Reader Reviews

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (Xbox)

by Mapster

If any of you were lucky enough to play the PC version of this game, you will have a fair idea of what it's all about. To those of you that are new to the world of Nathan Zachary, here's a brief synopsis...

Crimson Skies is set in an alternate (though similar!) world to our own. You are Nathan Zachary, a sort of a Robin Hood figure of the skies. You take to the air in various fictional planes, and rob the bad guys of their loot. The single player campaign is cleverly put together, and you begin as the captain of the "Pandora", a huge airship. Visiting many different landscapes, you get to take on missions that allow you to earn money, and collect upgrade tokens. These can be used to upgrade your plane. Other planes can be stolen from around the various levels, and once you have them, they are yours to keep and use in the single player game.

Mission structure is fantastic, with each element flowing seamlessly together. Everything runs on a checkpoint basis, which means you really only need to go back to your home (the Pandora) after you've accomplished several different missions. You can, of course, go back at any time, and pick up where you left off.

Each mission shows a surprising amount of variety. Sometimes you'll be protecting someone, other times you'll have to cleverly fly into a subterranean base and fill it full of missiles! As the skies fill up with bad guys, you can't help but get a rush of blood to the head. It really is gripping stuff! Once you get started it's so hard to put the pad out of your hands, as the "one more go" factor is just so prevalent throughout.

Xbox Live is where the game really comes into its own. Up to 16 players can battle it out across differing levels, with various modes of play. Suddenly the game takes on a whole new lease of life as you gun other players out of the sky. It's hilarious to hear people screaming as they go down in a ball of flames! For me, this is the big surprise of Xbox Live. It's a game where I wasn't expecting much, but got more than I bargained for. They really have managed to nail that elusive "fun" factor, and playing with people you know makes it even better. Believe me, you will need a new laughter gland after playing this one...

Graphics: fantastic. Everything is so smooth and well defined. The draw distance is excellent, and enemy planes are easy to see. The levels are varied, ranging from a mountainous island, to the city of Chicago. The effects are amazing, and when you blow up your first Zeppelin and see it crash onto the beach in balls of fire, you know that you are in jaw dropping territory.

Any flight sim (though I think it's unfair to label this arcade style game a sim) lives or dies on its controls. Crimson Skies has the most manoeuvrable planes ever. From simple turns to loop the loops, even someone new to the game will soon be deftly pulling these off. And you're going to need them too, as it takes some expert flying to keep up with your enemies. The missions are superbly paced and the difficulty curve is set just right. It's the sweetness of the controls that make this game such a joy to play.

While not stunning, the sound in Crimson Skies is still very good. Friendly pilots shout in your ears, and the sound effects of the weapons is atmospheric. The music is great, with a full orchestral soundtrack to accompany you on your travels. You won't be wanting the soundtrack CD, but by the same token, it would be great if other games used their music and sound as well as Crimson Skies.