''AH-64D Longbow'' is a realistic

combat flight simulator Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and milit ...

of the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter. Released on June 3, 1996, for the PC, this simulation was developed at Origin Systems. ''AH-64D Longbow'' was the second simulator released under the '' Jane's Combat Simulators'' line from Electronic Arts. A mission disk ''Flash Point: Korea'' was released as an add-in in 1996, and a compilation pack, ''Longbow Gold'' was released in 1997. A sequel, ''

Longbow 2 ''Longbow 2'' is the sequel to the best-selling ''Jane's AH-64D Longbow'' from ''Jane's Combat Simulations'', developed by Origin Systems with executive producer Andy Hollis on board, and released by Electronic Arts on November 30, 1997. Gamep ...

'' was released in late 1997. In 1998, ''Longbow Anthology'' was released, which included the whole ''Longbow'' series.

Gameplay

The game had the most authentic flight model for a helicopter for its time and every aspect of the electronics systems were meticulously detailed. The weapons had realistic operational ranges and limits, and all friendly and enemy units were strictly based on their real-life counterparts. A wingman helps the player, and the player takes on Russian equipment in multiple single missions and campaigns, as well as a handful of historically accurate missions in which it is possible to 're-live' memorable battles. ''Flash Point: Korea'' was released on November 30, 1996. It features a new campaign set in Korea, the addition of the co-pilot position, improved wingman commands and many bug fixes.

Release

''Longbow Gold'' came out in April 1997. It is a compilation pack featuring the ''AH-64D Longbow'' and ''Flash Point: Korea'' add-ons. It is also fully patched and updated to include a Windows executable, so DOS is no longer necessary. Also included is the

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update, which adds a Glide renderer. ''Longbow Anthology'' was released in 1998 and is a compilation of Jane's ''AH-64D Longbow'', the mission disk ''Flash Point: Korea'', and ''Longbow 2'' in one box, with an abbreviated manual. All included simulators are fully patched to the latest versions. A Limited Edition was also released, removing the campaign mode and marketed as a budget title.

Reception

''AH-64D Longbow'' debuted at No. 4 on PC Data's monthly computer game sales chart for June 1996. The game fell to position 14 the following month, before rising back into the top 10 in August and exiting the top 20 in September. In the United States, the game sold 106,423 copies and earned $4.78 million by October 1999. Global shipments of ''AH-64D Longbow'' ultimately surpassed 600,000 copies. The ''Longbow'' franchise as a whole, including the compilations and '' Jane's Longbow 2'', shipped above 1.2 million units. The reviewer for ''

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'' praised the option to choose from nine different levels of realism, and the game's unique mission design. ''Longbow'' was named the best flight simulator of 1996 by '' PC Gamer'', GameSpot, ''

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'' and ''

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''. CNET Gamecenter and the Computer Game Developers Conference nominated it in their "Best Simulation Game" categories, but these went to '' NASCAR Racing 2'' and '' MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries'', respectively. In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' ranked it as the 100th best game of all time for being "the first helicopter sim to match its fixed wing counterparts for realistic play". That same year, it was also ranked as the 73rd top game of all time by ''Next Generation'', for being "an unbeatable marriage of graphics, gameplay, and armor-blasting fun".

''Flashpoint Korea''

The editors of '' PC Gamer US'' named ''Flashpoint Korea'' 1996's "Best Expansion Pack", and wrote that it "practically makes 'Longbow''a whole new game". ''Flashpoint: Korea'' was also a finalist for ''

''s 1996 "Best Enhancement of an Existing Game" award, which ultimately went to '' Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal''.

References

External links