If you really looking for a straight shooter, clearly get Star Battalion, fantastic action game. GoF2 is a huge adventure game, part trading, exploring, fighting, upgrading, and so on. And battles aren't half as thrilling as in SB. 2 great games, but go for the first.
The battles in GoF 2 are much deeper, thanks to myriad customization options. IMO GoF 2 is the superior game. But like Robot said above, get Star Battalion for pure dogfighting.
