Crimson Skies Review

Apart from the campaign, you can try the Instant Action mode. This is a selection of air battles called Air Spicy Tales. Here you can choose the plane model and mission type (Dogfighting a Squadron/Ace, Stunt Flying, Attacking a Zep), one of the twenty settings, and the number of wingmen you wish to assist you. In this mode, you can learn and practice those little in-flight tricks and tactics, and better still, you can observe the tactics and formations of famous pirate groups that you will often meet in the campaign (Black Swan, Medusa, etc.).

The arcade plane model is excellent, providing hours of fun and easy gameplay, and unrealistic flight physics seem quite appropriate for an arcade game. The selection of bizarre and funny aircrafts was essential for the game. Each craft differs in speed and performance, and the player can indulge in dogfights without worrying about excessive flight details, and concentrate on avoiding mountains and other obstacles.

Each plane has several basic properties: Agility, Top Speed, Armor, and Offense. These performances depend on the planes weight, so when constructing a new model (yes, you can design your own aircraft!) you have to pay attention to the weight of its basic airframe, engine, armor, basic armament, and rockets. You can also add your own pin-up art on the nose and tail of your airplane, insignia and the color scheme. This way, you can fully customize the plane to your heart's desire. Once you assembled the machine, it stays the same until you sell it into scrap iron. The only thing that can be changed is the machinegun ammo (exploding, armor piercing slug, etc.).

There are several types of airplanes you will encounter during the game. Some can be constructed; others can be stolen from their manufacturer (that's how I got me a brand new Hughes Bloodhawk, one of the best planes in the game). Unfortunately, stolen planes can't be sold later, in case you obtain a better model, or you need cash for a new project. Basic plane models come from various manufacturers, and they differ in price and performances. The game interface depends a lot on the view you picked in the main menu. You can participate in air combat from third person view (from behind your airplane), cockpit of your plane, or first person (you don't get see the plane at all). In my opinion, the best view is third person view, because it allows you to see all the nice stunt moves your plane performs. The interface displays altitude, speed, plane damage, and ammo quantity. If you are flying a plane with the Nitro Booster, a gauge for this device will appear on the interface. All meters look like old gauges, like in the old planes and cars, all with the needles and numbers, very realistic and interesting.

From all things mentioned, you can but draw a conclusion that the game is great. But, it just happens to be one of those games (one of those many games) that got released unfinished. Crimson Skies is in a bad need of a patch. First, while loading the missions, you can detect a slowdown in the whole system, and you can experience a system crash. If you "survive" the mission loading, it will play without problems. But this is not the main problem; the worst thing is that the game erases your saved games during the campaign for no apparent reason. This has something to do with the way the save-games are stored. It sometimes happens that a saved game gets deleted when the player creates a plane for single player or multiplayer missions.

The elements of flight simulation in Crimson Skies in combination with a lot of shooting and a lot of acrobatics, all wrapped in a cute story promise a great game, but the general feel of the game will be ruined if the patch doesn't appear soon.