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    Crimson Skies

    Its been getting good reviews, i have my order placed with goblin, anybody going to join me?

    Some scores:

    Gamespy: 4 out of 5
    IGN: 91 percent
    Gaming Age: A-
    1up: 9 out of 10

    Come on! 16 man dog fights!

    Holy crap is this cool so far. I haven't sunk too much time into it, but the environments are MASSIVE, the visuals are wonderful, the physics are tight, it's the real deal!

    Aerial maneuvers are essentially lifted from Starfox 64 multiplayer. You can do aerial dodging by essentially using combinations of the Left and Right sticks(very easy to pull off, do an Immelman by holding down both sticks and clickng in R3 for example) Split S-turns and side rolls are also available.

    There is a large boost gauge which recharges over time. It is drained by boosting and performing the aformentioned aerial feats.

    Shooting is spot on, 5.1 audio is loud and in full effect. Gotta play more...
    Just played a whopping 5v6 game of Online multi Team deathmatch. The multiplayer lobby is modeled similarly after Mechassault with the same frontend system. Though there is far more information on screen including a ranking status to see how each player stacks up. Online scoreboards are in full effect(MM3 sorely needed this)

    There was no lag at all(though the host likely had a great server) and it was intense! Just total mayhem. Can't really comment on it's longevity, but the dogfighting was fabulous! Lots of people were pulling off aerial moves trying to slink in behind each other, You'd witness exposions and shell casings goign off every which way. Everyone seemed to be using different planes, many of which had these lightning specials that kept illuminating the environment. You can try to kop into AA gun placements and there are powerups that kept parachuting into the environment now and again. (Though I think they were all health pickups mostly)

    Oh and the maps...Jesus are the detailed. One of them took place in this massive canyon with volumetric fog, Incan style ruins and statues embedded all over the place. Framerate kept up the whole damn time.

    The single player starts off nice and slow. You basically explore a large island performing a variety of missions of your choosing GTA-style. You can do races aroudn the environment and of course plot-based kill-em-all or escort type stuff.

    There are little medallions scattered all over the place to pick up which can be exchanged along with cash for plane upgrades(Not nearly to the level of the PC game, just stat upgrades and a new paint scheme unfortunately)

    There are also new -planes to find docked around. The starting one is your standard balanced craft with lock-on missiles and a chaingun. The new plane was the 'shotgun' type. Primary fire was a dual shell cannon that wasn't very rapid. And the secondary is a devastating shotgun that is deadly at close range.

    Again so far so good 1 hour later.
    Brandon F

    #2
    I'll be picking this one up in a couple of weeks when I have money. Can't wait!

    Comment


      #3
      Its released here on Oct 31st and I'll be picking up a copy.

      Apparently there is a glitch if you are in the voice menu (pressing the white button whilst in the lobby) and the game starts all voice is muted in the game and if you enter the gun turrets it will crash your game... just read this on another board.

      Also it seems its very smooth online and requires not too much bandwidth. Someone made a comment that they can host around 8 players on RTCW and have managed to host a full 16 players on this without any problems.

      I can host around 8-10 players on RTCW so this is good news, sounds like its similar in bandwidth requirement to MotoGP or just a shade higher.

      Comment


        #4
        Multiplayer dogfighting is probably one of the best things ever...

        Comment


          #5
          Why do so many games come out when I don't have the money ft:

          I'm actually playing through the old PC Crimson Skies at the moment, and I love the style, the newsreals are great as are many of the missions (which involve jumping out of your plane mid-flight onto the wing of a bomber to capture it, madness!). Hope the XBox version maintains this.

          Comment


            #6
            Yep I'm sorely tempted, the whole idea just appeals massively and online will be a great laff. Time to take it off the wishlist and put the order in methinks...

            Comment


              #7
              I don't have live, but we shall see. I'll try to play a demo or something first.

              Microsoft really should put live enabled demo pods in shops. Or at least a local system linked pair. That would be fun!

              I hope it is better than Robotech. Ugh, bad controls and the environment moved around you and not the other way round (thus zero impression of speed, especiially when everything was blue).

              But oddly fun.

              Comment


                #8
                More online impressions

                The game is great though. I didn't touch the singel player at all really this evening, just spent pretty much 4 hours playing online straight with a few peeps I know. Played several 16 player matches and not a single hint of lag at all in any game.

                The multiplayer maps are all brilliant. The sheer density of Chicago's skyscrapers, alleys, and streetzones made it one of the most played maps of the entire night(both versions including one with a dangerous cloud layer in low altitudes that disrupt visibility). The Underground tomb with pillars, cavernous tunnels and opportunities for insane chases was equally cool. There wasn't a single one that dissapointed really.

                All of the modes are a hell of a lot of fun, with Wild Chicken getting the most reaction from people. (Essentially it's just a mixture of Team Deathmatch and CTF converged into a unified whole, but it's fabulous.)

                My only real complaints so far are minor. For one, online team-based games utilize the red/blue variants, but your radar doesn't recognize these colors and instead opts to use a different scheme with red ALWAYS signalling enemy types and green as your friendlies. It is quite confusing as the announcer constantly screams out 'Blue dropped the flag!" or "Red has the chicken" yet the radar doesn't distinguish team colors. You get used to it, but not a game was played tonight where someone wasn't confused. It's very easy to forget what team you are actually on as you simply just focus on Green/Red rather than Red/Blue. Shoulda just kept a cohesive sheme choice... again minor complaint.

                Oh, and it would be nice to have Mechassault-esque powerups for your primary and subweapons randomly appear now and again to pick up alongside the health drops. Vary offense up a notch temporarily.

                Otherwise it's been a total riot. No real imbalances in the craft selection so far. No overly popular craft choices, just a lot of experimentation and everyone seems to have their favorites. I expect any uber unlockables will change that up ala Mechassault, but it's been fair game thus far.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Mine should be "winging" its way to me very shortly from DVDBO. Can't wait, there are so many cool Live games coming out in the next few months .

                  Comment


                    #10
                    so how good is the single player?
                    this game looks dead good i'll definetly be picking this one up on release if i can get the money together

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Reports say that the single player is excellent also. You have an airship as a base and you are free to attempt different missions within the huge levels as you wish. Sounds great, but the emphasis for me is online .

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Nice one Brats

                        And yes, some great games on the way for Xbox Live, so many that i had to sacrifice games like Prince of Persia, SSX3, Viewtiful Joe and Castlevania.

                        Top Spin, Crimson Skies, PGR2 and Rainbow Six, XBL is going to be hectic in the coming weeks

                        Edit: Gamespot Review

                        The campaign is broken up into areas, and you'll often have more than one mission at your disposal, though only one path of missions takes you to the game's next plot point; the rest are just for show, letting you collect money that can be used for repairs or upgrades to your planes.
                        Regardless of what mode you're playing, flying planes is already fun. The control is pretty streamlined, making it easy to learn, but there's definitely some depth to its gameplay. You can control your speed, to a certain extent, and you can also perform evasive maneuvers, like rolls and Immelman turns, with the right analog stick. Boosting your speed and performing stunts both drain your special meter, but it recharges quickly when it's not in use. You have a primary gun, with unlimited ammo, and a secondary weapon, with limited ammo, at your disposal, and some of the game's machines give you the ability to zoom in for a better shot. The game has a good collection of different planes. You can pick from them right off the bat in multiplayer, while in single-player you'll only be given the option to fly a plane, at will, once you've discovered it in one of the levels.
                        As cool as the game's single-player section is, the online mode is where the real action is at. Up to 16 players can compete in six different games on five different multiplayer maps. Dogfight and team dogfight are simple shoot-'em-ups. Keep away is also available as a solo or team affair, and it works as a king of the hill game, where one player or team must collect and hold an item for a specified amount of time. Flag heist is your basic game of capture the flag, while wild chicken has the players chasing down a flying chicken for bonus points--in addition to trying to shoot each other out of the sky.

                        Backing up all this great action is a fantastic graphical presentation. The game gives you a good, long draw distance, allowing you to see incoming planes from pretty far away. Additionally, the game gives you a good look at the lay of the land. The texture work is well done, and the plane models are just plain cool. This is especially true of the devastator, which looks like a biplane but has its propeller in the rear. The weapons look nice, particularly as bullets are flying through the air, but it's the damage they do to their targets that makes them so impressive. The planes break up very nicely, as they're shot to pieces and set ablaze, and the explosions that finally send them down look really great. Smoke pours off of damaged planes, giving you an easy path to follow when you're tracking down an enemy. All the while, the game runs at a slick frame rate that keeps the action moving at a speedy pace
                        The awesome online mode and strong single-player segment combine to make Crimson Skies an easy game to recommend to Xbox Live subscribers, and the enclosed two-month free trial lets nonsubscribers give it a shot--free of charge. While it would certainly have been nice to see more multiplayer maps--right off the bat--the five levels and different modes included provide hours of excitement. If you needed to find a reason to stay connected to Xbox Live for another 12 months, look no further.
                        Graphics: 9
                        Gameplay: 9
                        Sound: 9
                        Value: 8

                        Overall: 8.9

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Live users get another game to keep them busy on these cold winter days/nights.

                          Anyone without Live really are missing out.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Captain Falcon
                            Anyone without Live really are missing out.
                            My damn dogs chewed up my cat5 cable... Now I have to go and pick up some wireless solution to make sure that doesn't happen again. But, until them, I'm un-Lived. Phuck!! >_<

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Well the XBL drought is almost over here in Australia.

                              Apart from the marvellous bargain that was GR:IT its been severely lacking lately but on October 31st the following are released :

                              Crimson Skies
                              TopSpin
                              ESPN NFL Football
                              ESPN NHL Hockey
                              Outlaw Volleyball

                              I actually wanted to pick up Outlaw Volleyball after playing the NTSC version but given TopSpin is out the same day and similar is gameplay I may have to leave it... 5 decent XBL titles in one day is a little much mind!

                              Then over the following weeks theres these :

                              Rainbow Six 3
                              XIII
                              Amped2
                              Sega GT Online
                              Magic The Gathering : Battlegrounds
                              Project Gotham Racing 2
                              ESPN NBA Basketball
                              Counter Strike
                              Unreal 2 : The Awakening
                              Links 2004

                              Busy xmas!!

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