Platform:
Xbox Genre: Shooter / Action Developer: FASA Studio Publisher: Microsoft ESRB: T (Teen) Released: Q4 2003
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Crimson Skies: Highroad
to Revenge
Score: 9.2 / 10
Pros:
- First flying action online game for Xbox Live is perfect change of
pace from so many FPS crowding the Xbox Live lineup
- The long wait for the game’s conversion from PC title to Xbox title
was definitely worth it
- Jaw-dropping visuals, particularly the beautifully realistic sky
scenery
- Music perfectly fits the mood of the 1930’s era of adventuring tales
on the silver screen
- Great mix of arcade flyer and flight simulator
Cons:
- Lack of feeling of speed while flying
- Story falls back on average video game story conventions instead of
exploiting originality of alternate reality setting
- Race challenges can get frustrating and just plain annoying
Microsoft
has had great success converting some PC games into very good Xbox
games, including MechAssault, Midtown Madness, and the NFL Fever series.
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge follows the same path to Xbox glory
and not only is a solid PC-to-Xbox title, but considering the incredible
Xbox Live play it offers, is one of the top Xbox games released to date,
rivaling even the revered Halo with its overall quality.
This
was supposed to be one of the early great Xbox titles (along with Halo)
expected not too long after the launch of the Xbox system. But Microsoft
continually delayed the game, apparently holding off until Crimson Skies
could take advantage of the Xbox’s graphical power while its online
play could be fully developed along with the fledgling Xbox Live online
service. Holding back Crimson Skies’ takeoff out of the Microsoft
hangar turned out to be an excellent gamble, because this is one
high-flying Xbox game.
Nathan Zachary is your name, flying for pirating profit is your game.
Set in an alternate reality of 1930’s America, which is no longer
united, the world as Crimson Skies knows it is ruled by gangs of air
pirates and militia and their planes and zeppelins. Roadways have been
eliminated to keep the nation-states that exist separate from each
other. Zachary belongs to the Fortune Hunters, who gain their riches by
pirating from those who dare to take to the skies. It’s one big
gang-fight for control and the power that comes along in ruling the
airways with alternate-reality aircraft that combine bi-planes of the
1930’s with some futuristic weaponry never seen.
The story has an original premise, but falls back on some old standby
stories in the video game world: avenging a fallen comrade and rescuing
damsels in distress. A shame, since Crimson Skies had a lot of potential
for originality built into its storyline. But it’s not the story that
makes Crimson Skies so special.
The amazing gameplay, with a perfect balance of simulation and
arcade-style flying & fighting action, sends Crimson Skies
soaring into the high-flying fun stratosphere. The game plays sort of
similar to, believe it or not, Grand Theft Auto, without the same level
of murderous bloodshed. Each of the five moderately-sized levels is
broken up with a bunch of mini-missions that you can complete in the
order you wish. Most require a lot of heavy-duty dogfighting, where
you’ll face wave after wave of enemy planes. Others require escorting
or protecting friendly aircraft, manning anti-aircraft guns on
ground-based installments, or stealing items in exchange for information
that you need to ultimately get your revenge on your nemesis, John
“Genghis” Khan. The only mini-mission that seems misplaced or at
least frustratingly unwelcome, are the races through obstacle courses
for wagers, which feature too many twists and turns to be much more than
a tedious affair.
You’ll be piloting an array of winged crafts throughout Crimson Skies,
each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some planes are well
balanced, like your main plane, the trusty Dogfighter-class Devastator.
Interceptors are faster and more maneuverable, but don’t withstand
much enemy gunfire. And Zep-Killers have hard-to-pierce armor and strong
weaponry, but aren’t as fast or able to perform aerial evasive moves
too well. Your best course of action in most flying endeavors is to
stick with your Devastator to achieve pirating (and vengeful) success.
Controlling your plane is easy to get a grasp on because of the
well-mapped control scheme. Even the faster planes don’t really give
off a true sense of speed, but the tradeoff is much more efficient
control, which is a necessity for a flying game where you’ll be
diving, ascending, and doing all kinds of flying feats. By using both
thumbsticks, you are able to perform a variety of special moves and
rolls, which aren’t required much in single-player gaming, but become
critically important in your online flying adventuring.
Simply put, I’ve personally never seen another video game ever
that’s had as realistic sky scenery as Crimson Skies. It’s
beautiful. Weather effects are done extremely well and the planes are a
colorful and unique mix. Crimson Skies rivals Splinter Cell and Dead or
Alive 3 for the most wonderful graphics to appear on the Xbox yet.
In addition to the visual treat of Crimson Skies is the
perfectly-fitting musical score that flows throughout. The orchestral
tunes fit like a glove for the 1930’s-esque setting (albeit alternate
1930’s setting) of the game, with climatic music providing the
just-right amount of tension and edge to your battles. Unlike the
musical score, the voice acting isn’t special, but you could imagine
celluloid heroes of the 1930’s acting and speaking their dialogue like
the Crimson Skies cast.
What
really defines Crimson Skies as a classic Xbox game is its online
gameplay via Xbox Live. In a Live line-up crowded with a plethora of
first-person shooters, even exceptional ones such as the Tom Clancy trio
[Ghost Recon, Island Thunder, and Rainbow Six 3], Unreal Championship,
and Return to Castle Wolfenstein, it’s refreshing to have an aerial
combat title finally available. Crimson Skies is really enjoyable
online, with many different online modes to choose from. There are the
modes you would expect, including Dogfights for deathmatch fans, Flag
Heist for the capture the flag crowd, Keep Away, Team Accumulate, and
the most unique of them all, Wild Chicken. You win by catching an actual
flying chicken and returning it to your base to score points for your
team. With nary a bit of lag in sight, and tightly responsive plane
controls online, battling it out with a dozen or so teammates/opponents
is a great gaming escapade that is virtually unrivaled on Xbox Live.
Crimson Skies really flew out of nowhere to land as one of the best Xbox
games available, especially with its amazingly engrossing online play,
near-flawless visuals and sound, strong overall gameplay, and
lightning-quick control responsiveness. Containing a perfect blend of
multiplayer and single-player gaming, Crimson Skies breaks through the
crowd of first-person shooters flooding Xbox Live’s roster to give
Xbox owners a unquestionably stellar alternative to the FPS genre for
online gaming that not even the mighty PS2 has yet to provide its
owners.
