Are there any World War 2 film buffs out there? Chances are pretty good that if you enjoy playing Aces High, the World War 2 Flight Simulator, then you also like watching the old movies about World War II.

Which films are your favorites? For this writer the following would be on my short list:

• The Flying Fortress
• The Bridge Over the River Kwai
• Sink The Bismark
• Guns of Navarone
• The Longest Day
• Saving Private Ryan

Of course there were hundreds of movies made about WWII but those would be my favorites. Why you ask? Probably because they had an element of realism about them: either the planes and ships seemed real or the scenes were filmed in such a way as to seem life-like. Anyone who has seen the opening scene of “Saving Private Ryan,” depicting the landing on Omaha Beach, will know what I’m talking about. Watching that opening scene felt like actually being there during the Invasion Of Normandy and that, my friends, is the mark of a great movie.

It is that same realism that makes a good combat flight simulator and there is no better flight sim than Aces High by HiTech Creations. Check out the skins on the aircraft in Aces High! Check out the attention to detail on the tanks and PT boats! These have been replicated as closely as you could ever ask for, but that only scratches the surface when talking about Ace High. Look at the arenas you are flying in, then check out the cockpit controls and feel the responsiveness of your plane as you fly over those arenas. This game is meant for serious war game players and that is proven out by looking at the list of players from around the world who think Aces High is just about as close to real action as you will ever get.

Listen we are so sure that our flight simulator is the best on the market that we invite you to play some of the competitor games out there; once you do then try our free two-week download. Do all that and we are willing to bet you will become hooked on Aces High. It really is that good!

So here is what you should do for this upcoming weekend: get yourself some DVDs of some of the movies listed above; watch them, get in the mood for some serious gaming, then log on to Aces High and set the skies on fire. Strap on your helmets and fly the Aces High Skies!

The new calendar is out for February….in case you haven’t checked….and we have a couple Special Events worth participating in this weekend. On the 10^th we have our Friday KOTH, or King of the Hill; these are always exciting events as you take on the best of the best in a winner take all competition.

Sunday the 12^th means it is time for our Aces High Sunday European Campaign. This time we are looking at the Dieppe Raid which occurred on August 19, 1942. This will be Frame One and you need to sign up fast for both of these Special Events so you don’t miss out on all the excitement.

Here we are the middle of February and we are in full-tilt boogie mode with our Special Events. Check this out:

• Feb 14^th Aces High XTreme Air Racing League
• Feb 15^th Snapshot
• Feb 18^th Saturday King of the Hill
• Feb 19^th Sunday European Campaign AND Enduro Racing Series on Heavy Metal Sunday

That is enough special events to make just about any combat flight simulator player happy and at Aces High we are all about making our flight sim gamers happy. Sign up today and then strap on your helmets and Fly the Skies of Aces High!

This writer recently watched “Saving Private Ryan” for like the tenth time…or was it the twentieth? It’s not like I’m obsessed with blood and guts, because I’m not; no, it is more because the opening scene depicting the landing at Omaha Beach during World War II is about as realistic as you could hope for and still not be wearing fatigues.

Turn the sound up and I swear you can feel the live rounds narrowly missing your body as you splash through the water trying to make it to the beach alive, only to realize you have nowhere to hide once on the beach, and the rounds keep coming at you and comrades keep falling and the sea turns red. That one scene is movie-making at its finest, and it goes to show that movie makers are capable of capturing real sensations if they are dedicated enough to do so.

Maybe that is one reason why Aces High has been at the top of the combat flight simulator heap for so long. Once you log in and strap on your helmet, you instantly feel as though you are actually flying a F6F Hellcat or a F4F Wildcat. Flying the skies over Germany you see below you a Panzer IV tank and it looks so real that for a moment you actually sense the rumbling as it makes its way across the Rhine Valley. Out over the Pacific Ocean your Elco 80’PT Boat is churning its way towards the Solomon Islands, scouting the area for the enemy; you can see its wake and your kidneys reflexively feel the jolting as you skip over five foot seas at 30 knots.

Aces High is realistic war games at its finest. When HiTech Creations first formed its company they decided to make only one flight sim game and vowed to make it the very best on the market, and for over a decade they have managed to do just that. While other companies come and go, while other companies spread their wealth and make several online game, HiTech Creations has zeroed in on their one game. They keep revising it, adding to it, making sure that it stays fresh and offers new challenges on a regular basis.

Listen, if all you want is a little challenge and some comradeship, then by all means try out the competition. Games like TotalSim and CombatSim are nice little games that will give you a modicum of entertainment and challenge. However, if you want to test your skills against the best war gamers in the world, then give Aces High a try. You won’t be disappointed!