Everyone knows that in order for a simulation game to be good it has to be realistic. The old days of a chomping head devouring symbols are gone; players are looking for an experience as close to reality as possible and technology is coming very close to giving them just that.
World War 2 games offer a special challenge to game designers. Not only must the planes, vehicles, and ships be close replicas to those used in actual combat seventy years ago, but terrain must be lifelike depictions and scenarios need to be historically based. A pretty good knowledge of World War II is a must for anyone trying to design an online combat simulation game.
World War II was a series of battles and troop movements that have become etched in our collective memories as Americans. One such battle was the Battle of the Bulge fought in the Ardennes Region from December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. Following the success at Normandy the Allied forces advanced on Germany much more quickly than thought possible. Little resistance was experienced as the Allied troops, let by Generals Montgomery and Patton, effectively moved so fast that they stretched their supply lines too thin.
The Germans, no longer concerned with defending all of Western Europe, concentrated a majority of their troops in the Ardennes Region and were convinced that a major assault could break the center of the Allied lines. What ensued was an incredibly costly series of attacks and counter-attacks that left approximately 80,000 Americans wounded or killed and about the same number of Germans. The German command could not afford those kinds of losses considering how depleted their numbers were, and after the Battle of the Bulge the war in Western Europe was effectively lost for the German cause. Winston Churchill considered it the greatest American victory in the war and considering the effect of that victory he was probably correct in his assessment.
Combat games like Aces High bring World War 2 to life for players, allowing them to experience warfare from the safety of their computer station. The planes, ships, and vehicles are authentic in their depiction, the scenery incredible, and the feeling of flying your combat planes leaves a player with an adrenalin rush that makes you want to come back for more. If you are looking for a chomping head then keep looking; if you are looking for realism and action, then look no further than Aces High.
