Wargaming.net is attempting to do it again. World of Tanks has established and maintained a religious following over the years, mostly comprised of hardcore war gamers. Someone was just talking about this game last week, saying he didn’t mind letting his son play his Modern Warfare 3 on the 360 while he spent his time glued to his upgraded tank arsenal. He should be pretty excited about what wargaming.net is doing next.

Their next game is devoted to World War II military aircraft. It combines the joy of education with the satisfaction of intense aerial dogfights. Though mostly playable for the dogfights. With over 50 available planes to choose from, the possibilities are endless. Technically they end at just over 50, but still!

Notice the emphasis on the facts. Always fun to get a bit of a history lesson.

Updates to the game have enabled joystick compatibility, and many gamers are already playing it on the Alpha version. Some players are debating the speed of the aircraft. Some hardcore gamers want to feel their nose touching the back of their skull, while other aircraft enthusiasts are more comfortable with a realistic flight simulator approach. There’s rarely an agreeable middle to these sorts of disputes, but World of Warplanes looks decent. At least, it looks decent enough to keep an eye on it through its development. Whether or not the end result is going to be as enthralling as World of Tanks is still up in the air. Regardless, when gamers hear free, it’s already building up to good news.