Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge

"Crimson Skies is, without a doubt, the biggest turnaround success of any game"

In 2002, A&E showed an hour-long documentary called ''Inside the Xbox'', an interesting take on how 1st party subdevelopers handle making games under pressure. Everyone tuned in to see exclusive footage of Halo 2, but the most in-depth report was on the Crimson Skies team, who had delayed this intended LAUNCH GAME until Christmas of 2002, whereupon it was delayed again. Now, in the normal scheme of video game history, games delayed 2 years or longer generally have serious problems that never get worked out. Whatever the case may be with Crimson Skies, the final product is devoid of anything that could be considered less than perfection. The single player mode of Crimson Skies is similar to the Rogue Squadron series, but includes some adventure aspects like being able to buy things with gambled money and racing. While the single player will be easily tossed aside by most people who buy the game, it really is fantastically done.

Graphics

Woah, Nelly. Crimson Skies will make your Xbox belch smoke from raw processing power. This game utilizes every bit of texturing power the 'box can handle, and it looks absolutely amazing. The smoke, particles, sky, terrain, and even the minute things like ripples of water all look immaculate. The graphics clearly represent a game that has been in the works for a few years.

Slowdown? None. The game's framerate is solid as can be, even online.

Sound

The only thing better than the graphics is the sound, which is one of the most cinematic and engrossing soundtracks in recent history. Derring-do tunes reminiscent of World War I victory anthems and battle marches prevail throughout the game.

The voice acting is also well done, especially during the cutscenes. Speaking of the cutscenes, they're not Final Fantasy quality, but very very good.

ONLINE

This is the best Xbox Live game so far. Period. The dogfighting translates online so well that I almost forgot about the single player. Capture the Flag is about as intense as it could possibly get, and the Chicken mode is stomach-splittingly hilarious. Overall, the Live mode rules the skies.

Offline

The game's slick presentation makes the offline mode one of the best mission-shooters in history. An Indiana Jones-style story with plot twists, hidden motives, and ''dangerous dames'' that could make any Hollywood director proud. Though the futuristic 1930's with machines that create tornados is a bit overdone, its still terribly clever and aids the game immensely.

Overall this game is one of the best purchases anyone could have for the Xbox.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/28/03