Take to the Skies with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: A Luxurious Experience with Room for Improvement
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: Soaring to New Heights or Crash Landing?
When Asobo released Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, they achieved something remarkable: making a simulator game relevant to a mainstream audience, and even vital. The tech behind it, powered by Bing Maps data through Microsoft Azure, was truly eye-catching. However, beneath the surface, there wasn’t much game to it. This year, Asobo returns with a sequel that addresses that criticism with a laser focus on depth and variety.
The New Career Mode
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 introduces an all-new career mode that’s remarkably deep and varied. It’s so extensive that you can play it purely as a business sim, leaving the actual flying to others. But, if you do that, you’re missing out on a vast array of disciplines and familiarity with numerous cockpits and flight models. For example, you can choose to be a firefighter, search and rescue pilot, or even an air ambulance pilot, each requiring specific skills and knowledge.
Failure to Take Off
Unfortunately, the launch was plagued by performance issues. Career mode remained a mystery to me during the first few days, not because it’s impenetrable, but because I struggled to access it. When I did manage to play, I encountered flip-book frame rates, random crashes, and poorly calibrated controls. It was a rocky start, to say the least.
Snap to It
But, what about the tech? World Photographer mode is a great showcase for the game’s visuals. You embark on short flights to picturesque locations, frame photographs according to specific criteria, and enjoy the views. It’s a relaxing, non-taxing experience that demonstrates the capabilities of the simulator.
Should You Play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
Play it if:
- You’re a hardcore sim enthusiast who wants to dive deep into the world of flight
- You’re interested in business simulation and want to manage your own airline
- You want to experience stunning visuals and realistic flight experiences
Don’t play it if:
- You’re looking for a game with a strong single-player campaign
- You’re not interested in simulators or flight-related games
- You’re not willing to invest time and effort into learning the controls and mechanics
Accessibility
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has a range of accessibility options, including:
- Text-to-speech functionality for players with reading difficulties
- In-game text chat translation tool for language barriers
- Scalable text size and HUD opacity
- Adjustable color settings for players with visual impairments
- Camera shake toggle for motion sickness
How I Reviewed Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
I spent around 20 hours flying the simulator, using both Xbox and Logitech controllers. I divided my time between Flight School, Career mode, World Photographer, and Landing Challenges. My setup consisted of a gaming PC, 30-inch display, and an RTX 2080 TI graphics card. This isn’t a resource-light title, but I found that connection speed was a greater factor on performance than GPU.
