Crimson Skies stands out as a staple in its genre that similar titles and future projects would do well to take notes.
Speaking of the story by the way.....it’s pretty darn good. You start playing this game and little by little the story, the graphics etc... draws you in and you just want to see how it will unfold. The cinematic cutscenes are done well and help progress the story. The game is set in an alternate 1930s atmosphere where traveling is relegated to the skies....skies littered with zeppelins, planes, pirates, villains and playboy fly boys such as the main character Nathan Zachery. The game does a phenomenal job of setting the overall mood that gives you a warm fuzzy idea of what the 30s could have been like in America. This game doesn’t try to copy others...it truly stands alone by itself as an original shooter. Just to get back to the graphics again...pure eye candy! The water, planes, zeppelins, explosions, draw distance, the environment, landscape etc...it’s all there. The graphics are unbelievable. Also consider all the fighting and planes in the air with not even a hint of a hiccup in the frame rate and you truly have something special. The music and sound is great too. If you have a 5.1 system you’re in for a treat.
What I really like too about this game is that as you progress through the mission objectives you have the choice if you want to just fly around the area or take on side missions/jobs to get money which can help you on your overall mission since money will enable you to do several things such as upgrade different planes. Back to the graphics again...lol. There were several times when I got to different areas in the game I found myself just flying around marveling at the landscape including the buildings, water and everything else going on. I mean for example in the opening level you can actually see a group of whales swimming in the water. It sounds kind of corny but just goes to show how much care was put into the detail of each environment. As you’re flying around you’ll also see other innocent bystander planes or zeppelins flying around that you can choose to destroy or let them simply be.
The enemy jets can get tough in this game if not downright pesky especially when you’re trying to destroy or protect key targets/ships in order to complete the mission. There are some enemy planes that are more aggressive than others. The game is just fun. I don’t know what else to say. You can also take controls of AA guns and fend off foes that way if you choose and then at anytime get back in your plane and finish them off in the sky. It’s your choice. I’m almost quite shocked at how well everything came together for the developers and this game. It just plays so smoothly. Once again if you’re a fan of this genre then you need to pick it up...it’s that simple. If you’re not a fan I would at least rent it. I didn’t even touch on the live component of this game. Team dogfighting? CTF? Does it get any better than this? Now....where is the sequel?