World War II is in its final stages and the battle has shifted from Europe to the Pacific Ocean. The player takes the role of a character on either side of the conflict living out this portion of the war through their eyes. CFS2 may emulate some of the most important battles in WWII but it concentrates more on the human condition and less on the many battle strategies.

Much like Crimson Skies, one of the latest entries into the flight sim genre, Combat Flight Simulator 2’s story capitalizes on the plentiful amount of atmosphere. Ditching the current trend to render cut-scenes in 3D, CFS2 uses a sort of still frame animation with heavy style influences from the American comic strips from the 1930’s and 40’s. During these cut scenes reasonably well-done voicing lays out the very humanistic storyline. As the game continues most events are kept very personal, for example when the player dies a mock letter of condolence is sent to the character’s parents.

All the standard flight simulation play modes are included. Along with the tutorials and instant action, the Free Flight mode also allows the player to gradually learn how to handle the game’s playable aircraft. As the name implies, the player can fly around in a chosen area free of enemy threats and practice landing, taking off, and the fine art of not crashing. The instant action menu is organized with a series of drop menus that allow a pretty good level of customization. The option to take part in some of the more famous war stories from the war in the pacific is also included.

World War II flight simulations keep getting richer in visual detail and Combat Flight Sim 2 is no different. The level of detail on each plane is really quite remarkable. Weather effects, damage effects, and the general mechanical details were all taken into account and the result is a very detailed set of planes. The environmental details and effects as well as the detail on various enemy units aren’t lacking at all in comparison. Most of the battles take place over various island groupings during different periods of day, and under different weather conditions.

The cockpit views are full of functional gauges displaying things like the current altitude, fuel level, and the horizon level. There are actually two cockpit views, one presented in 2D and another presented in a much more realistic 3D view. A big problem with the cockpit view in general is the extra difficulty it presents. Even with the use of the practical but very basic enemy tracking system, it is still very easy to lose enemies in the blind spots presented in a cockpit view. Relief isn’t too hard to find as one keystroke can switch to full screen view, which makes everything much easier to spot and keeps only the essential gauges present along the right side of the screen. This may take a bit away from the realism but for rookies this is the best option available until they get some serious skills.

During tense situations the controls function pretty well. All of the flight basics are there, a well as a very realistic set of physics. With enough practice the player can easily teach themselves what is and isn’t possible with certain aircraft. Like most flight simulators you need a decent joystick, no doubt about it. Rudder control is very important and having a stick with this function is important.

The many intense battles in CFS2 can often times seem quite epic. Large fleets gather together to coordinate with many wings of various types of aircraft to strike enemy targets that are more than ready to defend themselves. Not only does this present a natural state of confusion, but also reveals one of the biggest flaws in Combat Flight Sim 2. Pre-mission briefings are rather short and to the point. An adequate amount of information is still presented before the battle, despite this, but the coordination of forces seems to get lost in the heat of battle. Once a player is thrust out into the situation there is very little mission objective support save the small clipboard that can be displayed on command. Most field communication consists of wingmen crying for help or warning you of danger.

Don’t get me wrong, the wingmen and enemy AI are actually quite intelligent. It is the lack of consistent support of mission objectives that makes each battle seem so very chaotic. While chaos in battle isn’t an unknown factor, it presents a difficulty that can prove frustrating when coupled with a situation where there are up to twelve enemy planes trying to wipe the player out and all they need are a few good shots.

Microsoft has crafted one very beautiful, but very difficult, flight simulator. Real life physics are tough, even with a slider bar that allows a bit of control. Combat Flight Simulator 2 is a fairly solid entry into a genre that has been lacking this past year. Much like most other games of this kind, time and patience are required in order to fully appreciate it.