The sequel to Z2Live's rather popular arcade-style aerial combat game is here, and it's chock full of more dogfighting goodness. Things in MetalStorm: Aces are a little different this time around, mostly thanks to a much larger campaign, but there are still plenty of planes to fly (and shoot down). And so long as nobody's looking for a rich and meticulous flight simulation, there's all sorts of fun to be had.
Know what I miss? Arcade-style racing games. It seems like these days everyone's focused on realism and simulations. That's why it's fairly refreshing to jump into Nitro and blaze through a few laps; it's not exactly brimming with power-ups or cartoon characters, but it's less focused on the real world and much more interested in slightly wacky fun. And chibi cars.
With Empires & Allies, Zynga essentially took the CityVille template and added combat to it. And with Battle Nations, developer Z2Live has done something very similar. In a lot of ways it's Trade Nations with turn-based combat. You still build up a city, harvest resources, and create goods. Only now you have to deal with training troops and defending your territory as well. It doesn't have the deepest city building mechanic, and the simplified combat leaves something to be desired, but when put together the two halves make for a largely enjoyable experience.
Closet Top Gun aficionados with a love for touch screens had cause to rejoice when MetalStorm: Online hit the App Store earlier this year. A freemium dogfighting affair, the game pitted player against player as they took to the virtual skies. Now the team at Z2Live has released MetalStorm: Wingman, a major update that brings a new name and not one, but two major additions into the fold.