Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight Critic Reviews

I can’t think of a more perfect product to celebrate 100 years of aviation or 20 years of simulating flight on the PC. There is so much to learn and so much to do, and you’ll have weeks, months, and even year’s worth of fun doing it.

Without peer in Flight Simulators. If you only have one flight sim, this is the one!

The real highlight however is the improvement to the graphics engine. The scenery is improved along with general detail enhancements but the weather system is quite remarkable.

After investing hard-earned cash in add-ons for FS 2000 and FS 2002, is this new title really worth buying? The answer is “yes.”

With enough features to fill a 747 flight manual, MSFS2004 provides a level of flying simulation on the PC that was unimaginable even a few years ago.

The weather, graphics, and little details really do make this a giant leap over FS 2002. But I'm disappointed that Microsoft didn't include more modern aircraft.

Easily the best and most important flight simulator available. FS2004 fulfils the expectations of even the most curmudgeonly sim fanatic. For 20 years, we've been waiting for hardware that can deliver a flight simulator this good. Now Microsoft has given us the software.

The challenge and entertainment comes from learning about flying, recreating historic flights, and plain old barnstorming.

Weather effects have been vastly upgraded, with much more varied and convicing cloud layers, snow, and lightning, and even improved rain effects.

Graphically, Flight Simulator 2004 is the most attractive yet, especially in the clouds department, though the ground scenery looks much better higher up, but objects such as skyscrapers, greenery and airport towers aren't as detailed up close.

Does a very good job of reliving the origins and early years of powered flight, and is also a good primer for budding fixed-wing aviators and hobbyists everywhere.

It will take the better part of a day to get comfortable with the controls so plan on using up some of your patience. In a short while you'll be soaring with the eagles - and also dropping like flies.

The improvements made with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 - A Century Of Flight make it a worthwhile upgrade, but don't expect photo-realism; hold out for the soon released "MS Flight Simulator X" due in early 2007.

The best of its genre, but there's always room for improvement with the graphics.

If you have any interest in flight simulation, Flight Simulator 2004 is the de facto product out there. If you're learning how to fly or you'd just like to virtually learn a bit about flight, there's no better place to start than here.

It’s doubtful whether fair-weather flight sim fans will get much more out of this than they would from FS2002, but for the enthusiast, A Century of Flight is worthy of the pride and bluster that the title implies.

More planes, better graphics, and more options than ever before right out of the box, but the game will likely reach its full potential only if it receives great support from its player community.

MSF2004 does an amazing job at incorporating history into the simulation, and it sets itself aside from the other flight sims in the series, and from any flight sim for that matter.

has blithely improved an already great sim by giving it a new angle, bringing in some really sweet technological improvements, and making it even more accessible.

Aviation enthusiasts and beginners alike will find hours of enjoyment with this title and tons of re-playability.