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Atari Releases Flight Simulator Game Collection On Steam

Published Fri, 21 Jan 2022 10:46:18 -0600

Atari has released a set of retro games this week on Steam as this is your chance to get some classic flight simulator titles. Right now you can pick up one of three different collections: Flight Combat Collection, Sid Meier Collection, and the MicroProse War Simulation Collection. The three sets have several old-school titles that will give you the need for speed as you'll be able to play Atari Brings Back the Best of Classic Flight Simulators with Solo Flight, F-15 Strike Eagle, Harrier Jump Jet, Dog Fight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare, and The Ancient Art of War in the Skies. So if you have a love for these classics, now is the time to jump on them while they're being sold in bundles for cheap.

Atari Releases Flight Simulator Game Collection On Steam — Credit: Atari

In 1983, the legendary Sid Meier created Solo Flight, the first realistic and deeply immersive flight simulator sporting a design that fundamentally changed how flight simulators to follow would test players' piloting skills. The game features no autopilot or computer-aided navigation system; players must learn the dial-based instrumentation and VOR navigation to guide their plane to its destination. Solo Flight includes mission-based gameplay where players carefully navigate the skies while managing fuel and cargo loads, as well as proving the aptitude to land their aircraft safely.

In Meier's F-15 Strike Eagle, players choose their desired mission and then find themselves inside of the sophisticated cockpit of an F-15 fighter jet, fully armed for combat and heading into enemy airspace. Named "Action Game of the Year" by Computer Gaming World in 1985, the game is based on real-life missions carried out by fighter pilots in the 1970s and '80s. Meier collaborated with Air Force Pilot Bill Stealy to ensure F-15 Strike Eagle's accuracy, which includes missions in Libya, Egypt, Iran, and more.

Also included in the Atari collection are Harrier Jump Jet, Dogfight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare, and The Ancient Art of War in the Skies, well-regarded flight simulation games that helped to establish the genre and shape the future of flight simulation video games. Harrier Jump Jet, originally launched in 1992, portrays the R.A.F GR7 and US Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers and features twenty high-action missions across two campaigns. Dogfight: 80 Years of Aerial Warfare, released in 1993, offers a "pure" air combat simulation experience that focuses on aerial combat and technique. It includes a handful of engaging game modes, including a unique "What If" gameplay option that allows players to match fighters from different eras in combat. The Ancient Art of War in the Skies was a unique pick in the genre, marrying map-based tactical war simulation with arcade-style aerial combat. The Ancient Art of War in the Skies delivers hours of compelling playtime with dozens of scenarios and missions.