From the creators of Birds of Prey: Apache Air Assault.

[mr burns 132]

Just stuck my nose in for about an hour. GFX is nothing compared to ArmA, haven´t found a way to look around in the cockpit w/o TIR yet so that feels awfully restricted. FLIR is best compared to the one in FPDR. The worst thing by far is me mixing up ArmA controls with AAA controls on my xbox pad all the time (where i have collective pitch in ArmA fires the cannon in AAA .. *crashes*), need more time getting acustomed to the BF2-like steering aswell. Fun game nonetheless, even though it´s a total console port. If you liked Novalogics helo games you´ll like this one too.

[Laqueesha 474]

Just stuck my nose in for about an hour. GFX is nothing compared to ArmA, haven´t found a way to look around in the cockpit w/o TIR yet so that feels awfully restricted. FLIR is best compared to the one in FPDR. The worst thing by far is me mixing up ArmA controls with AAA controls on my xbox pad all the time (where i have collective pitch in ArmA fires the cannon in AAA .. *crashes*), need more time getting acustomed to the BF2-like steering aswell. Fun game nonetheless, even though it´s a total console port. If you liked Novalogics helo games you´ll like this one too.

Looks like a shitty simulator... But, an awesome arcade game! ;)

depends on what it simulates, either that or people are beginning to stretch the term "simulation' a bit too far.

They did say that CODBO and MW2 were simulators, so... :D

[TomatoArden 0]

How would an Apache detect an "RPG launch'. Surely an unguided rocket wouldn't set off any detectors in the Apache that would give you that. Sim this isn't. Looks great though

[nodunit 397]

It can't, unless it has a radar signature such as a missile it won't be detected.

AAA would be a sim as far as consoles are concerned, you think about what they have and what they have been getting, this to them would seem like a mind blowing experiences as far as complexity goes.

Graphics are kinda wonkey, that cap of the meadow looks great but the coffee grain I've been seeing in the videos makes me wonder what is going on..

I'll give them this though, the helicopter model is damn good and the interior is even better, on both accuracy and detail I'd easily give it a high score..my only question would be just how interactable might said cockpits be.

[ricbar89 0]

I like it, i would call it sim lite. Theres not a million bottons to press and there isnt to much depth and theres certainly a few questionable choices but its doesnt feel like your some invincible machine flying around loosing missile after missile.

Graphical effects are pretty nice and the damage model is pretty cool. You can look pretty torn up after a long fight.

FLIR cam is quite nice and the gun sound and recoil effect totally shows up ARMA.

@MrBurns how can a game made for console be a console port? Also the steering is nothing like BF to me.

Also hold down on the dpad to look around.

[nodunit 397]

I might look into this just for the hell of it, a few questions for those that have played the demo though. (I'm assuming most of these features are or will be in since they were in the PC titles)

Does it include the LOAL and LOBL hellfire fire modes? Can the M230 be slaved to a target? I've seen that you can swap between pilot and cpg seats, can you pilots and gun from both and does the radar on the MFD operate? And it doesn't have US Army painted on the side does it?...

Edited November 24, 2010 by NodUnit

[twisted 128]

How is the flight model/feeling of light compared to arma2? I heard trackIr works on it.

[nodunit 397]

Found a neat little video showcasing more of the helicopter cockpit, apparently the pilots actually have animations for pedals, cyclic and collective. The exterior camera also shakes more than the pilots view (nice little touch there) though the flight model has some iffy parts, for example when the pilot flips upside down the helicopter should start to plummet but it doesn't.

slightly OT: But if you are wanting to set your sights on something more sophisticated and to the lines of Janes Longbow 2..Combat helo, hands down, it may appear graphicly inferior but it has it where it counts.

nice music though on the menu.

0:30-1:24 cutoff :( Edited November 26, 2010 by NodUnit

[max power 21]

How would an Apache detect an "RPG launch'. Surely an unguided rocket wouldn't set off any detectors in the Apache that would give you that. Sim this isn't. Looks great though

I think American helicopters have optical sensors that look for engine flares that indicate a missile launch.

[Richey79 10]

How is the flight model/feeling of light compared to arma2? I heard trackIr works on it.

Gave it a quick go... not enough to answer more indepth questions.

Coming from someone who likes IL2, but also Birds of Prey and who finds Blackshark a bit much to seriously get into for now.

The flight model feels okay. It's fun, but feels more arcadey than Birds of Prey did, and much faster moving than Arma2's helo gameplay (not necessarily a good thing at all). You can fly over mechanised enemy with a hind on your tail for probably thirty seconds before you're brought down (on realistic mode). In a similar situation you'd be brought down within ten in A2. It reminds me very much of something I can't quite put my finger on - perhaps helos in BFBC2. I played with a 360 controller; it didn't seem to want to map my joystick properly (arse).

It's not great and I wouldn't recommend buying it, but it is a bit of fun and on a different planet to the vile HAWX. Voice-over work is atmospheric and the whole thing feels well polished - I think that's coming to be Gaijin's 'thing,' which probably doesn't bode well for them on the PC platform.

[tpw 2315]

I bought Wings of Prey (the PC version of Birds of Prey) and it had several wonderful things going for it: the graphics and models were absolutely beautiful and ran incredibly smoothly even on a mid range box with everything cranked. No doubt about it, it is one of the best looking and best optimised flight sims I've seen. The presentation was top notch, and it loaded and got you to the action quickly. In sim mode the planes were not easy to fly, but I'm not a pilot so can't comment on the authenticity. I have IL2 which no doubt is more "realistic" but which also suffers from terribly dated graphics and very little presentation polish.

On the downside, the campaign and single missions were limited, and most importantly, there was no real mission editor to speak of. Despite constant clamouring on the yuplay site, this feature never seemed to make it into any patches, and me and a lot of others just drifted away.

Which pisses me off slightly that they were instead working on another title, namely Apache. And by the sounds of it it's moderately realistic, beautifully presented, runs excellently, fun while it lasts. Trouble is, once bitten twice shy - I won't be buying it.

[mr burns 132]

Looks like a shitty simulator... But, an awesome arcade game! ;)

*signed*

But even as a shitty simulator it has some very nice touces, like loosing your radar and the ability to aquire targets when your mast mounted radar gets shot off (i found it amazing, even though me efficency went from hero to crap in no time). Or the one time when i tried to squeeze the helo inbetween 2 guard towers and that displeasant *chrt *chrt noise set in, helo crashing straight away. Replay revealed the rotor was gone.

Another time after a direct hit by AAA my complete tail boom was gone, but the momentum of the spin left a good base for autorotation (which also works in this shitty simulator!) so i tried my best even though i wouldn´t be able to walk away from the cockpit .. sadly another catastrophic hit which shred the cockpit apart ended that try early.

I wish another game we all like had some of those features .....

Edited November 27, 2010 by Mr Burns

[Richey79 10]

I bought Wings of Prey...

Which pisses me off slightly that they were instead working on another title, namely Apache. And by the sounds of it it's moderately realistic, beautifully presented, runs excellently, fun while it lasts. Trouble is, once bitten twice shy - I won't be buying it.

I'm in exactly the same boat.

I played WoP and thought it was good enough to buy, particularly since the devs kept communicating on the forums and had a great to-do-list they were going to implement in the future.

Turned out they'd signed with Activision in order to churn out Apache within a year. Result: WoP fans left high and dry ('Oh, that to do list will be in WoP 2 that you will be able to buy').

I'm seeing the same response on the 'net generally. A lot more people on PC would be buying Apache if the devs had generated a bit more good will for themselves and if they'd stop using their horrific version of Star-Force copy protection that requires you to be online all the time.

There are some lovely little touches in Apache's campaign, but you yearn for more helos (since it's a deep simulator by any means) and at least one more level beyond 'realistic.' Seeing the console message 'return to the battlefield' isn't good, and the graphics don't seem to have the same performance/quality ratio they did in WoP - seems like a much quicker port from the consoles than that game did.

[mr burns 132]

Still from a console point of view it´d be as much an uber game as WoP and FPDR are "in that sector".

Theres not much more to accomplish for that kind of devoloper.

Pc Gamers expect more than that, but we´re still longing for some of "it´s" features in the long run.

[BF2_Trooper 0]

Anyone looking for a COOP experience in this will be dissapoint. I read in their forums that COOP does not involve two players in the same helo. Players have to be in separate helos each with their own AI gunners. This has something to do with syncing both players in a game that has hundreds of enemy AI units in one map.

[[aps]gnat 28]

On the downside, the campaign and single missions were limited, and most importantly, there was no real mission editor to speak of. Despite constant clamouring on the yuplay site, this feature never seemed to make it into any patches, and me and a lot of others just drifted away.

Yes, as said, once bitten, twice shy.

Maybe if they patch BoP

[nodunit 397]

Anyone looking for a COOP experience in this will be dissapoint. I read in their forums that COOP does not involve two players in the same helo. Players have to be in separate helos each with their own AI gunners. This has something to do with syncing both players in a game that has hundreds of enemy AI units in one map.

Well thats a shame especially since there was a video touting the feature of a human pilot and gunner..oh well, just more reason to keep eyes on Combat Helo.

[BF2_Trooper 0]

Well thats a shame especially since there was a video touting the feature of a human pilot and gunner..oh well, just more reason to keep eyes on Combat Helo.

Only possible in the console but even then only as a local offline mode. And there isnt even a split screen, both players use the same screen. Still, I went ahead and bought it. Basically if you enjoyed the Commanche games, you might like this.

[nodunit 397]

I might, I played the original apache air assault games on PC, both AH-64A and AH-64D and had some fun with them but I fear if I were to get into that I'd wind up losing a lot of time on my own apache.

Has some nice music though, especially the menu.

Edited December 6, 2010 by NodUnit