Crimson Skies : Road to Revenge Review

Well being hooked onto Xbox for over a week now, I really loved playing Crimson Skies: Road to Revenge.

One of the tabletop stratege game, it stars Nathan Zachary, a rugged and handsome leader of the Fortune Hunters, a Robin Hood--style air pirate gang with hearts of gold, flying the unfriendly skies in 1930s - America. The nation has been split into warring factions, and fighter planes and the zeppelins battle for supremacy on a daily basis. Every character is indeed a real character, and the game flows with bravado and a winking sense of humor---thanks in no small part to the superlative voice acting.

It is Natan's rival, come to collect the spoils of a high stakes card game gone awry, including a Devastator dog fighter and Nathan's zeppelin, the Pandora. Being a man of action, he does what any self-respecting air pirate would do, stealing back his plane in short order thanks to some proficient wing-walking. His teammate Betty helps him retrieve the zeppelin in what amounts to a quick tutorial, leaving only the task of finding Big John, a competent pilot to take the Pandora's helm.

More search finds, scientist named Dr. Fassenbiender. The doctor was being forced to work for the Germans, until his refusal to develop destructive technology for them landed him a spot next to Nathan in a POW camp. The doctor believes it is Von Essen, a mad German scientist who began work on using the technology for use as a weapon. With this in mind, the doctor gives Nathan the blueprints to keep his research safe. What follows is a story of intrigue, betrayal, and exploration, as you attempt to overcome impossible odds to save the world from tyranny.

The fighters are controlled using the left stick to steer, and the right to perform barrel rolls. The cruising speed is dependant on what plane you are in, but is generally constant. If a need arises for speed, you can hit Y for a quick boost, and holding B allows you to brake for quick turns. The right trigger is used to fire primary weapons like machine guns and cannons, while the left launches secondaries including rockets and fireball cannons. The D-pad is used to take a look around, or you can hold the Black button to lock the view onto a nearby enemy. If you're in the mini-gyro or a turret, pressing A zooms the view so you can accurately aim at distant targets.

Flying high was always though, as some missions involved manning anti-aircraft guns to defend a location from swarms of fighters. There are a few different types of gun emplacements, including dual cannons, four rapid-fire machine guns, a rocket launcher, and a guided missile you can arc over mountains. If in a vehicle with multiple turrets, you can press Y and B to cycle through them, allowing you to use an array of weapons from various positions as you see fit.

The main interface was clean as it gets, consisting of Game Demos, Multiplayer, and Single Player selections. Entering the Single Player menu gave a list of active pilots which I could pick to continue my quest and an option to create a new profile. Creating a new pilot required minimal effort: simply entering a name, a few settings, and Woila. Vibration could be turned on/off by inverting the Y-axis, set three sound levels, and pick a difficulty, making for a simple, albeit bare options menu.

In and all, love the game and also the XBox. Sadly I have to return this back to Microsoft today. Wish I could buy one for myself. Lets hope XBox 2 brings on more cheers and smiles on my face.