Sky Odyssey Preview

One of the more interesting games we've encountered for the PS2 isn't, in actuality, a launch title, but one that will be released a couple of weeks after the system is unleashed. Sky Odyssey is an arcade-orientated flight simulator that takes the basic premise of games like Pilotwings and adds elements from your standard 3D adventure game.

Sky Odyssey's 19 missions take place in many outlandish areas - from deep, dank caverns to ancient ruins. The game features enormous maps that often take more than 15 minutes to traverse in their entirety, which makes it entirely conceivable that the free-flight mode will take as much of your time as the standard adventure mode. The adventure mode's missions are widely varied - some will involve standard search-and-rescue operations, while others will have you simply exploring the game's gigantic environments. After completing certain missions, the game will reward you with a piece of an ancient map, which unlocks new locales in the gameworld. The gameworld behaves realistically and possesses intricate weather patterns that affect the way the planes behave in the air.

Sky Odyssey gives you 19 aircraft to choose from, 11 of which are open from the outset and eight that remain locked. Myriad craft are available, which range from primitive biplanes to sleek stealth aircraft. Successful exploration grants you money with which you can upgrade and customize your craft by altering anything - from its physical systems to its aesthetic appearance.

The five modes of play are nicely varied and interesting. In addition to the mission-based adventure mode and the leisurely free-flight mode, the game sports a time-attack, target, and sky-canvas mode. The time-attack mode makes you fly 35 different scenarios in an all-out race against the clock, while the target mode is designed to test your reflexes by making you fly through a series of staggered hoops before the timer expires. The sky-canvas mode is the most novel - you get to litter the skies with your own subversive messages by using smoke trailing from the plane's tail.

The build of the game we played featured impressive graphics and solid gameplay. There was some minor slowdown in areas where the weather effects were most amplified, but Activision assured us that the wart was being eradicated as we spoke. The game's presentation seemed notably polished and probably isn't too far away from the final version. We can't wait to pick it up after it's been tweaked. Sky Odyssey is set for release two weeks after the PS2 launch in North America