''Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002'' also known as ''FS2002'', is a video game released in October 2001, and is the 8th installment of the ''

Microsoft Flight Simulator ''Microsoft Flight Simulator'' is a series of amateur flight simulator programs for Microsoft Windows operating systems, and earlier for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS. It was an early product in the Microsoft application portfolio and differed s ...

'' video game series. A version called ''Professional Edition'' was released at the same time as standard edition that added two aircraft, a

flight instructor A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to operate aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate ...

feature, and an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, ...

to create buildings and aircraft.

Gameplay

FS2002 (8.0) improved vastly over previous versions. In addition to improved graphics, FS2002 introduced

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...

(ATC) and

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

(AI) aircraft enabling users to fly alongside computer controlled aircraft and communicate with airports. An option for a target framerate was added, enabling a cap on the framerate to reduce stutter while performing texture loading and other maintenance tasks. In addition, aircraft feature a 3D virtual cockpit, creating in effect a view of the cockpit from the viewpoint of a real pilot. The external view also featured an inertia effect, inducing an illusion of movement in a realistic physical environment.

Alterations due to September 11 attacks

Microsoft removed

World Trade Center (1973–2001) The original World Trade Center (WTC) was a large complex of seven buildings in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. At the time o ...

scenery from the game shortly before release due to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...

Reception

Sales

In the United States, ''Flight Simulator 2002'' debuted at #12 on

NPD Intelect The NPD Group, Inc. (NPD; formerly National Purchase Diary Panel Inc. and NPD Research Inc.) is an American market research company founded on September 28, 1966, and based in Port Washington, New York. In 2017, NPD ranked as the 8th largest mar ...

's computer game sales rankings for October 2001, at an average retail price of $70. It was absent from the top 20 by November. By the end of 2001, the game's domestic sales totaled 130,954 units, for revenues of $9 million. Internationally, the game received a "Silver" sales award from the

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(ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Reviews and awards

''Flight Simulator 2002'' won ''

PC Gamer US ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games mag ...

''s 2001 "Best Simulation" and the

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...

"Computer Simulation Game of the Year" awards. The former publication's editors wrote that the game "narrowly prevailed" against ''

IL-2 Sturmovik The Ilyushin Il-2 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' ( Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian ter ...

'', and commented that its winning despite having no "guns, missiles or explosive pyrotechnic effects of any kind is remarkable testimony of the bleeding-edge quality of Microsoft's benchmark product." ''

Computer Games Magazine ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 1 ...

'', ''

The Electric Playground ''EP Daily'' (formerly ''The Electric Playground'') is a daily news television show that covers video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets. Created and executive produced by host Victor Lucas, and his Vancouver, British ...

'' and ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...

'' all nominated ''Flight Simulator 2002'' as the top simulation of 2001, but these awards went instead to ''IL-2 Sturmovik''. ''Computer Gaming World''s editors called ''Flight Simulator 2002'' "an excellent iteration of the esteemed series," and a game that "took on the daunting task of increasing the detail level of the entire world at least a hundredfold."

Reviews

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

- Nov 07, 2001 *

- Feb, 2002 *

Jeuxvideo.com ''Jeuxvideo.com'' (from ''jeux vidéo''; ; ) is a French video gaming website founded in 1997. History The website traces its history to a video game hint collection on Minitel, a precursor to the World Wide Web, and was founded by Sébastien ...

- Nov 26, 2001 *

IGROMANIA ''Igromania'' (russian: Игромания, Russian for "Game Mania") is a Russian video game website and formerly a magazine. The magazine was published in Moscow and distributed in Russia and the CIS countries. It was founded in September 199 ...

- Jan, 2002

References

External links

''Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002''
at

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''Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002: Professional Edition''
at MobyGames {{Authority control 2001 video games D.I.C.E. Award for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year winners Impact of the September 11 attacks on the video game industry Microsoft Flight Simulator Video games developed in the United States Windows games Windows-only games