Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Wing Commander (1990)Wing Commander (1990) 8.1/10 on IGDBReleased Sep 26, 1990The DOS original gives each flight a briefing and returns you to the carrier afterward. That makes an early sortie a sensible stopping point. How those sorties go can change the course of the campaign, so even a short trip can carry some weight when you come back aboard.0
  2. 2Star Fox 64 (1997)Star Fox 64 (1997) 8.5/10 on IGDBReleased Apr 27, 1997A planet or sector works as a compact chapter in the original Nintendo 64 game. Corneria even has an alternate objective. Keep Falco in action and follow him through the stone arches to see a different route open on the map. That first mission is a good reason to start a fresh run.0
  3. 3Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies (2001)Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies (2001) 8.4/10 on IGDBReleased Sep 13, 2001Finish the PlayStation 2 campaign to unlock Free Mission, then return to a single assignment by itself. Early sorties are good for a brief visit. Each has its own objective, and the score and rank give you a concrete reason to fly one again.0
  4. 4SkyGunner (2024)SkyGunner (2024)Released Sep 17, 2024Pick a pilot and fly a scene in the original PlayStation 2 game. Its toy-like planes share the sky with outsized machines, and the tracking camera can keep one opponent in view while your own craft moves around it. Try another pilot to see how the same adventure changes its assignments.0
  5. 5Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader (2001)Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader (2001) 8.3/10 on IGDBReleased Nov 9, 2001Pick a cleared mission from the GameCube game's selection screen. The Battle of Hoth has its own start and finish, from flying a snowspeeder up to the AT-ATs to protecting the evacuation. You can return just for that scene, then pick a very different job on a later visit.0
  6. 6Panzer Dragoon Orta (2002)Panzer Dragoon Orta (2002) 6.4/10 on IGDBReleased Dec 19, 2002The original Xbox game divides its main story into ten episodes. Each ends with a results screen that includes a grade and a boss clear time, giving you a natural stopping point before the next chapter.0
  7. 7After Burner Climax (2006)After Burner Climax (2006) 8.0/10 on IGDBReleased Oct 19, 2006Sega's arcade game runs through a string of quick stages with visible breaks and branching paths. Reaching a fork gives you a different string of scenes to chase next time. It works well as a short arcade run from start to finish.0
  8. 8The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (2008)The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (2008)Released Oct 15, 2008A Wii story mission begins with a briefing and ends with a grade. Once you can revisit it in Free Mission, pick an early assignment and see if you can improve the result. The game even draws the flight paths on a map afterward, making the ending of a sortie worth a look.0
  9. 9Sky Rogue (2017)Sky Rogue (2017) 8.0/10 on IGDBReleased Aug 24, 2017The 2017 full release gives you one island and an objective in each sortie. The island layout and assignments can change between runs. You get a small piece of a larger run at a time, with room to poke around before you move on to the next island.0
  10. 10Natsuki Chronicles (2019)Natsuki Chronicles (2019)Released Dec 25, 2019On the original Xbox One release, Chronicles Mode tells its story during a series of side-scrolling sorties. The story moves between past and present, so each stage is another small piece of Natsuki's career. An optional display traces where enemy shots are headed and makes the busy screens easier…0