I've been playing for the last three hours. Here are my impressions:
The overall impression is of a very slick package. I didn't quite appreciate how beautiful this game was in videos. It's silky smooth and very lush to look at. I've played the Chicago level online and it really is stunning, especvially in 480p. The FMVs are up there with the best and the design of the craft is excellent too, with massive zeppelins and loads of planes filling the skies.
The best bit is the explosions which are amazing. When a Zeppelin goes down, you can feel the heat.
Sound is great too, from the splutter of your engine if you boost too much to the perfectly realised "Dukka, Dukka, Dukka" of your machine guns.
Gameplay wise, the single player mode is like a cross between GTA and Pilotwings with guns. You fly to an area, each with several mission to attempt. As you fly near a spot where a mission is, simply press the X button to try it. Missions range from dogfights to races to escorts, the usual stuff you'd expect. In some mission you can choose whether to fly a plane or man a gun turret, swapping at any given point to the best option.
Online is where its at though. I played a few death match games with four others (all yanks) and it was a blast. The maps are great, with lots of stuff to fly around, under or through. CTF is the one though, I played on this for an age. The great thing is again that you can choose whether to fly or man a turret at any point. The CTF games were 5 vs 5 on an American guys server and there were no signs of lag at all. I was amazed! The only slight annoyance is the colours on the radar and the flag is too small to see from a distance, so its too easy to chase after the wrong plane at times, but overall it's a complete hoot .
The overall impression is of a very slick package. I didn't quite appreciate how beautiful this game was in videos. It's silky smooth and very lush to look at. I've played the Chicago level online and it really is stunning, especvially in 480p. The FMVs are up there with the best and the design of the craft is excellent too, with massive zeppelins and loads of planes filling the skies.
The best bit is the explosions which are amazing. When a Zeppelin goes down, you can feel the heat.
Sound is great too, from the splutter of your engine if you boost too much to the perfectly realised "Dukka, Dukka, Dukka" of your machine guns.
Gameplay wise, the single player mode is like a cross between GTA and Pilotwings with guns. You fly to an area, each with several mission to attempt. As you fly near a spot where a mission is, simply press the X button to try it. Missions range from dogfights to races to escorts, the usual stuff you'd expect. In some mission you can choose whether to fly a plane or man a gun turret, swapping at any given point to the best option.
Online is where its at though. I played a few death match games with four others (all yanks) and it was a blast. The maps are great, with lots of stuff to fly around, under or through. CTF is the one though, I played on this for an age. The great thing is again that you can choose whether to fly or man a turret at any point. The CTF games were 5 vs 5 on an American guys server and there were no signs of lag at all. I was amazed! The only slight annoyance is the colours on the radar and the flag is too small to see from a distance, so its too easy to chase after the wrong plane at times, but overall it's a complete hoot .
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