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2 days ago
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There are conflicts that have been seen so many times in gaming that they almost become background noise. World War 2 in particular almost has become a default setting, something that may be robbing our cultural memories of the true horror of that conflict. The Korean War, on the other hand, has barely been touched by gaming. That’s about to change, with the latest in the IL-2 flight simulator games taking to the skies of this forgotten conflict in the newly announced Korea IL-2 Series.
Since IL-2 first arrived on the scene back in 2001 in the form of IL-2 Sturmovik, the flight simulation series has become one of the biggest names in military plane games. Going from the Eastern Front of the second World War to eventually taking part in almost every aspect of aerial combat in that conflict, it’s a big departure for the ultra realistic flight sim games to head anywhere else. After over 20 years of exploring World War 2, that’s finally happening as Korea IL-2 Series will be taking off for the Korean War, to examine flight on the cusp of the jet age.
This new entry in the series isn’t just a departure in setting, there’s plenty else that’s going to mark a delineation between it and the previous games. Most impactful of all is the announcement that there’s an entirely new engine under Korea IL-2’s hood, with plenty of options that simply weren’t available before. Developer 1C Game Studios is terming this a “qualitative leap” forward for the games, making it a brand new IL-2 title, not simply the next in the series.
In a developer diary posted alongside the announcement of the title, 1C Game Studios gives some teases about which aerial craft will be playable in the final release. “The jets will be represented not only by the first “pioneers” of the new era, in which designers and pilots for the first time faced unknown challenges to their skills, but also by the powerful and efficient second-generation F-86A Sabre and MiG-15bis,” the post reads. “Piston-engined aircraft will be the quintessence of the era — in the skies of Korea piston aviation enthusiasts will be able to fly the most powerful and efficient machines of this type in history: the F-51D Mustang and F4U Corsair and their Soviet opponents. One of them will be the Il-10 attack plane — where else but in a flight simulator about the Korean War could we pay tribute to the last attack plane of the famous Il-2 series?”
It’s also been revealed that this Korean entry in the game series has been under development since 2022 – something that’s not a surprise to many aviation fans who’ve already guessed this game is in the works. As a result, much of the work is already complete with things like the game’s interface, cockpit models, game modes, and a few other areas still needing finalization.
There’s no release date yet but Korea IL-2 Series is scheduled for a 2025 release. You can learn more over on the official site and read the first developer diary here.
While you wait, why not check out our guide to the best simulation games you can play, as well as our recommendations for the best upcoming PC games that will keep you salivating through the rest of this year.
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