Experience the thrill of aerial combat like never before with Aces of Thunder, the ultimate flight simulation game with high fidelity graphics and unmatched immersion. The game was made specifically with capabilities of the latest generation VR helmets in mind. The game's physically accurate flight and damage models derived from the popular War Thunder military action game ensure a high level of realism. The battles take place exclusively from the cockpit view to provide ultimate immersion and fully supports HOTAS controls. Aces of Thunder features a set of the most legendary WWI & WWII aircraft available to hop in and fly...

The WWI planes are a lot easier to control

I've been awaiting the release of Aces of Thunder since Gaijin Entertainment started teasing its original release over two years ago. It became a bit of a running joke that the game would never see the light of day, as the developer kept hinting that the release was just a few months away on numerous occasions. Personally, the fact they were taking so long to ensure the game ran smoothly kept me hanging in on there, never giving up hope. I mean, who doesn't want to fly over the cliffs of Dover in a Spitfire in VR?

The release date was finally announced and after all of the build up I was unsure how the developers could even hope to match the expectation that had been building in VR fanatics' minds.

Thankfully Aces of Thunder delivers the goods and then some. A word of warning though. If you're expecting an arcade-style pick up and play fighter sim, where you can perform unrealistic manoeuvres from your very first flight... you're going to be very disappointed. What Aces of Thunder is, is a realistic WWI and WWII simulator that gives you the most authentic, to date, experience of what these young fighters had to endure in the heat of war.

There are 20+ aircraft to choose from across the American, German, Soviet, British and Japanese fleet. Battles will take you to locations across the world with 15 maps representing three key theaters of World War II: Western, Eastern and Pacific Fronts, as well as signature World War I frontlines.

A lovingly crafted, labour of love. This is a game that is punishing

There are a number of different solo modes. You can take every plane up for a test flight. In 'War Stories' there are 14 story-driven, historical missions covering key WWII events, such as Normandy and Pearl Harbor. There are other solo missions designed to help you get to grips with the finer elements of the flight mechanics. The very first mission sees you taking off, following a set flight path (by flying close to rings) and landing. You can also customise your own games to create tailored scenarios, selecting maps, time of day, weather, and AI bot presence.

Those expecting War Thunder in VR will be very disappointed. This is its own game; a serious WWI and WWII flight sim with as close to real physics and elements as it's possible to get with the current technology available.

A lovingly crafted, labour of love. This is a game that is punishing, has an incredibly steep learning curve and is frustratingly hard to master... Yet, the rewards for persevering are worth every minute of blood, sweat and tears. This is as close as it's possible to get to experience what limitations and challenges those brave pilots had to endure all those years ago.

Engaging in online battles can be a little intimidating

Some things to note, if you're sitting on the fence, which might put you off. There is no tutorial (so you're going to be literally winging it from the start). If you're playing using the HOTAS flight stick for some reason you'll still need to use the motion controllers in order to navigate the menus (this can be a pain and breaks the immersion). Raising/lowering flaps is a faff. You're best going into the settings and binding your own buttons for various actions. It's near impossible to tell enemy and allies apart. When you're close enough there is a small blue marker designating friendlies, but from a distance you'll need to familiarise yourself with the shape of each craft. Again, this makes the game hyper realistic. It's so easy to stall your engine or get into a spin that's almost impossible to get out of. Again, this is exactly as it would have been in reality. It's also quite scary how quickly and easily your plane can get damaged, but it makes for an interesting situation when the plane is much less responsive to turns and the engine keeps struggling, spluttering and dying... before limping back into life.

Engaging in online battles can be a little intimidating... Especially if you constantly tail spin in solo mode. The WWI planes are a lot easier to control as there's no landing gear or flaps to worry about. They also handle a little more like a pick-up-and-play arcade game. There's something

I've been playing constantly since launch, and am nowhere near mastering any aspect of the game. For those who enjoy a challenge this is the flight sim we've been hoping and waiting for.

10

Darren Rea