Before Warthunder came, there was another World War 2 combat simulator MMO. This game would forever be embedded into my childhood, because I have vivid memories of my dad putting so many hours into this. He’s always loved war simulators, but at the time of this release, simulation gaming was in its infancy, not too mention a MMO styled simulator. So what is this little game of which I speak, well friends, that would be a little revolutionary game called Aces High.
It was a subscription based World War 2 MMO simulator that paved the way for games like Warthunder, World Of Warships, and World Of Tanks. It focused on combined arms warfare on a scale that had never been seen previously. It was a true combined arms experience where players could switch between ground vehicles and air vehicles with ease. Its a concept still avoided by the mainstream titles that are too afraid of balancing issues to accommodate it. The sandbox feel of this game was astounding, almost feeling like a more polished Planetside 2, except it wasn’t pay to win.
You could do some recon on the map to find which airbase was the least defended, and take off in a troop transport, fly 15 real minutes to the target, and drop your squad of paratroopers on the base. After some time you would see those lights on the airfield turn to the color of your faction making the entire journey so satisfying.
I remember they used to have these MASSIVE tournaments that were only dreamed about at that age in gaming. Thousands of players would take to the skies in these insane dog fighter and bomber campaigns. It was honestly a spectacular event that’s very hard to replicate these days. As the gaming industry keeps chugging forward we have to remember these great games that paved the way. That’s why we here at 101 Militia Gaming talk so much about retro gaming so that modern game developers remember what made us fall in love with the hobby in the first place. However, I don’t see that happening any time soon. As long as we have developer companies making games for enjoyment rather than fattening their wallets, (looking at you EA and Activision), the future of gaming will be bright.
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