Flight Control HD is what happens when a simple idea finds a pleasing mechanic. The smooth, crisp visuals and that now-infamous background music complete a basic package which first caught mass appeal on the iPhone.
There have been various releases on various platforms using varied control methods but just recently Flight Control leapt from its touch-screen roots and the novelty of Sony’s motion control system onto a platform where control methods are as ingrained with the audience as you are ever likely to find. With its Steam release, Flight Control HD has lost the safety net it may have had with a control gimmick behind it.
Releasing on the PC (and Mac) is an affordable route to market and one which was inevitable really. This time, though, the downloading masses will only have the core mechanic and gameplay to cling to. The control system is enshrined in keyboard, mouse and touchpad. Will Flight Control fall short without that engaging delight of a fresh and imaginative control system?
even more compelling
Well, no, it doesn’t. If anything, the mouse control makes Flight Control HD even more compelling. Take away the need to acclimatize to a strange system of drawing precise lines with potentially clumsy fingers or waving a glowing orb at a screen and all you have is the gameplay. But that gameplay is as focussed, as engaging and as compelling as it ever was. More so with no distractions.
We’ve gone over Flight Control HD before and we won’t waste your time with rehashing old comments here. This version is the same as those that have come before it. The only pertinent facts you need to be aware of are that it is extremely affordable (£2.99 on Steam) and the mouse control works perfectly. Firemint has even included a very useful trackpad mode whereby the shift key substitutes for the left mouse button, making this game one of the few that is as comfortable on a laptop’s trackpad as it is with a desktop’s mouse.
a hero of the modern movement
Flight Control HD is a gem of a game, one of the heroes of the modern movement towards downloadable titles that appeal to wide audiences without sacrificing a compelling mechanic and difficulty curve that will appeal to the self-proclaimed “hardcore”. This game can give you hours of pleasure, get a few friends on the leader-boards and that quickly turns into days of pleasure.
If you don’t already own Flight Control in one of its previous forms then we can heartily recommend this version. If you already own Flight Control on one or more platforms then, at this price, we can suggest you get it again anyway for ease of access. Like Peggle and Bejeweled before it, we think you should never be more than five meters away from a device capable of running Flight Control, just in case. Those ‘planes won’t land themselves.
3shirts
I don’t know about this. I think the charm of flight control is the tactile feel of using a finger or the move. A mouse just seems a bit, I dunno, cheaty
colossalblue
it does make things easier, I think.
Works really well though, much better than I expected it to.
CaptainMurdo
Does it have anything the others don’t? Like the PS3 version had the amazing night time map.
colossalblue
It has 9 maps, a lot more than the iPhone version (unless I need an update?) but it doesn’t have the night map from PS3, as far as I can tell
CaptainMurdo
iPhone has five, iPad has nine, can’t remember what the PS3 has but I wish the iPad had the night map. And now the lovely Josh has gifted me the Mac version so I can earn all those achievements again. :)
JoshHood
No problem :D Enjoy!
Charmed_Fanatic
the night map is the best on the PS3
Mr-Flame-Head
steam edition has a special stunt map
iAvernus
I’ve ad this my mac for 2 weeks now, and it works really well! It’s great fun, and the track pad+shift works better than I thought it would.
mr187uk
Just got this today on my Macbook, love it! Might even get it on the PS3 now, once I have Move.
zb100
Do you reckon it’ll work well with a tablet?