The Star Wars Flight Sims You Should Play If You Like Star Wars: Squadrons
Star Wars: Squadrons has proven to be one of the more popular Star Wars games in recent memory. Critics have praised Squadrons for its intricate controls and exciting simulations of intergalactic warfare. The Guardian even went so far as to call Star Wars: Squadrons "the best Star Wars flight sim."
Maybe the best thing about Star Wars: Squadrons is the sheer amount of content in the game. Unlike some of EA's Star Wars games, which can feel rather slight, there's plenty to do in Star Wars: Squadrons. While Squadrons' single-player story campaign may be a little on the short side, only clocking in at around ten or so hours, the game's multiplayer components have been designed to keep fans busy for quite a while.
Still, if you find yourself wanting to play something similar from the Star Wars universe of games, you're in luck. There are actually plenty of video games that give you the experience of piloting the many awesome starfighters from that galaxy far, far away. Here are a few other Star Wars games you should check out if you like Squadrons.
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance
Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance put players in the cockpit of a literal ace pilot, a Rebel Alliance recruit with the unlikely name of Ace Azzameen. Over the course of several missions, Azzameen fought to avenge the death of his brother at the hands of the Empire. Along the way, gamers were able to guide Ace through some of the most famous dogfights in the Star Wars franchise, including the Battle of Hoth and the Battle of Endor.
X-Wing Alliance took everything from its predecessors (such as Star Wars: X-Wing and Star Wars: TIE Fighter) and made it more intuitive and thrilling than before. The first-person view in the cockpit felt incredibly immersive for the time, while switching to a third-person view still handled smoothly. X-Wing Alliance also had an interesting feature that allowed players to design their own custom missions, picking different objectives and enemies to take on in the name of the Alliance.
At the time of its release, IGN praised the game for its "cinematic touches," which made the player feel like they were taking part in an unreleased Star Wars entry.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader is definitely more on the arcade-style side of things, especially when compared to the more immersive X-Wing Alliance. However, that doesn't mean that Rogue Leader isn't still a total blast.
This high-flying sequel was one of the best-selling launch titles for the Nintendo GameCube. Each level gives players multiple objectives to meet as they blast and maneuver their way through the biggest and baddest space battles of the original Star Wars trilogy. Rogue Leader also included a ton of unlockables. These included alternate starships and hidden missions. The wildest of these secret levels allowed players to take control of Darth Vader as he sought his revenge against Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance.
Later Star Wars Games would prove to be more graphically impressive, but it's hard to match the sheer fun provided by Rogue Leader. More than a decade after its original release, GamesRadar still considered Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader to be one of the best Star Wars games of all time.