Iron Aces

Your seat cushion may indeed double as a flotation device, but it won’t save your heroic ass as you plummet into the Pacific in these epic air battles. Strap into the cockpit of a Spitfire, P-51 Mustang, or one of 20 other WWII planes—each with its own particular mix of mobility, speed, and firepower. A hard-boiled flyboy named Baker guides you via radio through a tough series of first-person missions: Fly reconnaissance, dogfight, and bomb the bejesus out of Axis forces over fictional islands with names like Trincer, Blocken, and Valiant. If the steep learning curve has you hollering "Mayday!" a little too often, you can always switch sides and play as a Japanese pilot—and plan a little do-it-yourself Pearl Harbor.