Falcon 4.0

About

"Falcon 4.0" is a cutting-edge flight simulation game that offers realistic graphics, dynamic campaigns, and multiplayer gameplay. It features accurate topographical terrain, detailed radar and weapons simulation, and hyper-realistic flight models. Players can engage in intense air-to-air combat with advanced enemy aircraft while flying detailed replicas of modern military jets. The game also includes a variety of single-player missions and a campaign mode that allows players to experience the challenges of leading a modern air combat squadron.

Genres & Tags

Simulation

Play Modes

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 150 reviews

replayability1 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Falcon BMS transforms the outdated Falcon 4.0 into a highly detailed and immersive flight simulator, offering a unique dynamic campaign that is unmatched in the genre.
The game provides a realistic simulation experience of flying an F-16, with a steep learning curve that rewards dedication and patience.
For its price, Falcon 4.0 combined with the BMS mod offers an incredible value compared to other flight simulators, making it accessible for players with lower-end PCs.

The base game is outdated and has compatibility issues with modern systems, often requiring additional setup and troubleshooting to run properly.
Players have reported difficulties with controller support and keybinding, making it challenging to configure controls for a satisfying gameplay experience.
Many users express frustration that the game is primarily a vehicle to access the BMS mod, which is necessary for an enjoyable experience, leading to disappointment with the vanilla version.

graphics
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
65%
18%
The graphics of Falcon 4.0 are widely regarded as outdated, reflecting its 1990s origins, and are not comparable to modern combat flight simulation games. While some users find the graphics acceptable and even "sexy" in terms of detail, they recommend BMS for a superior visual experience and overall gameplay. Despite the dated visuals, the game's simulation quality remains highly praised, and community mods can enhance the graphics to meet contemporary standards.
- “It's got sexy graphics and the detail of the planes is next level.”
- “The graphics are optimal: beautiful enough, but you don't need a gamer's power hog PC for it.”
- “Very nice and (I can only assume) realistic sim which (as others have pointed out) has an even better community mod that brings it up to today's standards in terms of graphics and contains lots of extras.”
- “The graphics are outdated but the planning and flight sim has no competition.”
- “The graphics engine in Falcon comes from the 90s.”
- “Just be aware that it's an old game, so the graphics won't be up to the standards of games like IL-2 and War Thunder, etc.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game's story is intricately woven into its dynamic campaign engine, which simulates real-time warfare across multiple countries, generating missions based on the evolving conflict. Players can engage in various squadrons and missions, allowing for a high degree of control over aerial forces and mission planning, while the detailed manual, authored by experienced F-16 pilots, enriches the narrative with authentic insights into military aviation.
- “At the heart of the game is the dynamic campaign engine, which handles the war across several countries in real-time, generating missions for all forces present on the map on the fly, working together towards whatever current goal is.”
- “Not only are you able to select squadrons or missions to partake in, but also control as many or as few aerial forces as you wish, by creating missions or even complex schedules for multiple flights to cooperate and even jump into active planes at any time - while campaign AI is able to handle everything you don't want to bother with.”
- “The manual itself is a massive binder - almost all flight sim fans should try to read the manual while going through various training missions as it explains various aspects of the F-16 which you won't ever get in a conventional book - this was written by various F-16 pilots who have flown across the world and have been influential towards the game's development.”
- “The story feels disjointed and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters or the overall narrative.”
- “I found the plot to be predictable and uninspired, which really detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “The dialogue is often cringeworthy and fails to engage, leaving the story feeling flat and uninteresting.”
gameplay
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
While the graphics may feel dated to newcomers, the gameplay remains exceptional, particularly in comparison to newer titles like DCS. Many users recommend the updated version, BMS, for its superior gameplay, realism, and features, asserting that it outshines its predecessor in these aspects.
- “Graphics may seem dated to newcomers, but the gameplay, as always with older games, is second to none.”
- “I strongly recommend BMS over the original, as it is significantly better in all respects: graphics, gameplay, realism, features, etc.”
- “DCS looks better, but this game surpasses it in gameplay by 100%.”
- “Graphics would be dated for newcomers, but the gameplay, as always with older games, is second to none.”
- “I strongly recommend BMS over the original, since it is so much better in all respects: graphics, gameplay, realism, features, etc.”
- “DCS looks better, but this beats it gameplay-wise 100%.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the initial setup for grinding to be tedious, but note that it only needs to be completed once, suggesting that while it may be a hassle at first, it does not impact long-term gameplay.
- “Setting it up for the first time is rather tedious, but only needs to be done once.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers strong replayability through its dynamic campaign and a vibrant multiplayer community, encouraging players to return for new experiences and interactions.
- “It also has a dynamic campaign for replayability, and an active multiplayer base.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the simulation has improved significantly with the addition of the BMS add-on, transforming it from a previously buggy experience into a well-crafted and detailed simulation. However, it is noted that the original release was rushed, leading to its initial instability.
- “Adding the BMS add-on takes this beautifully modeled sim (and it is incredible, to the last detail) from an aging, buggy experience (it was rushed released back in 1998 for the Christmas market) to something we waited a very long time for.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
The optimization of the game is seen as a significant improvement over DCS, addressing issues of low performance and frequent crashes, despite only slight visual enhancements. Users appreciate this as a viable alternative for those frustrated with the current state of DCS.
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have focused on performance improvements, making the game more accessible to a wider audience.”
- “It offers a serious alternative to the declining state of DCS, especially if you are like me frustrated with low performance and constant application crashes, even if it looks marginally better visually.”
- “The optimization is severely lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and an overall choppy experience.”
- “Despite its potential, the game struggles with optimization issues that make it nearly unplayable on mid-range systems.”