Minus the really shaky launch, MSFS is definitely worth the 14 year wait from FSX from 2006 and a fantastic entry point to anyone who really just wants to sit back, relax and fly or even get into navigating through routes from point A to point B.

Graphics - As incredible as it is, you do have building inaccuracies, terrain inconsistency and some jaggies here and there but overall, it looks insane.

Sound - Yeah it sounds REAL good.

Immersion - Yeah you're definitely going to feel like you're actually exploring the world and seeing all sorts of locations while piloting your craft. It is just insane. VR will be added later on but the game just looks fantastic on ultrawide for maximum iMmErSiOn

Realism - Yeah I'm no pilot, but the planes feel awesome. There's realism difficulties for everyone. You can make it as arcadey as possible or as real as possible. Keep in mind, the default airplanes are NOT study level quality (Study meaning, you can actually fully train yourself with licensed aircraft). Yes you will definitely learn so much from them but keep in mind, they're default planes. Temper the expectations but go in wanting to have fun.

Weather - Wow. just wow. You can adjust weather on the fly and at least at medium settings, the atmosphere is just unbelievable. Kick it up to ultra and you'll be puking rainbows like those trailers you've seen of MSFS.

At the end of the day, many sites are giving it a 10/10 or a 9/10. Do I agree? Not necessarily. You are buying into an ecosystem for several years. This cannot be a 2 year cyclical game. It has a road of improvement to go through for the graphical consistencies and some flight modeling bugs. It has definitely come a LONNNNG way since the alpha but as soon as some autopilot and flight management bugs get squashed, it still has some improvement to be done.

For a newcomer I give flight sim a 9/10. It's definitely a must-fly so you can see if you want in on this amazing experience.
I give it an 8/10. I know Asobo will improve this product and Microsoft will support it through the years so my review will change but in the state that it's in, it could definitely need some polishing.

Do I recommend it? Yes for any flight sim vet/intermediate player. WTF are you doing just buy it and try it.
Newcomers? Get Gamepass and try it out.

UPDATE - 12/26/2023

Asobo has constantly pushed out new updates, even improving graphics and optimization for weather and ATC. It's still not perfect but holy moly its far better than launch.

Minus the really shaky launch, MSFS is definitely worth the 14 year wait from FSX from 2006 and a fantastic entry point to anyone who really just wants to sit back, relax and fly or even get into navigating through routes from point A to point B. Graphics - As incredible as it is, you do have building inaccuracies, terrain inconsistency and some jaggies here and there but overall, it looks insane. Sound - Yeah it sounds REAL good. Immersion - Yeah you're definitely going to feel like you're actually exploring the world and seeing all sorts of locations while piloting your craft. It is just insane. VR will be added later on but the game just looks fantastic on ultrawide for maximum iMmErSiOn Realism - Yeah I'm no pilot, but the planes feel awesome. There's realism difficulties for everyone. You can make it as arcadey as possible or as real as possible. Keep in mind, the default airplanes are NOT study level quality (Study meaning, you can actually fully train yourself with licensed aircraft). Yes you will definitely learn so much from them but keep in mind, they're default planes. Temper the expectations but go in wanting to have fun. Weather - Wow. just wow. You can adjust weather on the fly and at least at medium settings, the atmosphere is just unbelievable. Kick it up to ultra and you'll be puking rainbows like those trailers you've seen of MSFS. At the end of the day, many sites are giving it a 10/10 or a 9/10. Do I agree? Not necessarily. You are buying into an ecosystem for several years. This cannot be a 2 year cyclical game. It has a road of improvement to go through for the graphical consistencies and some flight modeling bugs. It has definitely come a LONNNNG way since the alpha but as soon as some autopilot and flight management bugs get squashed, it still has some improvement to be done. For a newcomer I give flight sim a 9/10. It's definitely a must-fly so you can see if you want in on this amazing experience. I give it an 8/10. I know Asobo will improve this product and Microsoft will support it through the years so my review will change but in the state that it's in, it could definitely need some polishing. Do I recommend it? Yes for any flight sim vet/intermediate player. WTF are you doing just buy it and try it. Newcomers? Get Gamepass and try it out. UPDATE - 12/26/2023 Asobo has constantly pushed out new updates, even improving graphics and optimization for weather and ATC. It's still not perfect but holy moly its far better than launch.