What our customer's say!"More Fun Than The Previous 3", I own and enjoy all 4 of the Comanche titles - 1 was good for its' time. I played it many hours -
2 was a mark better -
3 was more like a true flight sim - a bit too complicated for my taste.
I wanted it to be a challenge - but I also just wanted to get in and go blow things up. I - as well as many other enthusiasts - wrote to Nova logic. The end result being a more fun video like game with very good graphics and you can interact with (blow up) most everything!!!
You can set the level of realism to have the PC control almost all the complicated interactions of flying the helicopter or you can take control of any features you like.
I love this game and am buying a back-up copy for my collection of flight Sims that rock!!
"Much more arcade than simulator", I was originally disappointed by the low fidelity of this as a simulator. Having flight experience in real helicopters, I was hoping for a lot more realism. My first few minutes of the game were a great disappointment as I realized that all of the aerodynamics that make a helicopter tricky to fly (but extremely fun) are not replicated in this game. Also, I could not find any way to aim the gun manually without moving the whole helicopter. Most combat helos are able to move a turret without the necessity of moving the craft.
As a game it is great. After my initial shock of not being able to boost the realism, I sat back and decided to enjoy it with the mindset of playing an arcade. It is much more fun to play if I think of it that way.
"Once in a great while, a computer game comes along...", NOTE: I have written a previous review of this game when it first came out in Noveber of 2001, and you can find it here under the name Robert Hodges. I felt compelled to write a follow-up review, now 4 whole years later, because Comanche 4 still remains to be the best helo sim ever produced. And tragically, 4 years later with nothing else being produced by the industry, Comanche 4 also appears to be the last great helo sim we may ever see.
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First of all, I am now 38 years old. I've been playing Comanche since version 1 for DOS, and began my sim days at lan parties back in the early 90s when everything was still DOS. I have every version and expansion version of Comanche, from diskettes to CDs.
I recent read an online write-up about the tragic loss of good combat simulators. ANY combat simulators, like Armored Fist, etc. The article was right on the money. Jet sims are all there is now. Yawn - snore. Fixed wing aircraft sims bore me to tears (talk about monotonous - circle around and shoot, circle around and shoot, circle around and shoot). Honestly, how many F-16 sims does the world need? I was nodding my head and mumbling "yeah, no kidding" over and over as I read the article, which could be more accurately described as an obituary for true combat sims like Armored Fist and the Comanche series.
Shooters shooters shooters, that's all we get now. But what do you expect from a PC gaming industry that has been hijacked by wimpy little Nintendo kiddies who are used to playing mystical magical games based on dragons, super heroes and ninja warriors running around like ants in a maze? Wussies all. None of the new market consists of anyone who knows what a "simulator" is, and Nova Logic has gone after the money. In other words, shooters and only shooters are all we'll be fed from now on. All Nova Logic's eggs are now in one basket. Which is proving to be a stupid move because Battlefield 2 just wiped out Joint Ops, Nova Logic's bread and butter. Oops. A "Comanche 5" could have prevented that. I would have even settled for a decent F-22 sim (Nova Logic tried several times and failed miserably).
We need to plead with Nova Logic to release a new Comanche version or plead with them to release the source code to the sim so it can be put into the hands of fans who would take the game into the future. There are absolutely brilliant programmers out there who can easily do it.
We all mourn the loss of Janes, and Nova Logic's tragically confirmed that they will not be creating another version of Comanche due to the real Comanche getting canceled by the Pentagon. This is utterly stupid because the aging Apaches - you know, the ones with the radar signatures that show up like skyscrapers - are damned near falling out of the sky on their own and were already maintenance nightmares back in Gulf War 1 (I know, I was there). We even got to see them fall out of the sky on their own in Bosnia!
I'll offer a quote from another web site I found that says it all:
"Once in a great while a computer game is produced that long outlives its life expectancy. Now and then a game company does something unexpected and creates a game not only worth the money but with a powerful mission builder and network play that holds a hard core game lover's interest for years. COMANCHE4 is one of those games."
Comanche 4 is exactly that. It also just may be the last great helo sim ever. It is certainly the best helo sim to ever be released. We may very well live out our days playing C4 and even Comanche Gold, which I still fully enjoy despite the graphics (the beauty of CG being that wonderful Comanche 3 flight model as well as the fact that you can run it on any Windows box built in the last decade). Not long ago, I found a brand new copy of C4 in the bargain bin, so I bought it. I now have 2 copies to ensure I'll always have a good CD for reinstallations, further assisted by the 1.01.20 version of the c4.exe file that allows you to play the game without the CD once installed. Beautiful! A true testament to the devotion of the C4 fans out there.
The Comanche truly gave the game industry a reason to create helo sims. The Apache has been done to death (yawn - snore), and the Comanche is all I want to fly. Enemy Engaged: Comanche vs Hokum just never cut it, but I think it's probably because of that game that Nova Logic even got around to releasing Comanche 4. If EECH had never came out, I doubt we ever would have seen the release of C4 at all.
I must convey my many thanks and gratitude to the C4 fans who have done everything from create new missions to hacking together new EXE replacements that add fixes and new features. Fans are not letting this game die like Nova Logic has. The extra utilities on some of these web sites keep this game alive and well, and C4 games are still going on Nova World to engage in all sorts of multiplayer madness.
No old version of Delta Force does that, which says it all.
I have been out of the flight sim loop for a few years due to school, moving and having kids. But now I'm getting back into it. I have just upgraded all my older (but very trustworthy) Thrustmaster FLCS/TQS gear to the new Cougar HOTAS, which I'm also modding to the teeth. My ONLY reason for doing so: Comanche 4, period. It is the game worthy of building an entire sim around. I waited for YEARS for that game to come out, and drove my local video game store absolutely nuts in how I continually pestered them for updates on the release date for C4. When it was finally released, and I played it for the first time, my jaw hit the floor - I had never seen anything like it and it exceeded my wildest dreams. The game continues to FAR exceed Noval Logic's other offerings, and still remains to be completely superior to the latest engines in their latest shooters.
Again, my appreciation for the interest and energy in the fans who continue to support this helo sim of helo sims, game of games. Know that you are not alone, and that there are MANY of us C4 fans out here that will never abandon this game as long as they keep making computers and operating systems that support it.
Attention Nova Logic: We're SICK of grunt shooters. Got it? Give us Armored Fist 4 and Comanche 5 NOW.
"Just Plain Great Sim", I bought this game about a year ago in a flight pack and it is the best out of the four that came in the pack.Im still having tons of fun with it.Graphics,fun,and blowing stuff up,all in one great game.A joystick will also make the game easier and more fun.
"Fly the helicopter that never was and never will be!", A fun game, but not much of a simulation. Great graphics, and challenging in that you can actually get shot down.
Considering the Comanche has been in the works for the past 15 years, and shows no signs of being finished for 15 more, this might be your only chance to fly, let alone see a Comanche.
It's probably in the dollar bin now, so it's worth a few bucks to give it a try.
Read this reviews before You buy..."Do not buy if you have a video card with a TV out!", I have never gotten this game to function with my video card. After a mission loads, the game crashes every time. According to technical support, this game is prone to do this with many video cards with a TV out, and hat they're developing a patch to fix this. It's been almost a year and no patch has appeared.
"This is an amazing game!", If you like Tribes, Tribes 2, and Quake 3 and beyond, this game is for you! It's stunning once you learn to play and the online community is very friendly and helpful. The sound and graphics go beyond anything made today - it's far ahead of its time.
Check out my Comanche 4 guide for reviews, tips, and very useful information on the game:
http://www.geocities.com/c4guide/
See you in the skies! =)
"Good but not great", This game is a good game with easy controls and interesting missions. It also requires you to make quick decisions that will dictate whether you win or lose. Th main problem in the game is that it's too easy. For some reason i don't believe that a Comanche can take two direct missile hits in the tail and make still be flying. But, overall it's a good game with interesting missions (if you know how to lay them right) that require skill and cunning.
"Greatness of life.", This game has some of the most amazing graphics I have ever seen.
I own the Fighters Anthology game and this has no comparison to it.I give this game a five star ranking. Great job NovaLogic. ...
"Best Helicopter Simulation yet", It was a sheer pleasure to take control of my smooth flying lean mean fighting machine.
The graphics are really nice but the best thing for me was the smooth flight and no jerky frame rates.
I hope they do follow up with a sequel :-)
Good show.
