beat it, and I can say it is A) a wonderful combat experience B) Great and comprehensibles techniques needed... As for the story, it is solid and interesting, and so the general atmosphere of the game. If this is the start of the game, It can only get better. Thumbs Up.
Inferno. I gave it 4 stars only for the terrible cutscenes and because it is as hard as the inferno itself and more. But what an INCREDIBLE game for the times, and for modern times too. Take an hard sci fi game in 3D flat, gourad and textured wonderful cgi mixed stile, where you pilot an unmatched super spaceship in space, on planets, and INSIDE spaceships and structures. You can freely go into these structures and explore it. You can go on a planet ignoring your orders (or following an invasion to defend). the planets are wonderful, you must see it to believe, jump in arcade mode and select planet Remus for example: the atmosphere has lot of dust particles suspended in the air, and if you set the external view the ship leaves a credible trail of dust moving in the air. Supreme graphics. Every object is destructible. And the music? I have very happily discovered the GOG version has the CD original tracks, several awesome progressive space hard rock tracks from the group "Alien Sex Fiends" : they alone worth the price, but roaming on a giant planet chasing and destroying Rexxon destroyers with hard space rock music is more than awesome, one of the highest game experience ever for me, in the '90s and in the 2023 too. Sadly laser weapons spends energy, and when energy ends, the antimatter core of your ship collapse and explode, unless you take some bonus battle pods that sometimes are on planets. The only intentional flaw of one of the greatest (and less known) space opera games ever. If you want to play the game only for short experiences of occasional arcade space and planetary combat and exploration with awesome music, consider my vote a five star and got it!
I love Japanese, European and US vertical shooters. A special place in my hearth belong to japanese vertical shoot'em'ups, there are plenty og them and they are wonderful. But I must say this game by US Developer/Editor Eclipse/Epic is simply unbelievably good. The attention to graphical detal is maniacal, the music is excellent and supports wavetable synthesis, sound effects are great too. The upgrade system of the ship is fantstic and really binded to gameplay, and has hundreds of combinations possible. And yet it has that fantasy style of the early '80s shooters mixed with the best pixelart modern techniques. The original game and graphics are from 1995, but look at them, they are timeless. A masterpiece, I still play it today firstly when I am tired of latest AAA games, secondly because I haven't finished it yet...
