crimson skies review

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Average Ratings

Addiction Level	9/10
Graphics	10/10
Value for Money	10/10
Overall rating	10/10

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By stanley c wong on 2nd Nov 2004

stanley c wong's Ratings

Addiction Level	9/10
Graphics	10/10
Multi-player	Yes
Value for money	10/10
Overall value	10/10
stanley c wong's recommendation

Good Points

Really fun. Outstanding graphics, animation and sound. Easy to learn. Addictive.

Bad Points

Game structure could be so much more.

General Comments

The XBox Game Crimson Skies is an action/arcade game full of souped-up fighter planes, exotic weaponry and flawless dogfights.

Flight simulator IT IS NOT! The controls are simple enough with a great introduction sequence guaranteed to kickstart your innate dog fighting abilities. If you prefer flight simulator games, I suggest you use a PC platform. Crimson Skies is 100% action and fun. It seems tailor made for Xbox, but I heard that it was first released on a PC platform.

You are Nathan Zachary, dashing air pirate of the alternate universe 1930's Nation States of America. America has devolved into warring nations States. Where roads and trains were once the arteries of the country, now only the skies are open. And the skies are filled with Zeppelins armed to the teeth (hey, you own one!) and fighter planes fighting for territory and cash. You, as an air pirate, are the most famous of all. A Robin Hood in leather jacket. Think Indiana Jones without the hat and in a lethal plane bristling with cutting edge (for that time) weaponry. Hmmm. A bit like Sky Captain but with better planes.

You are seeking to avenge the death of your friend. Your task takes you through 4 very different landscapes: The islands of the South Pacific, the dessert of the South West, the skies of Chicago and the jungles of South America.

Along the way you need to accomplish missions in order to proceed. Basically you either: Escort and protect (I hate that!), find and return or destroy, destroy, DESTORY!

Flying is intuitive. After the initial painless lesson (provided for by your lovely wingman, or lady I should say), you will feel fully confident of taking on countless enemies. Your skills will improve as you proceed, as the missions get harder. You are aided by built-in maneuerves that make you seem like a pro. Be warned though: stalling and spinning out of control are still possibilities. Crashing into the ground, mountains and buildings are going to hurt your Armour but will not necessary kill you. You also have a turbo boost and air brakes to better control your plane. Dogfights are fast and nasty. The very best I have seen. You will need to up your skill level in a hurry if you plan to survive.

I have mentioned the weapons right? Apart from multiple machine guns or canons as your primary weapon that will not exhaust ammo, there are more exotic secondary ammo like magnetic rockets, lightning bolts and deadly canons. Even a shotgun! You replenish your supply of ammo (and armor) by catching crates that float down once you destroy a plane (or sometimes not).

You gain cash by completing missions, by betting on your performance in air races and by shooting down innocent looking Zeppelins that appear in the sky now and then. The first time I did that I felt a bit guilty. But I guess since Nathan is a pirate, that is what he does.

Apart from flying, sometimes you need to man AA (anti-aircraft guns) with instead. It is good to know where these guns are so that you may use them instead of flying to reduce the damage exposure to your plane, when necessary, of course. If your Zeppelin is near, you will do well to use those 4 turrets available. They are armed with quad machine guns, canons and even a rocket launcher!

You gain planes by looking out for the plane signs, usually a small airstrip on the ground. Well. You basically steal them.

You need to accumulate cash and tokens (either found or won) to upgrade you planes. Yes. Planes! You can find up to 10 planes and you can upgrade each one once (a bummer, that). Selection of the plane to use for the mission is sometimes critical. Each plane has different weapons and characteristics (like speed, Armour and so on) and I am sure you will find your favorite among the bunch. My present favorite is a slow but well armored gunship armed with 4 canons, rockets and a turret with 2 machine guns in the back!

You repair your plane by popping into repair stations. Avoid this as much as you can as it costs quite a bit. But it also replenishes your exhaustible ammo.

It pays to be observant. You will see many "rewards" if you look hard enough. Not that hard a task with such beautiful scenery and texturing. I have heard people gush over the water effect.

My only gripe is that the game structure could have been much more. Instead of the linear missions, they could have added a free play mode where you travel from place to place looking for more cash and paying jobs. Even the first Mechwarrior PC game had that.

I understand that up to 4 people can play on the same Xbox using split screen. I have not seen it but it sounds weird. I have heard nothing but good things about multiplayer and online modes but have not tried it out myself. I am looking forward to "convincing" some friend to join me in a "Wild Chicken" game that sounds very funny and fun.

How addictive? I was up at 5.15am this morning so that I could play before work.

Highly recommended.

Total Respect: +1