First look: Rolling Thunder

Fans of modern air combat simulations will have soon have another game to choose from. Strategy First plans to publish the tentatively titled Rolling Thunder, its upcoming modern flight combat game, this summer. The game is set in the 1960s, and it will let players pilot the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, one of the most versatile combat aircraft of all time. Virtual pilots will engage in aerial dogfights against enemy fighters while seeking out and destroying ground targets.

Rolling Thunder is being developed by Third Wire Productions, a studio founded by the lead designer behind European Air War, Jane's Longbow 2, Jane's Flash Point Korea, and Jane's AH-640 Longbow. The game will include detailed aircraft models with more than 5,000 polygons each and advanced graphics features such as colored-point light sourcing, specular highlights, multilayer textures, bump mapping, and reflective environment mapping. The game will have adjustable difficulty settings, and it will focus on classic dogfighting action. In addition, the game's open architecture will let players add custom features and content.

We've posted some screenshots from the game in the gallery above. Strategy First will be demonstrating the game at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles next month.