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. GarrethW.
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    This game is superb, admittedly theres a few bugs here and there but it is playable out of the box, whether you want to fly around and practice landing or takeoffs, shooting air/ground targets, or maybe get into the campaigns and fly one of the 8 aircraft available this game is for you...Its been a while since I played a modern flight sim with such depth and even then only one flyable This game is superb, admittedly theres a few bugs here and there but it is playable out of the box, whether you want to fly around and practice landing or takeoffs, shooting air/ground targets, or maybe get into the campaigns and fly one of the 8 aircraft available this game is for you...Its been a while since I played a modern flight sim with such depth and even then only one flyable aircraft to play in. This is one of those games you hope will have lots of expansions because its visually superb to play and watch. A few people moan about the specs and the graphics detail adjustments being ineffective but with a patch it should hopefully suit lower end PCs better. I even went out and brought a new Joystick (Saitek X45) and graphics card (Radeon 9800XT) because this game is an investment in terms of longevity and playability, and I want it to last as long as possible and look and play as well as possible. Its one of those games that deserves all the flight sim hardware you can get your hands on to make the experience as real and mind blowing as possible. Whether you buy this game now or in a few months I assure you it will be a worthy purchase...… Expand
  2. DolAmite
    Dec 17, 2003
    10
    Best flight sim today Falcon Was dood in its day but nothing can touch the playability for all and multiplayer ease,sure it has bugs and is system hungry but what new game is not.
  3. JohnA.
    Dec 17, 2003
    10
    In terms of graphics and immersion...this sim is just off the scale. and complexity? --don't get me started. I get more of a rush from one afternoon flying LOMAC than I ever got flying that "other" sim.
  4. -325th-SixGun
    Dec 17, 2003
    10
    Liking the game alot! It's a huge amont of fun especially when flying w/ all my friends online. It is a system hog, but I'm having VERY few issues w/ the game right now. It's only gonna get better. You better get a HOTAS!
  5. L.M.
    Dec 17, 2003
    10
    Bugs aside, best flight sim to date.
  6. LuisL.
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    This game was obviously a huge undertaking for the developers, but I feel strongly that they came up to the task. Out of the box, this game runs exceptionally well, considering all that there is to it: combining complex graphics with flight modeling for all types of aircraft is no easy task, and patyches will certainly be needed to pull together all the elements, but when comparing to This game was obviously a huge undertaking for the developers, but I feel strongly that they came up to the task. Out of the box, this game runs exceptionally well, considering all that there is to it: combining complex graphics with flight modeling for all types of aircraft is no easy task, and patyches will certainly be needed to pull together all the elements, but when comparing to some other sims out of the box, this LO-MAC really smokes. One the bugs are squashed, this will be remembered as the best flight sim in a long, long time.… Expand
  7. DaveCarpenter
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    Great sim I'm running it on a mid level machine and it works very well for me. I've had to back off on the graphics settings somewhat to get a reasonable frame rate but the game still looks great and runs well. Documentation is a weak point but the interface is pretty friendly.
  8. Wakner
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    Has the foundations for a great game ... but still a way to go in terms of bugs and immersiveness.
  9. Aries
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    Great gameplay... i mean real gameplay, not seen from the times of Gunship 2000 on the Amiga... Hardware requirements way too high...
  10. FULCRUMwhateva
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    The most complete, immersive, beautiful, fun, complex, modern combat sim ever made. OUTSTANDING!
  11. JuergenD.
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    This simulator will be the reference for some years to come. Flightphysics and graphics are at totally new level.
  12. KentB.
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    One word....AWSOME!
  13. KarlSchmidt
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    THE NEW SIM-STANDARD! Fantastic graphics, real war- simulation, superb flight-feeling, powerfull editor, genius atmosphere. But be aware of the hardware requirements.
  14. RobertB.
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    All I can say to sum up this game is that it has turned me into a flight sim addict! I am fairly new to flight sims having only really used MS FSim5 a few years ago and only then using a basic 5 quid joystick. But since playing this game, I have not been able to put it down! I've even forked out for a Saitek X45... I couldn't help it, this title draws you in and the sunlit All I can say to sum up this game is that it has turned me into a flight sim addict! I am fairly new to flight sims having only really used MS FSim5 a few years ago and only then using a basic 5 quid joystick. But since playing this game, I have not been able to put it down! I've even forked out for a Saitek X45... I couldn't help it, this title draws you in and the sunlit clouds, fog-covered hills, planes and aircraft carriers are fantastic! Before you decide against buying this game because of the negative feedback, consider that there is a very active community for LO-MAC ensuring there will be a multitude of patches, enhancements and fixes released to perfect this wonderful game. … Expand
  15. TommyF.
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    Good.. but..terrain should be better i think...they're not so..."photograpic"as i would like them to be. yeah...a manual...it should be in the confection.
  16. JuanL.
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    Awesome.
  17. CliffT.
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    Amazing experience of flight, and it has all the bells, whistles and toys. An outstanding simulator. Yes, it has bugs which prevents it getting a 10, but it still can't be beat. And it runs on a wide variety of hardware as long as you dont extract the urine over how much detail you expect.
  18. AndrewL.
    Dec 17, 2003
    10
    Best modern flight sim ever made to date.
  19. ChrisJ.
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    Great game for fans of military flight simulators. It models the complex systems of 8 aircraft but simplifies the controls enough that you aren't forced into a Falcon4 like click fest. Amazing graphics, don't listen to the FPS detractors. Play the game on medium settings, it still looks great and runs fine. This isn't Quake3 don't expect 300 FPS. My only complaint is Great game for fans of military flight simulators. It models the complex systems of 8 aircraft but simplifies the controls enough that you aren't forced into a Falcon4 like click fest. Amazing graphics, don't listen to the FPS detractors. Play the game on medium settings, it still looks great and runs fine. This isn't Quake3 don't expect 300 FPS. My only complaint is the skimpy documentation. I miss the big manuals of the past but I understand cost constraints. However, the PDF manual is still pretty bad. Still a highly recommended game, you wont think of anything else for months.… Expand
  20. DanE.
    Dec 17, 2003
    10
    A+++++++
  21. RickardS.
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    It could be so much more than it is... Still a really good sim though.
  22. Savo4c
    Dec 17, 2003
    10
    beautifull and enjoying a lot that revolutionary sim!
  23. AnonymousMC
    Dec 17, 2003
    9
    This game is a bundle of joy to play and a truly amazing simulator both graphically and technically. What you get is a very detailed simulator of not one but 8 different aircraft from both NATO and ex-USSR forces, with a very high level of realism combined with a high entertainment value.
    Graphics: 10
    Even at medium settings, this game easily matches the image quality and detail    This game is a bundle of joy to play and a truly amazing simulator both graphically and technically. What you get is a very detailed simulator of not one but 8 different aircraft from both NATO and ex-USSR forces, with a very high level of realism combined with a high entertainment value.
    Graphics: 10

    Even at medium settings, this game easily matches the image quality and detail level of IL2:FB, the current benchmark for flight simulator graphics. Set to max this game looks nothing less than amazing, but with a definite performance impact. Like the Janes series from EA, this game was written with an intention of a LONG lifecycle and so the graphics engine was written to use the added performace of current and upcoming high-end products as well as what is common in the market today. Unless you own a radeon 9800PRO or GeForce 5900FX, setting detail to max is madness and completely wasted as your hardware was not designed to handle this amount of load. As I said the game equals or surpasses IL2:FB even on medium settings so do not let the previous sentence in any way deter you from buying this game if you do not own todays state of the art graphics processor - my own config is decidedly midrange by todays standards and I am getting 30 fps average dropping to ~15 only for short times and when things get very crowded.
    That being said, it the game could have been even more future-proof had Eagle Dynamics implemented DirectX 9.0 shader support as well - this would have added even more eye-candy in the future when those products become more prevalent.
    Sound: 8

    Very high quality sound, and to a non-pilot like myself everything sounds pretty much right. You may prefer to turn up the cocpit volume a bit, to make it easier to hear your engines, gear and flap noises etc - the soundlevel you get at default setting is realistic (a fighter pilot is cocooned inside a bulletproof class canopy with a helmet and headset) but personally I feel that the exaggerated noiselevel improves the feeling of immersion.

    A minor detractor is the rather sparse ambient voice comms from other aircraft - compared to Jane's FA 18, this is a bit lacking, and I do feel that those wannabe fighter jocks out there would have appreciated a more 'realistic' amount of voice comms in what is after all a combat environment, but I guess the developers chose to 'declutter' the voice comms and focus on the information relevant to the game player. Fair enough and a minor point.

    Gameplay: 10

    This is a tall order but I really mean it: this game is so much fun to play and has such an amazing replay value that it deserves the top rating for gameplay.
    Buyer please note: Most of the bad ratings given on this website have one thing in common: people having problems with their local OS installation and jumping to the conclusion that the game does not work at all on either Windows ME, XP, 98 etc. While there are issues that need resolving, these problems are NOT indicative of the general quality of the product. I personally run the game on WinXP on an AMD XP2400+ and GeForce 4 4600Ti with 1024MB ram, and it hasn't even crashed on me once.     … Expand
  24. KenH.
    Dec 17, 2003
    8
    Best jet sim in 5 years! Needs some fine tuning but is very deep and offers tons of replayability. I think about playing whenever I'm at work and thats a good sign.
  25. SmokinBob
    Dec 18, 2003
    8
    At first, there were some teething pains for me as system configuration is an absolute must with a sim of the complexity and fidelity, but as the days passed, LO:MAC has turned into a nice little gem, and I am enjoying it very much. Be aware of the steep system requirements, and I know it can get frustrating, but there is help out there and I have not run into any showstoppers yet. Aside At first, there were some teething pains for me as system configuration is an absolute must with a sim of the complexity and fidelity, but as the days passed, LO:MAC has turned into a nice little gem, and I am enjoying it very much. Be aware of the steep system requirements, and I know it can get frustrating, but there is help out there and I have not run into any showstoppers yet. Aside from the poor documentation included in the box and on the CD, LO:MAC is a nice sight in what I hope will someday no longer be a niche market. The sim is a worthy successor to the Flanker Lineage, all spruced up for the 21st Century :) And who cannot resist having fun with Depleted Uranium??? The A-10 is an absolute joy to fly, and a conversation with an Air Force type told me the cockpit layout, gauges, etc. were pretty darn close to the real dea. Nice :) Although the lack of a dynamic campaign was a dissappointment, the highly detailed mission editor should help to fill in that gap. If you like flight sims, you must own LO:MAC!! Smokin Bob… Expand
  26. JohnH.
    Dec 18, 2003
    8
    A diamond in the rough, but packed with potential and definitely one to watch.
  27. ErinM.
    Dec 18, 2003
    9
    Were it not for a few bugs it would be a 10 for sure. Definitely has the potential for a "15" after patching.
  28. CharlieW.
    Dec 18, 2003
    9
    Best jet sim available.
  29. DaveS.
    Dec 18, 2003
    10
    Great stuff!!!
  30. GavinR.
    Dec 18, 2003
    10
    Fantastic game - runs great on AMD64.
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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

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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
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