The Baby-Sister Of All Flight Sims
Jane’s Fighters Anthology is yet another monotonous, “same deal” flight simulation. There is virtually no difference between this release and the 3 separate games that it was supposed to have combined (ATF, ATF NATO Fighters and USNF ’97). What can you find in Fighters Anthology that you can’t find anywhere else?
Well, you can play
on the Internet for free using any of the 100 planes you get to choose from,
and you get new multi-player scenarios for you and buddies to enjoy. But that’s
about it! And if you have even one of the three previous titles, I don’t recommend
this game, because it’s the same stuff with a little whipped cream on top (and
that little more is not worth your $55).
Graphics are virtually the same as that horrible USNF production from a few years ago. There has been an overall face-lift on the graphics engine, but for the most part, they’re nothing compared to some of the newer simulations’ graphic detail.
Sound effects aren’t that great, either. They don’t really make or break the game, but good sound effects are always a great plus in simulations, and Jane’s attempt doesn’t cut the mustard by a long shot.
There are a few positive aspects of the game. With such a huge selection of
airplanes, you can fly many historical and modern aircraft. However, this broad
spectrum forces Jane’s to sacrifice some of the individual cockpit and physics
detail, and most of the time you can’t tell if you’re flying in the F-14 or
an F-4! However, the huge selection of aircraft can come in handy when playing
multi-player games. If there’s a top ace in the house, you can limit someone’s
capabilities simply by choosing a better aircraft. For example, if you’ve just
begun to play and you wanted to head up with your friend who’sbeen playing for
a few months now, he would most likely kick your butt. But instead of suffering
the humiliation, you can even out the playing field by taking off in a stealth
fighter while he’s putting around in a MiG 17!
The best thing about the title is the Internet multi-player options. Internet web play is a relatively new advantage to add on new games, but the wide variety of airplanes, scenarios, missions and campaigns that this game offers can keep any multi-player fanatic entertained for months. If you like playing with others, you’ll love the tons of missions, not to mention an all out deathmatch dogfight. Like I mentioned before, you can even up the score with a different choice of aircraft, and the selections are high and wide. If you’re looking for some of the best variety in Internet airplay, Jane’s Fighters Anthology is the way you want to go.
Jane’s Fighters Anthology is basically a compilation of their old fighter
sims. I don’t recommend this game to anyone who hasn’t yet purchased F-22
Raptor, or already owns one of the three compiled games (ATF, ATF NATO Fighters
or USNF ’97). F-22 Raptor is, by far, a superior flight simulation in
all aspects. It has dynamic missions, excellent graphics and is much more fun
to play. Jane’s Fighters Anthology, on the other hand, is too broad,
not fun, and just feels a bit old overall. Other than the great Internet support,
there is little to recommend this game.
