Apache Air Assault

I'll cut to the chase: pretty much all combat flight simulators on consoles are rubbish when compared to their hardcore PC counterparts. I believe this is because the developers may be fans of the PC genre but are driven by economics to make a hybrid arcade/sim title that is more accessible to a demographic that has a lower concentration span and not willing to learn. Enter the Ace Combat and HAWX franchises: games that are not quite one thing or the other, and not as good as either. Luckily, Apache Air Assault somehow manages to avoid this trap while still striking a balance that should give you what you're after - smoothly - without compromising too much on the hardcore feature set.

You will like this title if:
- You are fan of the genre and want to fly sorties from your console in the lounge.
- You are an RC helicopter enthusiast who has a console and is curious.
- You don't mind learning new skills and appreciate a proper challenge.
- You are a geek and proud of it.

What you get in this title:
* A reasonably realistic flight model OR an easy access (albeit crippled*) flight model
* Some physics-based destruction
* Pretty graphics (lighting, meshes, terrain, weather systems all very nice)
* Real satellite image based environments
* Xi flight stick support (e.g. Saitek AV8R-02, Saitek Cyborg F.L.Y.9)
* 1st person 3D cockpit renders (2), 1st person no-cockpit, and padlock and chase-cam views
* Online and offline Co-op support (although off-line co-op looks to be a bit of a fail)
* Mission play-through record/playback

What you won't get in this title (but won't miss either):
* CGI cut scenes featuring a rambling plot involving fictitious rogue states (who may have been selling weapons to terrorists).
* Daft mini-games that detract from thrill of flying with actual skill.
* Some kind of back story involving a young mother who is struggling with the horrors of war.

Interestingly, the game is not compromised when using a stock 360 gamepad, although I had to switch the sticks around in the options menu to match the MODE-II radio control layout that I'm used to with RC helicopters. If you are an RC heli-guy, you'll find either flight model a cakewalk as you never loose orientation. However, you should really buy a compatible flight stick to access the free look functionality provided by the analog hat switch. I use a Saitek AV8R-02, and I find that it really helps keep track of the horizon at high AoA, and ground targets while banking.

The main design issue that is hard to overcome is that the AH-64 Apache is of course a two-seater platform, and you are but one person. You will therefore find yourself switching roles while auto-hovering in order to round out the two roles as required. Luckily you have a reasonably effective AI gunner while in the piloting role that will let you momentarily take-over the 20mm without having to switch over if there's something in front of you that needs perforating. However, he/she (they speak) can't be relied on to nail specific targets, at which point you'll have to hang in the air and take over the gun cam. That said, the gun cam (particularly in FLIR mode) is a lot of fun. Very reminiscent of the AC-130 missions in Modern Warfare. If you have the flight stick you'll be able to aim the 20mm with the hat switch while keeping control of the cyclic and rudder controls. It's not much, but at least you can try to dodge the odd RPG.

In the lead up to the release of this title it had been suggested that a friend could join you on-line and perform the gunner role. This was not unreasonable to assume since it has already been achieved in DICE's Battlefield Bad Company 1 and 2. However, it appears that this kind of co-op is only available locally, and without split screen. I haven't tried it yet, but others have reported that the gunner player has to take over the whole screen (you can't fly safely without seeing where you are going). It sounds like you may as well be playing a single player campaign where you pass the controller over to your friend.

*I found the training-mode option (read: easy access flight model) made flying very easy and indeed very accessible. Good for getting orientated with the control scheme in the early missions. However, some of the later missions rely on you be able to develop some pretty fast forward flight in order to catch up and dog fight with other choppers, and the training-mode model simply won't let you achieve those kind of AoA's. Aerobatics is also impossible in training mode. This is where you really need to attempt the missions in realistic-mode, and to be fair, by then I was pretty comfortable with the control scheme and actually felt rather liberated when I switched over. (BTW: Performing a barrel roll gets you 10G).

Mission briefs are presented as text before you start, which I now realize I prefer over the high-budget video briefings that Ubisoft seems to love. Mission developments unfold as you and your gunner talk over the radio to your wing-men and HQ. It becomes apparent that there are three different mission threads (in different war zones with different crews) that progressively unlock as you complete the earlier missions. You can attempt missions in any order once they have been unlocked, and you can retry missions whenever you want to (perhaps with different flight mode settings). The final outcome of one mission does not affect the later ones, only that the prior mission of that thread was completed. You can take this one of two ways. Personally I don't care for variable mission difficulty based on prior mission achievements, so this suited me fine. I also like the fact that if I'm having trouble with one mission I could try a different mission thread and go back to this one later.

As added bonuses, there are some on-line modes that make use of customizations unlocked in the single player campaign, and a "free flight" mode that is essentially a stand-alone mission generator. These bonus game modes can give you some very satisfying results if you take a little time to understand the set-up parameters. Certainly there's a lot of value to be had from reattempting a campaign mission with other human players in the air with you.

Overall, there's a lot to like about this title, despite a few design issues.

play the demo on xbox live to judge yourself but really really enjoyable. nice to play something different. The thermal images have a scary resemblance to youtube videos from apaches in iraq. only thing is the ingame music but it can be turned off. great for a change of gameplay at least. enjoy it!

This is one of the best helicopter flight sims out on console so I urge you to buy this game.
It takes real skill to fly (on the realistic setting) and the FLIR view is great, and the missions are challenging enough to keep you coming back for more.