In anticipation of our nostalgic gaming session playing Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 2, my friend had drastically upgraded his home entertainment setup. New TV, new Xbox, new controllers, and, of course, new games. One came with his console purchase: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
The title says it all, and yet, the breadth and depth of the game are astonishing. You can fly small planes, medium-sized planes, large planes, and anything in-between. You can fly stunt planes, helicopters, and even supersonic jets. And while most folks probably explore vast landscapes, oceans, and glaciers when they hop into an Airbus A380, the cities are just as fascinating.
“Should we fly home?” my friend asked. “To Pirmasens?” It was the town we’d gone to high school in. Naturally, I was up for a visit. We took off from a close airport at night—the game also matches time to the real world—and, soon, the city lights came into view.
After a few passes over the city, we had to admit: The map was probably not accurate. We thought we’d spotted some of the common sights, but we weren’t entirely sure. “You can buy expansion packs to get more maps of towns and places,” my friend said. We didn’t have the right one, but the fact that it was possible was astonishing enough.
If there’s a place you long for, there’s more than one way to visit. Flight simulators. Youtube videos. Novels set in that location. Reality has its constraints—but with a little imagination, you can always fly home.
