When I was a child, there was this animated series called "Tail Spin". It was one of those adapted Disney series that revolved around their classic characters placed into new situations. In this case it was Balou from Jungle Book placed into this strange little world of air ships, high altitude battles and most importantly…air pirates. The air pirates were the mainstay of the show, even though people didn't really want to admit that. They were the cool, sexy part of a kids show that kept people watching even if they weren't kids. Like most Disney shows, Tail Spin went the way of the dodo (well, it does well in re-runs). But, the idea of air pirates stuck with me far beyond the end of the show.
Long ago my favorite pen and paper game company FASA came up with the concept of a world where air pirates where the mainstay global politics and economics, basically a world where instead of intrigue on the high seas you had intrigue on the high skies. Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is the console realization of that world. In this Xbox game you play the role of Nathan Zachary the leader of the Fortune Hunters, a rag-tag group of not-quite air pirates. As Nathan you find yourself thrust into the role of an Indiana Jones-esque character who seeks to line his wallet, fill his bed with lovely women yet still serve a higher cause.
The story of Crimson Skies unfolds over a series of area-based mission environments where you combat the local inhabitants in order to fulfill your goals. You'll experience the classic assortment of action flight-sim missions, from the bomber raid to seek-and-destroy to the ever-annoying escort mission. Through all of these missions you'll find yourself growing your plane's capabilities and even finding new planes. In some of the missions should you find yourself bored with the hum-drum world of dog-fighting you can even dock with hardened turrets to deal out death from stationary points. You'll find these on friendly zeppelins, trains, trucks, and even hidden airfields. This adds a nice little diversity to the whole flight sim aspect of the game. You really feel like you are in a world of air pirates because more than one avenue of assault is open to you. It really helps to draw you into a rewarding and gratifying story, something you rarely find in an action-sim game.
As you play through the myriad of levels in the game, you'll start to appreciate the simplistic elegance that was given to the visuals of the game. The environments are lush without bogging down frame rates, and the ships appear at a far range, allowing you to draw a bead early in combat. Targets are easy to pick out, and damaged ships trail a cloud of smoke, making then easy to target. The fine graphics really add to the brilliance of the game when you are dealing with dogfights that have over a dozen ships on the screen at one time. Also, the game supports the 480p mode for owners of higher end TVs who want to really experience the visuals with the proper flair.
The real selling point of the game is the XboxLive experience. You versus over a dozen of your closest enemies; or, in a cooperative battle that resembles an air-borne version of capture the flag. Either way, you are in for the fight of your bloody virtual life. You'll be banking and dodging like a mad man in an attempt to fend off the assault from the people who are jonesing for your hide. The visceral feel of the game online is both a good and a bad thing. When you actually make a kill in online play it will either be a kill you have earned or a complete "vulture kill", meaning a kill that you get when you polish off a player severely damaged in a previous battle. It really is an either-or system. There is so much going on in the 3D-battlefield that you have trouble keeping track of who is shooting at you. That's not to say that it isn't fun, but it really does break down to being a death match in the air.
Even if it is a death match in the air, it is still one of the best games on the Xbox. There is no argument that can be had about this. The single player is a tight mix of 3D action, flight sim style play and rail-shooter play. The multiplayer is the best to be had on an online console. The game is fun and well put together. Do yourself a favor, go out and buy this game. It's the best thing going on the system right now. Even if you aren't a fan of twitch gaming, there is something in here that will catch your fancy. It really is that good.
And the TV says to me, "I will eat your children." I look back, and say, "Only if I get to play their games after you're done."
