Microsoft's famously ambitious flight sim, Microsoft Flight Simulator, has been expanded to include the Nordic region countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in a new update. The World Update V: Nordics is currently live for players for free right now.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is an enormous simulator game where players can explore the entire world in real-time from the comfort of their cockpit. While some places in the game have been handcrafted by the developers, most of the world map has been simulated. Since being released in August 2020, countries such as Japan, USA, the UK, Ireland, France, and Benelux have all been updated with new structures and points of interest. Live data is also collected online to help render and generate real-time weather and effects for locations around the world.
In a new Xbox Wire update from Microsoft, the latest update for Microsoft Flight Simulator was explored in more detail. The blog post states that World Update V: Nordics was specifically aimed at bringing the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden into the game in all the natural splendor and architectural wonder these regions are known for. With the update now live, players can enter into the northern European sky and explore these regions in newly improved detail, with in-depth fjords, mountain peaks, centuries-old castles and urban areas all now visible from the cockpit. Over 100 airports and 78 points of interest were added in the update, improving the overall detail for the region by a fairly substantial margin and making the graphics almost indistinguishable from the real world.
Bush trips for each of these Nordic countries have also been added. A bush trip in the game is a kind of sightseeing expedition. This is a preplanned route that zig-zags between a variety of locations specifically picked out for players to enjoy. With all the detours, these bush trips can take up to 10 real-world hours but can be split up into multiple legs for more bite-sized enjoyment.
During the pandemic last year, Microsoft Flight Simulator was considered to be one of the best ways to experience traveling around the world from the safety of home. Many players used the game as a way to explore the outside world while in lockdown. While Flight Simulator has a detailed physics engine to simulate realistic flight control, pilots have criticized the game's unrealistic aerodynamics, which was most likely designed for players to have an easier time flying rather than accurately simulating the difficulty of flying an airplane.
For those who are still stuck in lockdown or can't afford to travel, this is a great way to see some of the sights of these Nordic countries from the sky. This is just one of the major updates Asobo has been working on for the title, with a Top Gun: Maverick-themed expansion for the game also well underway for a release later in the year. There has never been a better time to jump into the simulation game.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is available on PC, OpenXR and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Xbox, Xbox/YouTube