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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SimonL.
    Dec 18, 2003
    3
    I really should have given a 0, but that's to harsh and would really like to give it a ten, but I hate to lie. This has got to be the most overrated game in a long time. People state to make sure your system is properly configured and optimzed, but even that doesn't cover up the sloppy coding that has brought out hundreds of bug reports. They say they are being sorted out, I really should have given a 0, but that's to harsh and would really like to give it a ten, but I hate to lie. This has got to be the most overrated game in a long time. People state to make sure your system is properly configured and optimzed, but even that doesn't cover up the sloppy coding that has brought out hundreds of bug reports. They say they are being sorted out, we'll see. My money goes elsewhere for now, your's should too. Read the 9 and 10 reviews with your fingers crossed, they are misleading and an attempt to ramp up the ratings,… Expand
  2. ShawnD.
    Dec 18, 2003
    3
    Really poor programming. This program was not ready to be released. It may improve in the future if they have competent developers on-hand.
  3. GaryP.
    Dec 18, 2003
    3
    Plenty of PROMISE, but in its current state, its still a dream.
  4. NoclueNeeded
    Jan 16, 2004
    2
    The first patch has improved many things, but the starting point was so low that it?s moot point at this point in time. It appears several more patches are going to be needed to bring this GAME up to playable levels for the majority of users, not just those on the fanboy sites. If you have a blind obedience mindset, like to play follow the fool, and only want to post rave reviews and The first patch has improved many things, but the starting point was so low that it?s moot point at this point in time. It appears several more patches are going to be needed to bring this GAME up to playable levels for the majority of users, not just those on the fanboy sites. If you have a blind obedience mindset, like to play follow the fool, and only want to post rave reviews and comments, warranted or not, about the game, rush out and buy it. Or, you can use common sense and wait until things are fixed before buying a game that contains un-optimized code making unplayable on anything less than a machine made for the gods. Good Luck!… Expand
  5. TomD
    Dec 16, 2003
    2
    Unfriendly user interface, taxing mission editor, vague missions, bugs bugs and more bugs. The game was rushed out, if your not into tweaking and tweaking then leave this on the shelf until the developers finish it of properly.
  6. TorL.
    Dec 17, 2003
    2
    Poorly written graphics engine, will not perform on current hardware. Minimum specs (on the box) is a joke / marketing ploy. I returned the game for a refund.
  7. LarryS.
    Dec 19, 2003
    2
    Misleading reviews and forum comments. Reading the bulk of reviews here you think the game is great, not true. After loading I was met with many crash-to-desktops and a game that when it ran, was slow as hell. If you buy this game, be sure your machine is a very high one, over 3ghz, or you will be very unhappy. This is probably a good survey sim, it?s more an arcade game, but the problems Misleading reviews and forum comments. Reading the bulk of reviews here you think the game is great, not true. After loading I was met with many crash-to-desktops and a game that when it ran, was slow as hell. If you buy this game, be sure your machine is a very high one, over 3ghz, or you will be very unhappy. This is probably a good survey sim, it?s more an arcade game, but the problems don?t warrant buying at this time. … Expand
  8. JakeM.
    Dec 16, 2003
    2
    graphics are great but no filler. You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig.
  9. SteveyG.
    Dec 16, 2003
    2
    Terrible, bugs everywhere, had good prospects. The Win 98 bug was a disgrace, false advertising by saying on the box it ran on 98 but they knew rightly it wouldn't, so now I can either spends loads to upgrade my computer or jus throw it away, what a great buy that was.
  10. PatrickB.
    Dec 17, 2003
    2
    Cant play it yet - joystick problems....will be a 10 when fixed...
  11. MickyC.
    Dec 18, 2003
    2
    Watch out for the one-line, three word reviews. I believed them and found out the hard way that this is a disappointing game at this point in time. It appears the game was released to grab some of the money being spent during the holiday buying season. There are many bugs in it that severely hamper game play and its enjoyment. Joysticks are a bear to setup, and more times than not the Watch out for the one-line, three word reviews. I believed them and found out the hard way that this is a disappointing game at this point in time. It appears the game was released to grab some of the money being spent during the holiday buying season. There are many bugs in it that severely hamper game play and its enjoyment. Joysticks are a bear to setup, and more times than not the settings aren?t saved once you leave the game. There are performance issues that even the biggest machine couldn?t solve, it appears some optimizations are badly needed not only in the graphics engine, but throughout the entire game. There are campaign issues, including canned scenarios that take away from the immersion feeling found in several other titles. This could be the result of it being a follow-up to Flanker, which was a substandard game in many areas itself. Support for the game is unproven and seeing the state the game was released in makes you wonder what the real intent is, and if the problems can be fixed. The confidence level about this game getting fixed is low; if it was released this way, what was their intent? Was is it an attempt to build a fan base, only at a fanatic fan-boy level right now, and toy with them for a few years? Do yourself, and anyone you plan on giving this game to, a favor, read all the reviews and wait. Find another product for the time being and revisit this one in the summer. There are many other flight sim titles out there right now that provide everything this one does and one thing LOMAC doesn?t, a completed product. LOMAC has potential, but it?s going to take the same effort to fix it as it did to produce it. If you buy it, can you wait another three years for it to be fixed? Think about it and be weary of three word reviews! … Expand
  12. MickyC.
    Dec 18, 2003
    2
    Watch out for the one-line, three word reviews. I believed them and found out the hard way that this is a disappointing game at this point in time. It appears the game was released to grab some of the money being spent during the holiday buying season. There are many bugs in it that severely hamper game play and its enjoyment. Joysticks are a bear to setup, and more times than not the Watch out for the one-line, three word reviews. I believed them and found out the hard way that this is a disappointing game at this point in time. It appears the game was released to grab some of the money being spent during the holiday buying season. There are many bugs in it that severely hamper game play and its enjoyment. Joysticks are a bear to setup, and more times than not the settings aren?t saved once you leave the game. There are performance issues that even the biggest machine couldn?t solve, it appears some optimizations are badly needed not only in the graphics engine, but throughout the entire game. There are campaign issues, including canned scenarios that take away from the immersion feeling found in several other titles. This could be the result of it being a follow-up to Flanker, which was a substandard game in many areas itself. Support for the game is unproven and seeing the state the game was released in makes you wonder what the real intent is, and if the problems can be fixed. The confidence level about this game getting fixed is low; if it was released this way, what was their intent? Was is it an attempt to build a fan base, only at a fanatic fan-boy level right now, and toy with them for a few years? Do yourself, and anyone you plan on giving this game to, a favor, read all the reviews and wait. Find another product for the time being and revisit this one in the summer. There are many other flight sim titles out there right now that provide everything this one does and one thing LOMAC doesn?t, a completed product. LOMAC has potential, but it?s going to take the same effort to fix it as it did to produce it. If you buy it, can you wait another three years for it to be fixed? Think about it and be weary of three word reviews! … Expand
  13. WilliamM.
    Dec 19, 2003
    2
    Beware of the Fanboy?s that give this a 9 or 10. They are mindless trolls that have been seduced into coming here to inflate the rating of this over-hyped GAME. How they can rate this game a 10 at this point in time, with the hundreds of bugs present, doesn?t say much about them. I say game because at this point it?s as far from a simulation as can be. Proper system configuration is Beware of the Fanboy?s that give this a 9 or 10. They are mindless trolls that have been seduced into coming here to inflate the rating of this over-hyped GAME. How they can rate this game a 10 at this point in time, with the hundreds of bugs present, doesn?t say much about them. I say game because at this point it?s as far from a simulation as can be. Proper system configuration is important in some game and maybe this one, but the way the game is programmed, it doesn?t matter at this point in time. Multiplayer performance is pitiful, you must turn the settings down to get it to play on even the most high end machines, and the ?dynamic campaign? is a joke. If all you want to do is look at pretty pictures, like the stooges that give this a 10, buy it. If you want a game that you can play, PASS this one by.… Expand
  14. HaroldR.
    Dec 19, 2003
    2
    Pass on this for now. Too buggy for the average user, much less a juvenile.
  15. RolfF.
    Dec 22, 2003
    2
    Do as someone here suggested, download the demo and try it first. I wish I had read that before buying mine.
  16. WonHongLo
    Dec 16, 2003
    2
    Crappy work by the developers. Doesn't work with Win98SE,2000 etc. No manual. Bugs out the ying-yang. Crappy message boards and tech support.
  17. AnthonyB.
    Dec 16, 2003
    2
    This game is in dire need of some more work. Too many things were left unfinished and the amount of bugs and the fact that members of the community have to rely on third party programs to run the game with the joystick they have is just upsetting. I hope this game gets a good strong patch to fix this soon.
  18. DMoust
    Dec 16, 2003
    2
    Waste of Hard Drive Space !!!
  19. RonaldT.
    Dec 17, 2003
    2
    BEWARE of the high ratings. It's a scam from the members of a certain forum to flood this place with overly high ratings to cover up a less than average game. It plays too slow, there are too many bugs, excessive tweaking is needed to even get the game to run, and the documentaiton is poor! Avoid this one like the dead skunk.
  20. NikkiS.
    Dec 18, 2003
    2
    Compared to Falcon 4.0, this is just another game. The avionics are arcade-like and a generation behind the king. To compare this game in its current state to Falcon 4.0 only hurts LOMAC! Its graphics are the best thing going for it and if it weren?t for that, who knows where it would stand. It appears plenty of work needs to be done to get this lump of code in working order. It actually Compared to Falcon 4.0, this is just another game. The avionics are arcade-like and a generation behind the king. To compare this game in its current state to Falcon 4.0 only hurts LOMAC! Its graphics are the best thing going for it and if it weren?t for that, who knows where it would stand. It appears plenty of work needs to be done to get this lump of code in working order. It actually appears to be Flanker rewrapped with a few more planes ?thrown? in. The consumer was taken for granted on this one and it seems many fell for the trap and hype. Don?t be one of them. Wait until Falcon 4:OIR comes out before making your decision. There?s more to calling yourself a flight?SIM? than pretty graphics.… Expand
  21. Warthog
    Dec 19, 2003
    2
    Assumptions by some, like Bruce and Steve, are what landed this game in the position its in. The programmers thought they needed to develop the game to novices and it shows and that?s why you see all the 9 and 10 ratings. The hardcore simmers are the ones that don?t like it due to its simplicity and piece-meal design. Some say it?s a follow up of the Flanker series. This game makes you Assumptions by some, like Bruce and Steve, are what landed this game in the position its in. The programmers thought they needed to develop the game to novices and it shows and that?s why you see all the 9 and 10 ratings. The hardcore simmers are the ones that don?t like it due to its simplicity and piece-meal design. Some say it?s a follow up of the Flanker series. This game makes you glad you didn?t play Flanker. This game will lead the real flight SIM genre in the wrong direction. There is no immersion factor in the game; the terrain is bland, it contains useless cockpits that add nothing to the feel of the game except in reducing frame rates, and the hundreds of bugs make trying to setup your system to play this things a pain in the royal behind. If you have time and money to waste, this is your game, but realize you?re not getting a true FLIGHT SIM, only an arcadish survey game with aircraft in it. … Expand
  22. RichT.
    Dec 19, 2003
    2
    This has got to be a joke. A company should not be allowed to release something in this state and people give it a 10? On what basis do they give it a 10? These people are mindless Lemmings that would by the Grand Canyon if you tried to sell it to them. Do believe a game in this condition is a 10. If you buy it now, you'll be sorry and if's a gift, you'll be laughed at! This has got to be a joke. A company should not be allowed to release something in this state and people give it a 10? On what basis do they give it a 10? These people are mindless Lemmings that would by the Grand Canyon if you tried to sell it to them. Do believe a game in this condition is a 10. If you buy it now, you'll be sorry and if's a gift, you'll be laughed at! Make an informed decision.… Expand
  23. Curtis
    Dec 19, 2003
    2
    If you're old enough to drink a few beers before playing, it's not too bad. When you try it sober, you start looking for another few beers. Who let this out the door? Where were the quality people? You can its Christmas time when trash like this comes out. Under the influence rating: 7 Sober rating: 2.
  24. Loucetios
    Feb 21, 2013
    2
    Here's the problem with this game.

    Bugs.. so many bugs it's stupid. After you solve the bugs you find a mediocre game. First off, there's 2 american planes, the rest are Russian. No european jets nothing The missions are half baked generic garbage. Not much attention paid to detail at all This game purely comes down to the flying.. which it does exceptionally well to the    Here's the problem with this game.

    Bugs.. so many bugs it's stupid.

    After you solve the bugs you find a mediocre game.

    First off, there's 2 american planes, the rest are Russian. No european jets nothing
    The missions are half baked generic garbage. Not much attention paid to detail at all
    This game purely comes down to the flying.. which it does exceptionally well to the detriment of everything else.

    The radar is stupid. I have read manuals/forums to no end to try and get the upper hand on my enemy. The way I see it if you're flying the F15 you are LUCKY to get a radar reading of anything beyond 10 nm.. when something comes within 10 miles of you it's a scramble to get the heap of radar system back down to a 10m radius to lock on to the damn planes.. IF... IF you can find them again in time before a missile is launched.

    It's just not the reality of most situations.

    The missiles.. the missiles. They're stupidly effective.. and for some reason hard to see. On that note everything is IMPOSSIBLE to see in this game due to the lack of proper anti aliasing.

    Basically if you enjoy flying jets this is the game for you, but ONLY flying jets. Everything else plays out terribly, inaccurately, and above all frustrating.

    This is after playing both the F15 and A10 campaigns. The A10 campaign was fun, but was just shooting tanks non stop. The F15 campaign was an exercise in relying on my wingman to direct me to the bandits as you're essentially flying blind 90% of the time.

    The AWACS is useless too, every few seconds it bleats in your ear the enemies bearing instead of being any actual help. Wingman likewise RARELY throw out a 'Watch your six'

    Your early warning radar is the epitome of useless despite what the manual says. It is blank 90% of the time when it should be flashing to telling you where missiles are, telling you where everyone is.

    Nope, instead it just tells you where the enemy AWACS is half the time then proceeds to tell you when a missile is launched but gives you no idea of how long until it's right at your doorstep.

    As I said if you enjoy flying the aircraft, get it for that but do not expect anything other than that.    … Expand
  25. Someguy
    Dec 16, 2003
    1
    worthless crap game buggy as hell for most people few get it to run and it still is missing much funtionality i returned it 3 days after i got it might be good in 6 months when fully patched but dont get ripped of by this beta quality crap.
  26. HogDriver
    Dec 22, 2003
    1
    Don't buy this over-hyped bug ridden piece of garbage. The LOMAC community is laced with zealots that attack any owner/poster with anything negative to say. It's slow, the bug list is huge, and the promise of a patch keeps sliding into the future. Buy something else this Christmas.
  27. YourDaddy
    Nov 27, 2003
    1
    Beware dont buy this game if your not running windows XP even though the box says 98/ME it doesnt work. be sure to check their website before buying.
  28. MausiP.
    Dec 16, 2003
    1
    boring
  29. SubZero
    Dec 18, 2003
    1
    Let's just say that I can't post what needs to be said without having it deleted! My rating says it all.
  30. JamesT.
    Dec 19, 2003
    1
    Terrible game. Got it for me and my roomate. Yet to get his to work and mine will load, but framerates are terrible. No voice and images will ghost at various times. Have to spend hours and hours learning to fly and Sturmovik I got into the cockpit and was flying in seconds. Next time make it as easy as Sturmovik and not such arcadic graphics like it is.
  31. Colin
    Dec 21, 2003
    1
    Utter rubbish! How this made it out of the door and still bought by consumers is above comprehension! With trash like this, UBI and Eagle Dynamics should?ve lost the confidence of all but the most brainless buyers!
  32. Thesoloelite
    Dec 20, 2003
    1
    1st off you need a mega machine to play this game ;( I OPEN THE BOX NO MANUAL no key card and then u have to buy a 3rd party manual for 40.00 more bucks.kinda sad the game had to be realesed during hoildays(all about the money) ban the french.
  33. Eagle
    Dec 22, 2003
    1
    If you haven't bought it, don't, if you have, too bad! The devs should've put this one in the recycle bin instead of burining it to a CD.
  34. Chris
    Dec 5, 2003
    1
    This game is still a beta. I've tried it with Win98SE and Win2K with DX9. Both are unstable. Using my GF4, 512Mb RAM and a XP2000+ uP, there are various graphics anomolies, freezes and crash-to-desktops. This game is a very poor relation IL2-FB. Don't make my mistake and buy it - at least yet. Maybe if it goes through a few patch releases things will be different - however, at This game is still a beta. I've tried it with Win98SE and Win2K with DX9. Both are unstable. Using my GF4, 512Mb RAM and a XP2000+ uP, there are various graphics anomolies, freezes and crash-to-desktops. This game is a very poor relation IL2-FB. Don't make my mistake and buy it - at least yet. Maybe if it goes through a few patch releases things will be different - however, at this time I feel totally duped.… Expand
  35. DisappointedBuyer
    Jan 12, 2004
    1
    Don?t waste your time with this POS at this point in time. Even after the patch, it?s still buggy as hell, frame rates are still low, and the graphics engine has still not been optimized. It looks like Eagle Dynamics and UBI have pulled off a good one. They release a beta, almost alpha, product before the holidays for a quick buck. All the defending fan boys and company reps on the LOMAC Don?t waste your time with this POS at this point in time. Even after the patch, it?s still buggy as hell, frame rates are still low, and the graphics engine has still not been optimized. It looks like Eagle Dynamics and UBI have pulled off a good one. They release a beta, almost alpha, product before the holidays for a quick buck. All the defending fan boys and company reps on the LOMAC site can?t change the truth, this game is still not ready for public use. Don?t waste your time posting negative comments on the LOMAC site, you?ll be attacked as a troll and an idiot; makes you wonder who moderates and backs the company on the site? [Ed: I moderate & nobody backs anybody. Get a clue.]… Expand
  36. NicoleF.
    Dec 16, 2003
    1
    Lack of documentation makes this a lame game. Performace is poor and if it wasn't for the pretty graphics and ability to make nice desktop shots, this would be a total bust! AVOID IT !!!
  37. NolanS.
    Dec 19, 2003
    1
    Sickening framerates and useless support! This puppy is going back. Anybody want to follow me and be the next sucker to buy it?
  38. AnonymousMC
    Dec 16, 2003
    0
    This game isn't even half-way finished. If I buy a car, I expect it to be delivered with wheels so I can drive it. Its a reasonable assumption, isn't it? This game is unstable and unplayable even on high end machines running XP (which im using). A game cannot be released for hardware that hasnt even been invented yet. The minimum system requirements on the cover is not only aThis game isn't even half-way finished. If I buy a car, I expect it to be delivered with wheels so I can drive it. Its a reasonable assumption, isn't it? This game is unstable and unplayable even on high end machines running XP (which im using). A game cannot be released for hardware that hasnt even been invented yet. The minimum system requirements on the cover is not only a joke, is also a legal cause to return the game and getting your money back purely because its a lie. Furher, there isnt a patch in this world that can fix everything that is broken in this game. Im not even going further into that, because its already been dwelled over and over again by hundreds. My advice to anyone considering to buy this game is to think twice (just read the forum posts). Why should you spend your hard earned money on a product that isnt even finished. Its a beta1 release only witout the ?beta? label. If you buy it, youre only going to be dissapointed and feel cheated, like I did, no matter what hardware you have. This game is an insult to all of us that paid good money for it, just to get a box of frustration. It doesnt even come with a proper manual. I could live with that, simply because the good old days of Falcon4-type-of-manuals are long gone and will probably never come back. If the game should be delivered with a proper printed manual, there wouldnt be just as much money over for the sharks, now wouldnt it? What really bothers me though, is that it doesnt even come with a proper un-printed manual!! The documentation that follows this game is the same kind of joke as the system requirements. So what am I exactly paying for? A half way finished, poorly documented pre-beta release for a full retail price. I admit, I must be stupid to have such high expectations. After all, its only a game. Gamers/simmers aren?t real customers, theyre just a bunch of stupid kids we can cheat money from over and over again.. Think again, Ubisoft. The amount of effort put in by the developer in this game is yet amazing. Still, its all wasted because of the short-term economical-or-whatever disaterous descisions leading to this premature release of an unfinished product. I feel cheated, and I?ll certainly think twice before buying anything from Ubisoft again. I also feel sad for the developers that put their hard work and effort into bringing this game to the sim world community. I feel sad because they dont really deserve all this critisims. However, as a paying customer I reserve the right to make some demands. I dont demand a perfect product. At the least however, I demand that the game is playable more than five minutes, has more than 1 fps on a high-end machine 5-6 times faster than the ?minimum? specs, and doesnt contain a zillion bugs and wrongs that ruins the whole experience. … Expand
  39. frag_tallnmbao
    Dec 16, 2003
    0
    They 've to give us money cause we need CRY2 system to run this missed game, i said "game" ok? :) that is.
  40. Mike'sDaddy
    Dec 19, 2003
    0
    I wouldn't give this to Goodwill, it would be a crime! Don't ruin someone's Christmas by giving them this.
  41. LiquidFuse_RW
    Dec 19, 2003
    0
    Really sucks.
  42. JonL.
    Dec 16, 2003
    0
    Sorry but, NO. Right now it has potential, but is teh suck.
  43. RudiVanZyl
    Dec 16, 2003
    0
    Had to install it 3 times before the multiplayer worked. Whenever me and my friend fly against each other, and one is shot down, both of us are thrown out of the game. Biggest fault i have made with this game is buying it.
  44. BillA.
    Dec 17, 2003
    0
    This game sucks ass!!! I'll never buy another UBI product.
  45. FarleyB
    Dec 18, 2003
    0
    Out of the box HELL! S T A Y A W A Y !!!!
  46. Mike'sDaddy
    Dec 19, 2003
    0
    I wouldn't give this to Goodwill, it would be a crime! Don't ruin someone's Christmas by giving them this.
  47. M.
    Dec 18, 2003
    0
    Great ideas behind the game BUT realisation is poor for now. Very bad. Lots of bugs of important functions, killing the fun to use the game - very, very sadly...
next
Page:

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 »