For many years, Microsoft Flight Simulator was considered to be the most realistic simulator of flying; this 2024 installment takes it far beyond. Indeed, the new game improves graphics and physics a notch, filling them with content that's sure to be at the core of keeping both aviation enthusiasts and professionals alike in awe. This, therefore, promises to be a game that aims at taking anyone on an unforgettable ride over the skies, replete with its expanded career mode, revolutionary weather simulations, and dozens and dozens of new missions.

This review looks at gameplay, content, and unique features that make Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 great.

Gameplay 

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 features a bunch of new modes, a full career mode, and unique missions. Besides, players will have specializations like private flights, cargo transportation, search and rescue operations, and even advertising tasks such as towing banners over beaches. Missions with helicopters and hot air balloons have added variety to the game.

Also, the system of in-flight rating has been enhanced to include tasks performed and overall piloting skills, such as precision and rule observance.

Graphics and Sound

It features a leap in graphics this time, as it includes fully landscaped details and emulated landmarks around the world. Realism is further improved with real dynamic weather conditions like hurricanes and thunderstorms that make flights even more exciting. Not less impressive is the sound: different aircraft engines have their distinctive sound, while the environmental sounds of wind and rain ingrain the atmosphere.

Career, Missions, and Content

But probably the most distinctive feature of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a completely redesigned career mode, offering hundreds of missions and career opportunities to players. On offer are cargo transport, rescue duties, passenger flights, and even aerial advertising. For instance, pilots can make medical evacuations or fire-fighting missions, which require knowledge not only of flying airplanes but also of making quick decisions.

Each mission has its success criteria. In the case of photography flying missions, for example, players must take into consideration which weather and time-of-day conditions will work best, along with taking snapshots from just the right angles. An important aspect is the reputation system, reflecting how well flight performance went. The higher the reputation gets, the more challenging and rewarding tasks will become available, such as rare missions and rewards available only to exclusive members. Long-term, the career mode is devoted to building your airline. One may start by buying second-hand aircraft and then expand the fleet to service international routes.

Realism and Physics

Elaboration of flight physics and simulation, detailed to a great extent, is one of the pursued features of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The developers enhanced the weather simulation: players can experience flying in a hurricane or land an aircraft on a snowy runway. Realistic airflows and turbulence-indeed will be especially notable during flights at low altitudes-continue the list of innovations. For example, landing with a crosswind requires correction of the course and performing certain maneuvers for stability.

Special praise is due to the simulation of interaction with the ground and environment: during the takeoff or landing, players can strongly feel how the impact of poorly balanced cargo and other notorious factors that heavily influence aircraft behavior. This makes the game not only entertaining but also educational for those who are interested in aviation.

Launch Issues

Upon its release, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 was plagued by several technical issues and received a tsunami of negative reviews on Steam. Among the issues, one that had to do with the huge announced-versus-real difference in size users had to download over 150 GB instead of the announced 50 GB.

Moreover, overflows of servers faced a lot of players; those included very long queues to log in, lots of loading screens that usually stuck at 97%, and problems with downloading cloud data. Even if a player successfully managed to log in, low-quality textures and unstable performance of the in-game interface were reported by some players. All these bugs were added to frequent collapses and long attempts at restarts, especially on consoles and low-performance computers. The developers acknowledged that they had underestimated the demand and were working on active fixes. As of this writing, though, things remain difficult for a large portion of the player base. All this undermined the trust in the project weightily right off the bat.

Verdict: Engaging Gameplay

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is a widely revolutionary simulator that mingles realism with entertaining gameplay. Now, boasting several graphical improvements, an extended career mode, and the addition of a lot of missions, it gives a whole new experience to both aviation enthusiasts and pros alike. Indeed, this game is one of those few games in which one actually could submerge for dozens of hours and find something new time after time.

Rating: 7/10