Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation

Heh. Bogies.

Source // MobyGames

From one flight sim to another, rather different one. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation is the sixth mainline entry to the Ace Combat series, a series I first encountered way back on the PlayStation in the mid-90s.

This Xbox 360 exclusive entry... wait a minute... Isn't Ace Combat all about the PlayStation? I mean, I've not touched the series since the first game, but I thought it stayed faithful to the Sony line of consoles. Huh. I guess they all branch out at some point.

Console exclusivity. Who needs it? Who wants it? You want it? Really?

Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader

No Medal Awarded

Source // MobyGames

I liked Star Wars: Rogue Squadron quite a bit. I wasn't good at it, but it made me feel like a kid again, reminding me of when Star Wars was cool. Enter a new console generation and a mouthy sequel: Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader.

Once again, we get to pilot all the letter-Wings throughout the galaxy, beginning with the destruction of one Death Star, and ending with the destruction of another. The better we do, the shinier our medal cabinet becomes, and the more bonus content we unlock.

Strap in, get your targeting computers set up, and get ready to hear those TIE Fighters scream...

Crimson Skies

"When you hit the ground, tell 'em Nathan Zachary sent you!"

Source // Moby Games

There's quite a lot of history out there, isn't there? I mean, if we only focus on humans there are a good few thousand years to explore, and we've gotten up to an awful lot of stuff as a species in that time. But it's not enough for some people. History isn't cool enough until it's alternate history, a giant 'what if' that opens up untold avenues for stories and settings.

Picture the scene, then: it is the 1930s, and air travel has overtaken the road and rail networks of what was the United States of America, now a collection of independent nation-states fighting each other under whatever banner they're flying, for whatever beliefs they believe in.

Up in the Crimson Skies, piracy has made a return and Nathan Zachary is on the hunt for treasure. His pirate gang will follow him against all opposition, launching from their giant air-ship in customised, other-worldly aeroplane designs.

Will we glide through the skies or get shot down in seconds?

FreeSpace 2

Don't touch the controls until you are told to do so.

Is there anything as cool as a dogfight in space? Lasers pew-pewing their way into the infinite void as giant ships float in place in front of giant starlit gas clouds? I'm sure there is, but while FreeSpace 2 is filling up my vision, no there isn't.

Another joystick controlled space combat sim, this one is more chilled than past offerings. There's still plenty of buttons to target various opponents, cycle through weapons, alter your energy balance and what not, but you don't have to worry about that darned Newton fella and his physics. They're present but relaxed. You want to stop in the middle of space? You can stop in the middle of space, no need to calculate a week beforehand.

It sounds great - let's warp in.

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

"I don't know where this ship came from but it is definitely not within legal specifications."

When I grew up with the PlayStation consoles, I thought I had it all. If I wanted to play an aerial combat game set in the Star Wars universe, I'd just fire up something like Jedi Starfighter and get blasting. I completed it a couple of times, I think; it was that good.

It didn't make the 1001 list, though. Instead, along with the two games we've already seen in the form of TIE Fighter and X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter on the PC, we've got two more for Nintendo systems. I've been injured, insulted, and am about to be kicked while I'm down.

Think you've played good Star Wars games? Bah! Fire up Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter

Imperial Task Force Vengence, grrr.

Source // MobyGames

Star Wars: TIE Fighter was a hit in my books, but it was marred by its difficulty. I generally want easy games, I'm not going to lie. When I want a challenge though, I want an honest challenge, and humans are better at that (apparently) than artificial intelligence.

If TIE Fighter was too challenging and full of bullshit/pilot error, then Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter is a step towards redressing the balance.

Our only problem is that it addresses it so far in one direction that the game is now a multiplayer-only experience. From the late 90s. With a small player base.

G-Loc: Air Battle

Yahoooooo!!!!!

There is a fair chance that I may have come across G-Loc: Air Battle somewhere before, but completely dismissed it because of its title. It's not exactly a snappy, memorable one, is it? True to its name, though, the game features air battles and G-Force induced loss of consciousness.

Sounds awesome. I think it's about time we take to the skies and see what's up there.