F-22 Lightning 3

F-22 Lightning 3 closed out NovaLogic's successful line of flight simulators centered on the F-22 Raptor fighter, bringing improved graphics and expanded multiplayer options compared to the previous entries. The game was built on the proven Voxel Space voxel engine that NovaLogic also used for its helicopter simulators, and it offered a combination of accessible controls with an honest feel for modern air combat. The campaign placed players in fictional but period-relevant crisis scenarios and offered gradual unlocking of new missions and equipment. As a whole, the series had long built a reputation as an accessible yet honest flight simulator, and the third entry only refined that approach further. Players could switch between a simpler targeting system and a more demanding guided-munitions model according to taste, which made the game accessible even to less experienced genre fans. Successive missions brought players to both defend and attack various types of targets, from ground vehicles to enemy aircraft, so the gameplay changed sufficiently over the course of the campaign.

The voxel technology allowed for smooth rendering of expansive terrain even without a powerful 3D accelerator, a long-standing advantage of NovaLogic's titles over competitors reliant on polygon engines. The multiplayer missions, in which players could pit F-22 fighters against each other in team and competitive modes, were among the game's strengths and extended its lifespan beyond the campaign. The weapon and warning-system sound effects supported the sense of intensity of modern air combat well.

F-22 Lightning 3 is remembered today as a dignified conclusion to one of the longest-running flight simulator series of the nineties and a demonstration of how long NovaLogic's voxel technology managed to compete with the emerging polygon engines. For genre fans it remains an interesting reminder of an era when players could choose between several distinct technical approaches to flight simulation.

Why play: For genre fans it offers a dignified conclusion to one of the longest-running flight simulator series and a reminder of a time when NovaLogic's voxel technology could still compete with the emerging polygon engines.