The Great Wars ended a bit differently in this alternate timeline and instead of the world we know now, humans turned to the skies.
Picture the Wild West.
Now picture planes instead of horses.
Now drop in "Sci-Fi" 1930s/1940s decor and weapons.
That's what Crimson Skies is like.
You play a gambling, womanizing, drunk cowboy type that lost his zepplin, which acts as a home base, in a poker game. Upon recovering it you soon become involved in a mad scientist's plot to use a new technology for bad purposes.
The fight will take you all over North and South America. Each setting is different with each level representing a different area. You'll fight over islands, cities, mountains, in canyons, etc.
Your planes and the enemies vary enough to keep you interested the whole time.
You get about 8-10 different planes that you earn throughout the game. Most can also be upgraded for cash and tokens. The tokens can be found by searching levels and usually flying through tunnels and whatnot.
The enemies fly the same types of planes as you do, although they also have zepplins. Yeah, you have one, but you don't fly it, how boring would that be? Oh, and expect ground units, like trucks and turrets, and maybe one or two other surprises.
The levels feature storyline missions and some simple side missions like races and errands that always turn into battles. All provide opportunities to make more money, and the story missions also pay you in tokens. The better you do, the more you get.
The planes handle fantastically and you'll be able to tell the difference between them. They also come with different weapon and armor specs. Some are perfect for certain situations, while others aren't.
The storyline perfectly fits the setting and while it isn't exactly laid out perfectly, it does drive the action.
The graphics, sound, and controls are all excellent. The control in particular is a lot of fun. The physics are well done and the gamepad is well programmed to react to your situation. You'll feel it dead stick in your hands if you're hit with a certain weapon or go into a stall.
There are so many small details about this game that are well done that its impossible to talk about them all.
I really only have three problems with the game:
-Its short. Not as short as Riddick, but its not going to take you weeks to pass.
-One weapon is used too much towards the end of the game, that I believe sort of limits your plane choices. I might be wrong about that though, it just seemed to do more damage to certain planes as opposed to others.
-Later in the game you'll encounter some areas that are difficult to navigate. One is a cityscape, the other is a series of caves. The game moves a bit too quick for super tight spaces. The caves actually posed small problems, I died a few times because I couldn't tell where I was going and the speed caught up with me. The city is the worst. Its not a big deal because you can easily avoid the tight areas below, but the level might have been cooler if the was more room between the buildings so you could fight more between them.
Oh, and I should mention that it has multiplay, but I believe its mostly just player vs. player deathmatch stuff.
Overall though, its a great game. Its also been very popular which is reflected in its almost $30 price tag despite being out for well over a year or more. Of course, you could just rent it or borrow it like I did.
A fast paced game that plays like a FPS set in a plane with realistic physics while still having an arcade feel. Its as fun as it sounds.
7 out of 10. (points docked for the length)
I look forward to the sequel.
Crimson Skies - X-box
It could be. I just got around to it. You noticed its an X-Box game right?
Cake would love it.
Cake would love it.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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DictionaryDave
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- Joined: Fri May 21, 2004 12:37 pm