Air Combat

About

Air Combat is a 1995 flight shooter where you control a freelance pilot taking contracts for cash and upgrades. Missions follow a linear path with escalating challenges, letting you buy new planes and weapons as you progress. Single player focuses on bombing runs and dogfights while multiplayer offers split-screen combat. Basic controls and straightforward objectives make it accessible but repetitive in later missions. The game’s 2-player deathmatch mode and unlockable planes kept players engaged beyond the main campaign. Though its graphics and mission design feel dated by modern standards, it built the foundation for the Ace Combat series. Community forums note it’s a cult classic among arcade flight sim fans. Its legacy lives on in later entries that refined its core loop of combat and progression.

Storyline

You play as a freelance mercenary hired by world governments to strike against terrorists. The missions get harder as you proceed, but the money you earn for completing each mission makes it worthwhile. You can purchase additional aircraft and arms as you go along, as well as hire wingmen to make the going easier.