Fans of the Star Wars space sim have waited a long time for𓆉 something like Star Wars: Squadrons to come around. Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike in 2003 was the last gam꧙e to focus mostly on the space battles of the Star Wars universe. That game was a good last hurrah for this type of game. It was a bit too arcadey to fit into what old-hﷺead fans of games like X-wing Vs. TIE Fighter of the late 1990s, though. Based mostly on a few seconds of footage from a trailer released today fan𓄧s of this cornerᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ of the Star Wars universe long neglected by video 🌺games finally have hope.
Since it’s been such a long wait for a new game some fans piloting skills may have been dulled by time away from the old Thrustmaster. Here are a few suggestions to sharpen𓆉 players' skills while they wait for Squadrons.
X-wing Alliance
All the games about piloting a starfighter iꦫn the Star Wars universe fall somewhere on a spectrum between arcade andꦯ simulation gameplay. 1999s X-wing Alliance represents the simulation of the simulaꦯtion end of that spectrum. The game retains the core gameplay of the X-Wing and TIE Fighter games and expands that formula to a wider♌ varieꦫty of ships than those previous games. Alliance also le♌ts players create custom missions in addition to the st🔯ory missions.
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D
On the more arcadey side of the spectrum sits thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe Rogue Squadron and Starfighter series of games. Of these two, Rogue Squadron is generally the better-regarded series. Wit༺hin that series the second game, Rogue Leader is probably the best game. That game was a Gamecube exclusive and has never made the jump to PC, though. Anyone who wants to revisit the series now will need to settle for the PC version of the first game in the s🐬eries Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D or dig up a working Gamecube and disc 🗹for a nineteen-year-old 🧸game.
That’s about it in terms of games set in the Star Wars uni✅veꦰrse. There have been games about piloting spaceships made without the Star Wars license in the last seventeen years, though. Most of these games are readily available in a version that doesn't require someoꦅne to fuss with compatibility settings too.
Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
In the spirit of the more arcadey side of the Star Wars games is last year’s, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw. While the gam꧟e lacks the grandeur of most of the stories ཧtold by the Star Wars games, it definitely measures up in t🐟erms of gameplay. Outlaw also suffers a bit iꦇn comparison to the olde꧙r titles because the ship design, while cool, are neither X-Wings nor TIE Fighters.
Elite Dangerous
If all the games on this list exist on ♋the ꦗspectrum between Arcade and Simulation gameplay, then Elite Dangerous is way over by itself on the sim side. Playing Elite and only focusing on combat actually ignores a lot of aspects of the game. It comes closer to t🍸he classic X-Wing games.
One of these games should tide you over until Star Wars: Squadrons comes out.