"Some companies have found that the game “franchise” is a very good thing. If a game does well the first time around, it usually sees a sequel and, if that does well, the franchise may well be set. Whether or not that’s a good thing is another matter entirely, but at least with a sequel we know a little something about the game we'll be getting, and that certainly holds true with NovaLogic’s upcoming F-22 Lightning 3.
Despite their claims of “realism,” every sim fan knows (or should know) that NovaLogic games are on the lighter end of the realism scale—less hard-core detail and more get-in-and-shoot-and-fly action, action that almost always looks pretty good. Despite some wording to the contrary, it looks like NovaLogic is continuing the trend for F-22 Lightning 3. Don’t expect an F-22 game equivalent to Falcon 4.0; instead, expect more of the same kind of gameplay we’ve seen before, albeit in some 40 new missions.
This does not mean, though, that the game is a complete rehash of earlier versions. In addition to the new missions, there is some new in-game technology. NovaLogic claims that the weather modeling is the most extensive ever seen in a sim, both from a visual and a functional standpoint; they say pilots will definitely notice the difference in their plane’s behavior as it moves from weather zone to weather zone. Nukes make their first appearance in a NovaLogic game, so expect some missions quite different than those in the earlier F-22 games.
NovaLogic is promoting their online NovaWorld service a lot these days, and Lightning 3 will include technology to support this online play. Most notable is a technology NovaLogic calls “Voice-Over-Net,” built-in voice communications for Internet play.
On top of all this, you can expect the usual graphic improvements we’ve gotten used to these days. The game will support a range of 3D accelerators and will require an MMX-capable machine. A bit of a well kept secret by NovaLogic, the game should be out as early as May." ~Scott Udell, Computer Games Strategy Plus (May 1999, #102)
