Crimson Skies Review

Some games have become foundations of a new genre, and they are usually a mixture of best aspects of other genres. Crimson Skies is one of those games, being a combination of a flight simulation, adventure, and action. Crimson Skies offers a fresh and original concept, rather that just bundling up all the genres and producing a motley and unplayable potpourri. This game will make you feel immersed in a well-conceived virtual world. If you thought that air combat is all that Crimson Skies has to offer, you are much mistaken. Apparently, Zipper Interactive and their bosses got fed up with clashes of various behemoths (Mechwarrior 2), so they decided to use other ideas of FASA Corporation, including the pen & paper Crimson Skies.

The timeframe of the game is set in an alternative history, covering the thirties. A great crisis in America leads to the country being divided into several autonomous states. After several civil wars, the economy in the country is shattered, and the roads and the railways are destroyed. Sky is the only free transport route left. As the air traffic grew, so did the air piracy. In order to defend transports from the pirates, merchants and their allies hired pilot Aces and their squadrons for protection. This seemed as a worthy challenge, and sooner than you know you had pirate aces swooping and diving the skies of America.

The hero of the story is a charming young pirate called Nathan Zachary; he accepts jobs from any party interested, and his only commandment is to survive, do the job, and get the money. He and his group called The Fortune Hunters roam the skies of the former USA. Nathan is a kind of pirate knight, and he is not entirely heartless. In fact, he's willing to lend his heart to any cute lady. He is a ladies' man, which will get him into trouble several times during the campaign, with the inevitable teasing from his close "co-workers". He is quite capable of doing good deeds, like the time he helped a hospital zeppelin under attack by pirates, planning to abduct the patients and hold them for ransom. Nathan is cruel to his opponents, especially to famous Aces. The campaign consists of five chapters, and twenty-four missions altogether. These missions will lead you through the adventures of Nathan and his gang of pirates, flying their zeppelin base from the Pacific Region, Hawaii, Hollywood, all the way to New York in pursuit of fame and fortune.

Campaign missions are a blend of combat and heroic deeds. In the start of the mission, you will always get primary and secondary goals. The only problem with the campaign is the linearity of the story. Each mission looks identical every time you play it, which becomes monotonous after a while (If you are indeed fond of replaying missions you already finished). Missions contain "danger zones", like bridges and tunnels that will help you get rid of your pursuer, and provide you with a spectacular place to take snaps for the family album, which documents your air victories. This archive was meant to make the linear story somewhat more personal and closer to the player.

Detailed briefings precede each mission, with a lot of great voice acting. These voices provide a better atmosphere than in most games. The game is not too serious, though, because it goofs the Hollywood pirate movies from the forties. One of the better "radio-dramas" is in the mission in which you have to save a Hollywood diva from the clutches of her employers who are forcing her to sign another contract. While his gang is attacking the studio, Nathan shoots down the autogyro security, while his buddy Big John goes to rescue the lady in distress. This is all depicted in rich dialogue, including the argument with the guard, in front of the famous actress' dressing room. (Guard: you're not supposed to be here! John: Nope! - (Sounds of punching and yelling...); Famous Actress: Thank you for saving me. John: May I get your autograph?) Fantastic! The same goes for our hero and his comments when he shoots his enemies down (...tell them Nathan Zachary sent you!).

During air combat, your wingmen are not that "smart". It often happens that they get shot down, or even worse, they ram into you. Actually, the wingmen act more like announcers than actual in-flight aide. They cannot be ordered complex assignments like in some space sims, and they can't help the player except by alerting him about the incoming enemy (Bogie at 6 o'clock). This isn't too helpful, since the Spy Camera has the basically same function. To make things worse, the wingman has the habit of finishing off the enemy you had been fighting for the last half an hour. Naturally, it doesn't count as your air victory.