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The next best game for LIVE

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: October 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game has been in the making for Xbox for a considerable period of time now, especially after being delayed. However, that does not detract from the fact that this is not a good game, because it will be. Game analysts are predicting this game to be one of Microsofts premier titles this year for the Xbox, and if you don't believe me, go look up some reviews.

The plot is somewhat unrealistic but it works. It takes place after the Great Depression, only after the Depression, America splits up into seperate countries almost, and engage in battle frequently. This leads to the fall of the railroad system, so now traders and other people begin to depend upon aircraft for transportation and commerce. Soon, the skies are so clustered and congested with air traffic that pirates soon begin to surface.

That was the setting for the game, however I do not know what the characters primary conflict will be in the game, but thats the setting and make up of the game. Anyway, the multiplayer is what will really give this game and extra boost. 4 player split screen, system link(up to 16 players), or Xbox Live(16 players). Game modes include Dogfight, Team Dogfight, Flage Heist(cap the flag), and Runaway Chicken. There are also a couple more but I forgot their names.

This game is also made by the same company that produced MechAssault, so you can imagine how unbelievable the graphics, gameplay, and online play will turn out.

outstanding

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: October 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

this game is really awesome. pick any of the 10 planes that they offer. weapons include tesla cannons, missles(alot of different kinds), autocannons, and more. during multi play u can even get out of your plane and get in an anti aircraft turret. what im trying to say is that the multipayer aspect of this game is going to be really good. think of it as mechassault or Halo with wings. see u online. out

Very, very good ONLINE with LIVE

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 7
Date: October 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME WILL BE KING ON XBOX LIVE AND WILL CHALLENEG MECHASSAULT AND EVEN HALO IN TERMS OF FUN, REPLAYABILITY AND GRAPHICS. JUST LOOK AT THE WATER EFFECTS THIS GAME HAS. CONTROLS WILL BE SIMPLE YET DEEP AND THERE WILL B UP TO 16 PEOPLE ON XBOX LIVE!!!!!!!!! YES THE GAME HAS A SUPERB MULTIPLAYER, AND YES GAME IS PRODUCED BY FASA STUDIOUS WHO ALSO MADE MECH ASSAULT

A Swashbuckling Good Time!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: October 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First of all, let me debunk a couple of rumors here, perpetrated by people who, in all probability, haven't played the game yet. No, Crimson Skies is not MechAssault in a plane. It's not Halo in a plane, either (except for the whole flying part of Halo, which is really a rather insignificant part of a game that is really an FPS). It's not even a flight sim. It is, however, an entertaining, action packed game that is a tremendous departure from the FPS/TPS shooter-heavy line up of available X-Box games.

I'll save the debates of the plausibility of the premise of the game for others; because there is certainly some suspension of disbelief necessary to buy into the game fully...but that's 1/2 the fun, isn't it? Basically, you and your buddies run around a fragmented, post-Depression North America in your sooped-up fighter-planes and your Zeppelin-type air ship; going on missions against rival gangs, avenging a death here and there, and trying to make money. Essentially, you wind up blowing the hell out of pretty much everything that isn't part of the natural environment.

Speaking of the natural environment...this is one place where this game shines. The water, sky, and earth effects jammed into Crimson Skies are nothing short of breathtaking. The water shimmers as the setting sun reflects off in pools of gold, the clouds form and dissipate with eerie realism, and the magnificently detailed spires and pillars of rock scattered throughout the landscape look as if they were designed by an especially vengeful god. All in all, it's a tremendously satisfying environment in which to fly around and blow stuff up. The rest of the graphics mesh (reasonably) seamlessly with the natural environment to make this one of the best looking console games available. The detail of the 11 planes is agonizing in its complexity. The ailerons, rudders, and elevators actually move with each control input and, as your plane gets damaged, it burns and smokes just like you'd expect it to. Explosions are satisfyingly violent, with pieces scattered to the wind and hapless pilots parachuting into the sea/desert/city. The action in the game moves pretty quickly and there are often lots of fast-moving polygons of varying sizes on the screen at once. This makes for a bit of "clipping" and frame-rate glitches that can be annoying, but not entirely unexpected, given the game speed and the level of detail that the developers stuck into the game. All in all, graphically-speaking, it's a beautifully done game.

An especially nice thing about this game is the fact that the developers actually took the time to get the sound right...which is saying something, considering the fact that everything is moving around so rapidly. Hopefully the designers of Project Gotham 2 will take some cues from these guys and not repeat the dismal sound of PG1. Anyhow, some of the dialogue is a bit campy and the fake "tough girl" accent of your flying partner gets annoying, but that's not the point. The point is, the gunfire, explosions, and engine noises are all very well done and sound great in 5.1 surround sound.

Oh, that's right...it's a flying game. That whole flying part is definitely hard to master. If you're used to playing flight sims, you already know the basic premise; but that doesn't make it much easier. In fact, it makes it harder, because you're coming at the game from a "simulation" perspective, as opposed to an "arcade" perspective. You're also locked into a third-person, "above and behind" view of your plane, which is frustrating if you're used to playing sim-type games from the first-person perspective. Anyway, the left analog stick controls the direction your nose is pointed in (you can flip the Y axis if you want), while the right stick controls your roll. The triggers fire your weapons while the "Y" button gives you a speed boost and the "B" button acts as a brake. Click the right stick and pull it and the left stick in various directions to execute "special moves", like Immelmans, snap rolls, and Split "S"s. Strangely, there is no "throttle" per-se. Just point the nose of your plane where you want to go and you'll go there. Speeding up with the boost will get you there faster and using the brake will slow you down, but the designers have conveniently ignored the phenomenon of stalls. Thus, crashing is nearly impossible, as long as you don't smash into something. All in all, putting this stuff together takes you through a somewhat steep learning curve; but it's worth it when you're faced with the prospect of dogfighting enemy fighters.

Dogfighting is what this game is really about; and is also one of the more frustrating aspects of it the first few times you play. It is maddeningly difficult to actually blow up an enemy fighter until you get the hang of it...which may take a while. Thank the gods of video game design that you've got a seemingly unlimited supply of ammunition...at least primary machine gun ammunition. Secondary missiles...you're not so lucky. The dogfighting is somewhat realistic in one critical respect, though...the faster you go, the less likely you are to get shot; but speed increases your turn radius, so the faster you go, the more difficult it is for you to draw a bead on whatever it is you're trying to shoot at. So, just like in a true-to-life air combat sim, you're stuck balancing your speed with your desire to fill the air with burning airplane wreckage that doesn't belong to your plane. The firepower available to you is satisfyingly devastating and you will definitely grin when that plane you're shooting at finally blows up in a shower of twisted steel and fire.

Anyway, Crimson Skies is most definitely a great game. But, it's not perfect. The minor "clipping" and the somewhat spotty application of gravity to the physics make the game stop short of truly excellent...but not too far short.

The Best New XBOX Live Game Around

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: October 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I preordered this game and received it the day it was released. Let me say this - WOW. I have been playing flight games since the days of the old Apple II, and I am a former Navy Pilot myself. This game far exceeded my expectations and the live play is astounding. If there is a clipping problem, you won't notice it whatsoever. The live play is seamless and faster-paced than MechAssault. The flight controls do not have as steep a learning curve as some have previously said. My 8 year old daughter was up and running in minutes.
The game's true appeal is variety. Even if you don't have Xbox Live, this game still holds virtually infinite replayability. The premise is simple: you're an air pirate in a post-depression world. (use your imagination) The controls are very responsive and the flight-dynamics are extremely well done. While it is true that the programmers have eliminated low-velocity stall, any pilot can tell you that stall is nothing you want in an entertaining game anyway. Stall sucks, simply put.
If you have Xbox live, this is the game to have. More players are allowed to enter each game than you were allowed in MechAssault, and this makes for a more chaotic battle. I have to give this game 5 stars for its overall graphic detail and as I mentioned earlier, the infinite replayability.

ALOT of fun and another reason to get Xbox live

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I think there has been some confusion as to what this game is. At least by reading the reviews that I have seen on here so far. This is not a simulation game. It never tries to be or even hints at it which isn't a bad thing. This game is more of an arcade shooter. Comparing this game to Microsoft's flight simulator is like comparing Steel Battalion to Mechassault. With that said this game is a lot of fun. The environments are done very well. The planes look great they even show the elevators and flaps moving as you hit the brakes or go into a turn. Damage is also displayed on your plane with smoke and fire pouring out of the engine. There's a great variety of planes and hopefully more coming with downloadable content. The control is very tight. My only complaint is that I would've liked to have been able to control my speed a little more but the simple brake and turbo control scheme works well enough and fits with the arcade feel. The single player mode is done well enough. It will keep you playing all the way through. If it only featured single player I would still recommend it but only as a rental. The real joy of playing this game is XBOX live. There are a few options:
Dogfight - all out fragfest
Team Dogfight - all out fragfest with teammates
Flag Heist - Basically capture the flag
Wild Chicken - This one is a lot of fun. Basically there is a chicken that you try to get and bring back to your base. Your team receives 7 points for getting the chicken and 1 point for every plane that is shot down. This is definitely my favorite because I've played the other modes a thousand times on other games.

As far as recommendations go:
If you like arcade flying games or are looking for something to pass the time for a weekend but don't have xbox live then I would say go and rent this game. You'll have a good time. If you have xbox live then you're really going to enjoy this title. Lets just hope that they are a little quicker to add content then they were with Mechassault.

BEST GAME EVER!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER!!!! Well, that may be going a little far, but this is for sure the best game to date on The Box. To start with the gameplay is fantastic. It gives you the sense that you are actually flying the plane. The graphics are also some of the best I have seen on this system, in fact I would consider them great if this was on the PC. The sound and music are also exceptional, they really lend to the player being sucked into the game from the start (the first night I had this game I played if for 8 hours straight) and the plot actually has something to do with that. This is very rare for video games, A LINEAR, GOOD, INTERESTING PLOT!!!!! Usually the stupid cut scenes and whatnot really turn me off with games, but this one could be turned into a movie. As of yet I haven't played it online but I'm sure it will rock.

Worth the wait!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: October 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'll keep it simple: CRIMSON SKIES is to XBOX what ROUGE SQUADRON 2: ROUGE LEADER was for GAMECUBE! If you ever played the latter, you will definitely enjoy CRIMSON SKIES. Highly recommended!!! P.S...If you ever wondered what it would be like to man an anti-aircraft machine gun/cannon, you'll get it here!!
it's a VERY gratifying experience!! (muahahahahaha!!!!)

Worth the wait!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: October 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'll keep it simple: CRIMSON SKIES is to XBOX what ROUGE SQUADRON 2: ROUGE LEADER was for GAMECUBE! If you ever played the latter, you will definitely enjoy CRIMSON SKIES. Highly recommended!!! P.S...If you ever wondered what it would be like to man an anti-aircraft machine gun/cannon, you'll get it here!!
it's a VERY gratifying experience!! (muahahahahaha!!!!)

NOT GREAT

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: November 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After reading all the reviews, I was really disappointed in this game. The graphics and controls are great, but the game itself is tedious. Pretty much the same thing over and over. As far as a "great" story, I think not. The story is cheesy, the acting fair and cut scene graphics are average. This is definitely a rent before you buy game.

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