Recent reviews by 5th Barone

BIG DISCLAIMER: I’m a MP player and the review is based on that, please keep it in consideration.

To sum up: It’s still a great air combat game with great spotting/id system and very good damage model, unfortunately the players are gone and flying online has become extremely difficult. Almost dead. A real pity.
Even if some of the planes added into TF5 feels incomplete on some aspect or at least not refined (probably due to lack of testing?) It's still a very good game.

Damage model: Still one of the best on the market no doubt on that, it just misses stress structural damage.

Spotting and ID: (spotting=the ability to see a contact/ID=the ability to identify a contact) spotting is definitely good, you can see contact from very far and very sharply, ID is also very good, the shapes are not that high resolution but the colours are well visible.

Flight model: sometimes it feels a bit “scripted” especially in a stall condition, and engine torque is not as strong as you’d expect it. Ground handling is quite basic even if improved a bit in the TF5. CG on some planes doesn’t feel right and not every plane fly as you’d expect from literature and historic reports (e.g. the macchi 202 still have some non predictable stalls, CR42 it's definitely too fast and has too much energy retention as well as tomahawk).
The devs say they do not take in consideration any discussion about that so do not expect any changes.

Graphics: compared to the competition is quite old, especially in the low polygons 3d models. The textures of the cockpit are on the contrary quite good.

Sounds: they improved during the last versions and are quite good even if there's always the same truly annoying “hit sound bug”.

Server and multiplayer: apart from some sporadic events where you can find 30-40 players online the MP player base is completely gone. From MP aspect and considering the numbers the competition has, this game is a dead man walking.

Updates: in contrast with what they used to do in the past TF seems to has started updating regularly the game from TF5.

UI: one of the worst on the market. It's clunky, it's not user friendly and does not help or encourage new players. Also, manuals and documentation are almost completely missing (flashcard can't be considered manuals).

I've always been interested in subsim games; I almost have gone through the all SH series and when this game came out I was curious to try it.
I have to admit that I love it. It's in the middle of an "all players game" and a deep simulation and I think is the best way to do it.
Some much boring parts like navigation are simplified so you can go directly into action. But the game requires strategy and thinking of your action. AI is pretty decent and is getting better every update. Layers, cavitation, and all the good stuff are there at least to make a plausible simulation.
Sure there isn't a full station simulation but nothing is perfect and the compromise between gameplay and hardcore simming is, as said before, simply at the top IMHO.
The campaign is good even if a bit repetitive sometimes in the missions but not really in the actions.
I hope we'll be able to play more subs maybe why not some more NATO non-nuclear like U212/Todaro.
Would be a nice addition to the game.
I really hope they will introduce multiplayer option, at least a COOP one. Would be fantastic.
Should you buy it? If you like subsim and strategy games I think the answer is yes.

I'm a fun of the saga since I played the first chapter on PS1.
My favourite is still Snake Eater. So when another chapter with Big Boss went out I had to play it.
First of all, I really liked the "semi" open-world style of this game. This allows you to have more liberty in planning and playing the mission. Specially for the boss fights.
I was expecting more cinematics after MGS_IV but I think that the audio tape way was a good way after all...Even if there are too much of them that could be ommitted.
Graphics is really good and in the end even the maps are pretty empty it's not a big problem.
But in the end I have to say that I'm not happy with it.
The more you play the more you will be disappointed. That's how it worked for me.
Chapter 1 is damn good. Nice story-line, nice missions everything works perfectly.
It's at the beginning of chapter 2 that things are ruined. Mission became unconnected, some of them are just a replay of the previous ones and the story get a bit confused.
It looks clear that it's an unfinished work. Story is not completed.
But the final... WTF... That was the worse twist in the MGS story-line. Completely random, completely disapponting.
It leaves you that sense like all the game that you played until there was useless. The final IMHO ruins the game.
Could be an epic game, but in the end it's worth too much.
Should you buy it?
If you are a fun of the saga probably yes... But be prepared that you could not like it as you expect.
If you are not a fun of the saga buy it if there is a discount.

It is probably one of the best games I ever played. It has a good grafic, awsome atmosphere and it takes you on the edge for the entire game.
Unlike other titles of the genre enemies aren't so invincible and I really really really really appreciate this.
You can't kill them obviously, but you can pass them without dying every two second so the game never become frustrating.
I liked a lot the story, everything in the narration is so deep; it makes you reflect a lot.
Probably one of the best (if not THE best) of its genre.
Should you buy it? YES
Should you play it? YES YES YES and... YES

Game was much better before the big updates of the classes and weapons. Now, since matchmaking isn't good at all, only the ones with big weapons wins. Strategy and teamwork doesn't work at all.
I hope that the devs will restore the level of difficulty in the matches.
Untill that I'll keep it on my library but without playing it.

I gave it a try after a while... It's getting worse... matchmaking is ridiculous and the game it's full of cheater with aimbot...
Don't download it it's a waste of time.
It was a very good game at the beginning, now it doesn't worth a minute.