Posted: 3/8/2026 11:59:16 AM EDT
[Last Edit: imq707s][Edited]
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I was wondering any of you guys could point me in the right direction for some fun arcade/semi realistic fighter plane/war type games.....or even space type games where you fly around and shoot the bad guys. Started off with War Thunder.....but good lord, it's so damn complicated.....I don't have time to watch a dozen YT videos and invest hours into the game just to figure it out. Not to mention the hours you have to put in "grinding" through all of the different planes/tanks/missions in order to advance. And honestly, I would rather play something where it's just me against the PC bad guys, and not tons of random people from around the world logging in and playing online. I might have a spare 30min here or there to play....I can't afford to spend hours in front of the PC playing games. Anything I should be looking at that's got great graphics, isn't crazy complicated to figure out, and is just fun to play?? I used to play DESCENT way back in the day....the graphics were horrible, but it was fun as hell just flying around through tunnels and shooting bad guys. Just easy, and fun. MechWarrior was pretty fun too. Suggestions?? |
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Elite Dangerous is probably the best space game out there. PvP and PvE. You can run in a private instance to avoid PvP and still go against pirates and other AI bad guys. Steep learning curve, but worth it. Grind up to bigger ships, engineer them, and go have fun mining or pirate hunting. |
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If you want specifically a WWII fighter plane arcade game with a good campaign I'd get IL2 Wings of Prey (2009), and get the version on gog.com as it has the Luftwaffe campaign expansion as the Steam version lacks. Easily playable with a controller and preferable to play in 3rd person/plane view instead of the cockpit. https://www.gog.com/en/game/wings_of_prey_complete Descent 1 and 2 are both on Steam now and have good reviews |
"The only way to stop a bad man with a Monocled Cobra is a good guy with a Mongoose". - soowah
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Il2 is the best strictly WW2 fighter game. There is another new game out but it might be vr only. A lot of flight sims are pretty time intensive. I like super realistic games so I play DCS. Elite dangerous is very time intensive. There are plenty of casual space games on steam like descent. I would just type in space and start browsing. |
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Originally Posted By jatobi: Elite Dangerous is probably the best space game out there. PvP and PvE. You can run in a private instance to avoid PvP and still go against pirates and other AI bad guys. Steep learning curve, but worth it. Grind up to bigger ships, engineer them, and go have fun mining or pirate hunting. Nick |
If the enemy is range, so are you.
Don't mind Sylvan, he's fond of throwing intellectual Molotov cocktails.
Don't mind Sylvan, he's fond of throwing intellectual Molotov cocktails.
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Yeah, I personally wouldn't suggest Elite Dangerous to someone who's looking for more on the arcade side. Too much of a time sink and really isn't something you can just jump in and quick play, which is what I would want in an arcade oriented game. Ace Combat is probably the closest military style flight game that fits that bill. DCS if you want to get more realistic as they have both low feature and high feature aircraft to match how "real" you want to get. Still more than a jump in arcade game though. Star Wars Squadrons is on sale with Steam for $4 at the time of this post. Reviews are mixed, but I've wasted more than 4 bucks on worse things if it turns out to be a bust for you. |
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Ace Combat Project Wingman Freespace 2, especially with mods. There are some really good free total conversions too. Diaspora, set in the BSG universe, is probably the best. |
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Freespace 2 was an awesome space sim when it came out. I put a lot of hours into Elite Dangerous and loved it, but eventually burned out on it after about a year. Honestly, if EA/Origin would make a new Star Wars sim like X-wing/Tie Fighter that had open campaigns or a sandbox style, I think it would sell well. Squadrons was ok for what it was, but the short campaigns and multiplayer got stale quickly, plus EA essentially abandoned it. |
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Originally Posted By Apple3_14159: Ace Combat Project Wingman Freespace 2, especially with mods. There are some really good free total conversions too. Diaspora, set in the BSG universe, is probably the best. Thanks for posting the GOG links. I wasn't even aware that this existed. I get pretty much all of my stuff on Steam and I'll probably end up getting some classics off GOG now 
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I used to play Fighter Ace until it went tits up. It was a blast. I just bought a new Gaming PC and started with War Thunder time consuming and not gotten very far. Started Aces High flown a bunch in that. I haven't shot anyone in that. Padlock sucks Donkey Dicks. It's the typical. I didn't even know that guy was there until he shot me. A question I have since Padlock sucks. Does VR improve being able to see the location of the enemy better or do I just need to play longer. |
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Originally Posted By Apple3_14159: Ace Combat Project Wingman Freespace 2, especially with mods. There are some really good free total conversions too. Diaspora, set in the BSG universe, is probably the best. Diaspora looks sick, but I'm wondering how finicky it would be to get working, & I've heard that it's a pretty detailed sim with a lot of KB commands. |