Lock On: Modern Air Combat

 PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Jul 26, 2005
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 553 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 383 out of 553
  2. Mixed: 72 out of 553
  3. Negative: 98 out of 553
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  1. ApathyC.
    Feb 6, 2007
    7
    A decent effort and very pretty, but it was programmed the way Russians approach everything -- by half-measures. Quite entertaining, and by far the best effort in the "medium-realism" sim market, it trips over constant bugs and design flaws, even after three years of patching. Its strength lies mainly in the A-10 missions, which are the most credible yet in the sim world, and an A decent effort and very pretty, but it was programmed the way Russians approach everything -- by half-measures. Quite entertaining, and by far the best effort in the "medium-realism" sim market, it trips over constant bugs and design flaws, even after three years of patching. Its strength lies mainly in the A-10 missions, which are the most credible yet in the sim world, and an accessible (though buggy) mission builder. In many ways, however, LOMAC is little more than "Flanker 3.0." In the end, the interface and design quality of the game simply mirror the confusion and dodginess of the real plane's avionics. It is, other words, a quintessentially Russian game -- with both the good and bad things that entails. On a realism scale of 1 to 10, LOMAC is clearly a seven. If you desire ultra-realism, then Falcon 4.0: Allied Force is a much better choice. For the occasional "hop," however, LOMAC makes for a nice, relaxing, (if somewhat buggy) distraction from the real world.… Expand
  2. TheREALMower
    Jul 11, 2006
    5
    A mediorce sim in the abstract and lite weight in the absolute. For beginners and the easily impressed/amused only.
  3. Sputnik
    Jan 29, 2004
    5
    Unlike others here giving this game an 8 or above, I see it for what it is now, not what it?s going to be after 4-5 more patches. How else should it be rated? People stating they?re getting great performance and frame rates, they achieve this by turning the settings to LOW, don?t be fooled by their rhetoric. There are problems with the F-15?s avionics, along with the toning down of US Unlike others here giving this game an 8 or above, I see it for what it is now, not what it?s going to be after 4-5 more patches. How else should it be rated? People stating they?re getting great performance and frame rates, they achieve this by turning the settings to LOW, don?t be fooled by their rhetoric. There are problems with the F-15?s avionics, along with the toning down of US missiles and radar effectiveness. To the zealots, it?s always ?The next patch? will fix it. Too many with high end systems are having problems and knowing how to setup your system is not the problem. The problem lies in poorly designed code. As you can see in previous posts, those that post other than stellar reviews or comments are called complainers, whiners, trolls, and other names. It?s not that we don?t own or play the game, it?s because we dare post accurate comments, according to what we see, and aren?t so weak-minded that we are swayed by the fan-boys to post lovely reviews and comments. If you?re not expecting outstanding performance and want a great LOOKING game, this is for you. You can always take and post your lovely screenshots to certain message boards or give them to your friends for their desktop. … Expand
  4. Stoman
    Dec 27, 2003
    5
    Got the game, installed it and it plays ok, but the frame rates are the lowest I?ve seen. I have a high end system; Athlon 3200+, 1GB RAM, and a 5950 Ultra, so you can forget what the 10 rating fan-boys are saying. This game was/is not ready for primetime and definitely doesn?t deserve anything higher than a 6. Like an earlier rater stated, this thing has far to go, and giving a high Got the game, installed it and it plays ok, but the frame rates are the lowest I?ve seen. I have a high end system; Athlon 3200+, 1GB RAM, and a 5950 Ultra, so you can forget what the 10 rating fan-boys are saying. This game was/is not ready for primetime and definitely doesn?t deserve anything higher than a 6. Like an earlier rater stated, this thing has far to go, and giving a high score means it almost there, well its not. There are game-play issues, radars not working, performance issues in the actual programming of the game and it seems that a big cover-up is in place that?s trying hide these issues. Ratings over a 6, forget them. There?re written by those fan-boys that feel cheated by the game and want you to join them, or they just don?t know how a real sim is supposed to behave. … Expand
  5. SteinarE.
    Dec 26, 2003
    5
    I would give this game a 10 if it were not for all the problems with the controller. I have to restart the bloody game (because it is a bloody game:) ), to get the mouse and most of the keyboard controls which are freezing suddenly.
  6. RobertF.
    Dec 23, 2003
    5
    Not a particular good game, at the moment. There are numerous problems and a patch is promised. There are quite a few bugs, of which quite a few are hampering my game play at the moment. System setup is important, for any game, but it seems this game needs more than even Computer Science major can supply. After reading all the reviews here, I'm stunned at the number of 10's. Not a particular good game, at the moment. There are numerous problems and a patch is promised. There are quite a few bugs, of which quite a few are hampering my game play at the moment. System setup is important, for any game, but it seems this game needs more than even Computer Science major can supply. After reading all the reviews here, I'm stunned at the number of 10's. This game has the potential to be a 10, but that?s far in the future. To give it a 10 now means it has nowhere else to go or nothing left to fix, which all but the most mindless fanboy knows to be false. If you have a strong high-end system, which is required for this game, and you have the time to sit and tinker instead of playing, and you can wait for many, many months before this game is really playable, take a chance and buy it. I?d wait 6-8 months until the most major of bugs are worked out before buying this if I had the chance to do it again. … Expand
  7. CharlesK.
    Dec 19, 2003
    5
    Other than the flight models none of the combat is very realistic, if it has to do with anything on the ground then it's completly unrealistic.
  8. JohnK.
    Dec 18, 2003
    7
    7 now, but as I find more bugs and figure a way around them I'll revote. Great game and has the potential to be even greater than Falcon 4.0. Just started, so give me time.
  9. ShawnW.
    Dec 18, 2003
    5
    A very good beginning for a game that has the potential to be the best ever flight sim produced to date. I gave it a '5' because of obvious faults that should have been fixed before release, such as the game's inability to hold the options that the player picks. That is a pedestrian effort at best. I hope that forcing the customer to be the ultimate beta tester isn't A very good beginning for a game that has the potential to be the best ever flight sim produced to date. I gave it a '5' because of obvious faults that should have been fixed before release, such as the game's inability to hold the options that the player picks. That is a pedestrian effort at best. I hope that forcing the customer to be the ultimate beta tester isn't going to be the future trend of software development.… Expand
  10. I-Me-minemine
    Dec 18, 2003
    6
    A very good game i have been waiting for 1 year at least. But I was disappointed when I bought it because of several bugs and the need of big specs to make it run.
  11. JeffN.
    Dec 17, 2003
    6
    This game has great potential and will no doubt in it's finished form blow everything else out of the water! But hey, lets be honest here..this is supposed to be a rating of the game "As it is " not how it "Will be ". My advice..wait a month or so till some of the MAJOR bugs are worked out.
  12. WynH.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    This game needs optimizing. It's a little too little work for 2 years of waiting. Gotta wait for patch.
  13. HenrydeLange
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    A 7 at current status but could be more if the patch makes it more fps friendly and no blue screens.
  14. ChrisM>
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    If you can get it to play smooth it is awesome. Will definately need patching though.......
  15. NicholasF.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    This product has the same vision and goal as the Old Falcon 4.0 did and certainly has promise with further support. But in its current form is is incomplete, lacks documentation, and its campaign is just a series of six canned missions per aircraft. However, if you are a diehard flight simmer with some serious hardware you will no doubt find hours of enjoyment with this product and at This product has the same vision and goal as the Old Falcon 4.0 did and certainly has promise with further support. But in its current form is is incomplete, lacks documentation, and its campaign is just a series of six canned missions per aircraft. However, if you are a diehard flight simmer with some serious hardware you will no doubt find hours of enjoyment with this product and at only 39$ it doesn't hurt the wallet a much.… Expand
  16. FredM.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    Great visuals but lacks a printed manual that is really neded for the complexity of the game. I do not think that a person should have to pay to have the manual. Also I have a high end machine...the best of everything and the game play hiccups.
  17. FredM.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    Great visuals but lacks a printed manual that is really neded for the complexity of the game. I do not think that a person should have to pay to have the manual. Also I have a high end machine...the best of everything and the game play hiccups.
  18. Kev
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    In time this will be awesome. Provided Ubi stick with it that is.
  19. KreckochovS.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    not fast feeling of speed but great game is it. so 7, maybe better if fast
  20. AndyS.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    This game sets new standards for Flight Simulations in the future. Awesome Graphics and tons of features and details. But a complicated sim like this needs good documentation and there is none. Even the 3rd-Party manual which costs an extra $40 is not comprehensive enough to cover everything.
  21. SebastianG.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    There is big potential in this game !
  22. GaryR.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    Superb. Points dropped for lack of paper manual and problematic (for some) copy protection. Requires a good system apparently, but I'm problem-free with a 2.53P4, 9700pro and xp with 1 gig memory. Some slow-down in parts but not life-threatening. If you like jet sims buy it without hesitation. If you don't - don't. Its that simple. Graphically and aurally unmatched, great Superb. Points dropped for lack of paper manual and problematic (for some) copy protection. Requires a good system apparently, but I'm problem-free with a 2.53P4, 9700pro and xp with 1 gig memory. Some slow-down in parts but not life-threatening. If you like jet sims buy it without hesitation. If you don't - don't. Its that simple. Graphically and aurally unmatched, great work by developers, support from them is wonderful, active forum, let down by the usual piss-poor performance from Ubisoft (not even a keycard in the box).… Expand
  23. AndyK.
    Dec 17, 2003
    7
    Good potential, but shipped with a lot of bugs. The first patch or two should shape it up nicely though.
  24. FloE.
    Dec 17, 2003
    6
    A bit dissapointed.gam is not what was advertised.too bad.F4 + SP3 still remain de refference.amazing , eh? after 5 years!
  25. Steven
    Dec 16, 2003
    7
    It looks great, but looks aren't everything. There's not a lot of game play. Sure, you can create your own missions, but with that you already know the recipe and there's no surprises or wondering about the entire scenario.
  26. Blake
    Dec 16, 2003
    6
    While I think we all know this game has the goods; I think we mostly agree that they (the goods) have been mixed up, jumbled around, and generally thrown to code before all the "optimizations, tweaks, and compatibility issues" have been addressed. On the distributers website (ubi.com) there are numerous complaints from even the most handily equipped (latest processors, ram, video cards While I think we all know this game has the goods; I think we mostly agree that they (the goods) have been mixed up, jumbled around, and generally thrown to code before all the "optimizations, tweaks, and compatibility issues" have been addressed. On the distributers website (ubi.com) there are numerous complaints from even the most handily equipped (latest processors, ram, video cards etc. etc. ) enthusiats about incompatiblities, bugs, and general slow frame rates, even at low graphics/game settings. That being said, what we have all witnessed (if only for a few minutes before a crash occurs), is that this game is "the latest, greatest flight sim", but it definately needs some serious work to become a 9 or a 10!! (on a side note) I hope the developers/Ubi Soft/Programmers stick with the fixes long enough to make it a 9 or a 10, I trust they will :)… Expand
  27. EricB.
    Dec 16, 2003
    7
    Lock On definitely has a very good start, but it simply needs some more work to it. I think it is safe to assume that flight sims need several months (if not years) of work on them after they are released to get everything working properly. Right now the game does have several bugs that are being worked on, and there will probably be bugs in the game that need fixed throughout the next 12 Lock On definitely has a very good start, but it simply needs some more work to it. I think it is safe to assume that flight sims need several months (if not years) of work on them after they are released to get everything working properly. Right now the game does have several bugs that are being worked on, and there will probably be bugs in the game that need fixed throughout the next 12 months I am sure. The game, graphically, is the best ever made. As far as scalability is concerned, it is still a flight sim and you are going to have a very difficult time figuring this one out if you are not into flight sims. If you give yourself some time, and alot of trial and error, you will learn it. It is not as scalable as I imagined. As far as documentation is concerned, the internal manual is terrible. I am shocked at how much information that they DID NOT cover. Nothing about radio communication is mentioned (and the radio in Lock On is extremely primitive to begin with), and there is very little new information in the manual that was not in the Flanker manual. I think they almost copied the Flanker manual onto the Lock On CD and released it. Bottom line (in my opinion) is that this game has a very good start, but it still needs alot of work on top of the 2 and 1/2 years of development already put in the game. Many bugs to fix, and I have no idea how the BETA testers missed some of the obvious ones. In the end, this game could be in the 8 to 9 range within the next 12 to 18 months, but the verict is still out for now.… Expand
  28. MamJ.
    Dec 16, 2003
    7
    I like averything in this game exept 3 things. you need a very fast machine and a good video card to run this game at max settings even if you max it out you will still have low fps sometimes. second this is Campaign, you can't play the next mission if you have not completed the one your curently in, how arcade is that? and last is the lack of communication between flights. if you I like averything in this game exept 3 things. you need a very fast machine and a good video card to run this game at max settings even if you max it out you will still have low fps sometimes. second this is Campaign, you can't play the next mission if you have not completed the one your curently in, how arcade is that? and last is the lack of communication between flights. if you are not using labels you will have no clue whats going on. Overall I will recommand to buy this game, I have only said bad things about this sim but it deos not mean it's not good. this sim has more good things than bad, it would take too much time for me to write all the good things.… Expand
  29. Archangel
    Dec 16, 2003
    7
    Every game has it teething problems, and LOMAC is no different. I find this game very good value and a hell of a lot of fun. It will take a bit to learn but that gives the game longevity. All I ask is PLEASE, PLEASE bring out addons for this game and please make it so we can customize our skins!! Way to go UBI! your close to having another winner.
  30. Kblocker
    Dec 16, 2003
    7
    Rather than spend another couple of months to insure the game they were about to release was finished, UBI went for the holiday bucks and left us with an unfinished, unpolished game that is following an all too familiar marketing strategy, RELEASE NOW AND PATCH LATER. Stormin and Wags deserve tons of credit for their dedication to the community, and I hope their good intentions come to fruition.
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Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best PC Game of 2005
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2005
66
#66 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. PC Format
    88
    Our favourite is the A-10 Warthog – cruising at 50 feet, on the prowl for enemy tanks, it’s one of the most exhilarating missions available in any recent simulator.
    Read full review
  2. Computer Gaming World
    70
    Detailed terrain, buildings, water, and effects lend an unprecedented feeling of speed to low-level flight. [March 2004, p.82]
  3. Gamer's Pulse
    70
    It has great graphics, fairly simple controls, great scenery, a decent choice of planes, and a great editor. Although the sounds easily get on your nerves, it will be the load times and need for a computer upgrade that will have you pulling your hair out.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »