Shuttle is an early nineties release from Virgin Games that was developed by Vektor Grafix. It is a single player flight simulator that was released for the personal computer running the MS-DOS operating system, as well as the Amiga and Atari ST. It is a keyboard driven game.
Shuttle offers the user a nice science fiction or space themed flight simulation. It was extremely well-received in its day and is still touted today as being a very accurate rendition of piloting an actual NASA space shuttle.
The flight physics are very well done, and the game handles details, such as gravity with efficiency and grace.
In fact, details are the things that make Shuttle so interesting and challenging to play. The user will begin by leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building and will eventually return to Earth at the Shuttle Landing Facility. The incidents in between are very good and fun. Every single knob, switch and function of the space shuttle seems to be included in this game. There is a full display of the shuttle controls and the game offers a cool three-dimensional view of what seems to be an actual shuttle cockpit. Most of the controls actually served a function, although
some of them were to be explicitly avoided, as touching them would make the shuttle explode. While this may not have been one hundred percent realistic, most of the rest of the game play, in fact, was.
The user will be asked to perform a variety of missions while piloting the space shuttle. Many of them were fairly complex and involved. Fortunately, the game provided a great deal of instruction. They were printed out on a special device from within the shuttle and if more instructions were necessary, the user could toggle on a function that would allow the appropriate buttons and knobs to flash so he would always know what he was supposed to be doing. While this took some of the fun out of the game, it was also a great way to relieve stress for the beginning gamer and served somewhat like a tutorial. It also cuts back on a ridiculous amount of manual reading in order to be effective in this game.
Shuttle is an awesome game, although somewhat archaic. It is well worth the time to download as it is not your average flight simulator. The focus in Shuttle is more on the mind than reflexive actions and blowing things up with massive weaponry. It is a solid play, offering a unique setting and theme that users will likely love.
