Before Russ and I lost ourselves in the Land, ‘Sea’, and Air battles of WWIIOnline, we had a short stint at flying the ultra realistic online air combat game Aces High. Although the WWIIOnline experience was better as a whole (the combined arms of land and air units made an enjoyable game out of coordination alone), Aces High still holds something above what WWIIOnline could do with Aircraft. Their physics engine is top notch, and their corps of gamers is a devout and friendly group of experts to say the least.

Well HiTech Creations just did something ingenious. Tour of Duty lets you join a squadron with friends, and cooperatively undertake missions designed by the game’s AI. You’ll fight both AI opponents and other Squads as you work through the online game’s narrative. You’ll earn promotions that unlock better ground crews, better physical abilities for your pilot, and I can only assume new planes.

I think that the key over WWIIOnline is that these are generated missions that add a story to your experience. WWIIOnline had a lot of off nights where patrolling netted very few targets. In Aces High: Tour of Duty, you’ll always have action right there waiting for you every night. And given Aces High’s strong community-base, the cooperation with strangers will net fantastic experiences.

Here’s the Official Press Release. The game is set to ship sometime in the first half of 2006.