| abstract
| - You're piloting an armed helicopter, and have to complete various types of missions in Libya, Vietnam and East Germany (yes, the game was made before the end of the Cold War ). There are four pilotable choppers: AH-64 Apache, LHX (a Comanche-style experimental attack helicopter by Bell/McDonnell Douglas), UH-60 Black Hawk and the Osprey V-22 (capable to convert into "Aircraft-Mode", and function as a plane, not just as a helicopter). There are various mission objectives in each area: destroying oil tanks, truck convoys, enemy helicopters carrying dangerous chemicals/documents, rescuing downed pilots, supplying our forces with water/equipment, escorting Black Hawks or B-2 bomber, and so on. There are missions where every chopper is selectable, but there are also some (supply/rescue missions) where only the transport helicopters are available. In night missions there are stars on night sky. But on all theatres are the same constellations from northern hemisphere. There are the pole star, ursa major, dog's-tail and other constellations. After choosing your helicopter and weapons, you were put on an airfield, ready to fly. Curiously, you departed not from a helipad, or helicopter landing area, but directly from the middle of the origin runway. The game featured some destructible structures (hangars, fuel tanks, bridges, tents, buildings), and portrayed Cold War enemy tanks, missile launchers, helicopters and airplanes, Soviet in origin. All helicopters had simple IR and ECM countermeasures, including flares and chaff, which when used correctly, enabled the helicopter to avoid direct missile hits. When taking hits, the helicopter would gradually take damage, losing hydraulic systems, a percentage of engine power, broken dash screens and maybe a bullet hole or two in the cockpit windshield when under heavy attack. All of this affected gameplay, and it was very important to survive the mission, since getting killed would effectively erase all gamepoints and medals earned up to that moment with that specific profile. The best option, if unable to complete the mission, would be to try to go back to friendly territory, and land at an airbase, or at least beyond the enemy lines. In an emergency, you could land your chopper in enemy territory, but would get you captured by the enemy, and later traded on a POW exchange. Landing too hard or taking enough damage would also kill your pilot, depending on the difficulty setting. All missions had a debriefing at the end, which displayed the final mission results, how much damage was taken by the helicopter, how much it would cost to fix it, and any medals awarded as a result of the mission. Medals available included the Purple Heart, Air Force Cross, and even the Medal of Honor. These awarded medals were also saved in the profile, along with any earned gamepoints. As you grow in ranks, enemy obtain more advanced weaponry and game is getting harder, even on selected difficalty level. So if in beginning only AA-vehicles pose the danger, later enemy helicopters are much more dangerous and numerous. LHX is a flight simulator that's pure joy to play: not too much of an arcade, which would disenchant less action-prone people, and not too much of a simulation, which would leave 95% of the gaming population frowning. LHX is simply the right blend of arcade, simulation and pure fun.
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