Predictably, the most extravagant visual in F-22 Lightning 3 is the sight of a B61 Tactical Thermonuclear Bomb exploding with a flash and slowly sweeping its gray fallout across the earth under an orange mushroom cloud. This is truly a sight and surely future sims will attempt to emulate this. I can t wait. In the head-scratching department, the missile view cuts back to the cockpit just before the missile impacts the target. It s disappointing to track a missile for a while and then not see its explosion.
Pilots miss the theatrics of their missile pounding into the evil enemy.
Also, four out of the eight views don t function in multiplay. There are no big surprises here, but F-22 Lightning 3 s sounds are more appealing to the ear than the average combat flight game. The erratic radio signals heard from the aircraft and the air traffic controllers generate a sense of urgency in the battle. No great loss. Pilots hear a threat warning tone that beeps like a heart monitor, increasing in tempo as the missile approaches.