Gaming Target - Xbox: Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge

Written by Nick Doukas on June 05, 2003

First Impressions: It's like dogfighting your way through an Errol Flynn adventure movie, but with really bitchin' weaponsЕ

I love flight combat games. Give me a zippy little fighter with powerful weapons and a huge 3D environment for me to hotdog around in (not to mention some worthy opponents so I can show off the skills I acquired at Fighter Weapons School) and I'm in gaming heaven. In a strong showing of it's 1st party software, Microsoft is currently hard at work on the upcoming Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, a flight combat title that puts you in the shoes of a daring pilot named Nathan Zachary, in an alternate universe set in the United States during the 1930s.

Initially debuting on PC, the first game, simply titled: Crimson Skies, introduced the world of Nathan Zachary. A world in which the United States has imploded under the combined weight of the Great Depression, regional Prohibition and mounting Isolationism. The transcontinental railroad and the budding highway system have been rendered useless as they now cross hostile borders (the union between states is tenuous, resulting in a country that's much less cohesive) and Commerce and trade have left the ground as air travel has become a vital lifeline connecting allied countries, while daring air pirates and valiant air militias battle for control of the skies. Giant zeppelins cruise through the air, carrying both passengers and cargo. It is a time of gunship diplomacy and airship piracy. In other words, it's the perfect setting for daredevil adventure and sinister intrigue.

Forget everything you learned about the 30's in history class. This is a whole new ball of wax, and it's also the setting you'll be dealing with as you settle into the cockpit of Nathan's rear-propelled, four-winged fighter (which, fortunately, comes equipped with heavy cannons for each of those wings!) and take to the air in Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. It's a very interesting concept and one that lends itself very well to fantastic, mission based air combat. Imagine the following scenario. Nathan Zachary and his associates (those would be his wingmenЧmembers of an airplane gang called the Ragin' Cajun) have just robbed a casino in Catalina. Cash in hand, they are cruising away from the heist when Nathan is contacted via radio by the casino owner's security, the Red Skulls. You take the controls just as the Skulls open fire and proceed to engage in a mind-blowing encounter, complete with barrel rolls, high-speed acrobatics and endless machine gun and munitions fire. As you battle your way across the sky, you'll encounter all manner of fantastical air-machines, such as: huge zeppelins, sky buses and other assorted flying hot rods. In the immortal words of Eric CartmanЕ.that sounds pretty cool.

The game seems to have a very intuitive control scheme. You'll fire missiles with the left trigger, while the right controls guns. Special weapons will be triggered using the A button, though you'll have to scour the battlefield to find them (these include mini-missiles, which have a cluster bomb effect and will home in on your target with deadly accuracy and the Tesla cannon, which fires short ranged bolts of some indeterminate, purple energy). The Y and B buttons control boost and brakes, respectively, while moving your craft will require use of the analog sticks. The left one allows you to steer, while the right adjusts your roll. So far the game seems to be coming along very well, in regards to both gameplay and graphics. Having recently seen the first full-length demo of the game, I came away impressed, and with good reason. The games 3D environments are impressive, as well as interactive. During the demo, the player craft is seen zooming down a canyon chasing an adversary, who flies low under a natural rock bridge. Using missiles, the player then blasts the bridge to bits, collapsing it onto the other fighter, which can then be seen spiraling out of control and finally exploding against the canyon floor.

As further showcased, the environments include mountain ranges and ports, coastal strongholds and island fortresses. Intricately modeled ships (that some missions will require you to attack) prowl the coastal waters below as you fly by, and swarms of enemy craft choke the skies. The screen is awash with dozens of combatants, realistic smoke, and crazy environmental effects. Air-traffic is everywhere, and dirigibles and other whimsical flying machines will demand your attention at all times. Explosions feature superb detail and contain impressive particle effects. The in-game sound is well done, from the roar of your engines, to the ear shattering pounding of the machineguns. In addition to the single player game, there will be a four-player split screen mode. Of course, the big news here is the inclusion of full Live support. That's right, you and 15 other maniacs will be able kick the tires, light the fires and duke it out online. Game modes include: Team Dogfight, Dogfight, Keep Away, and Team Keep Away. Also slated for inclusion are Wild Chicken and Flag Heist. In addition, new maps and planes will be available for download soon after CS releases. If the finished product reaches it's full potential, Microsoft should have another winner on their hands, a winner that will be exclusive to Xbox and LiveЕ..of course.