Crimson Skies is far from the traditional ‘flight sim’. As much as I appreciate attention to detail in any simulation, they are still games and should have broader concepts of fun. This is probably what has held back this area of gaming back for so long. The games always look nicer but are still as awkward as ever. The difference in CS lies with the larger amount of importance placed on story, atmosphere, and action. Less emphasis has been placed on the actual act of flight. Rudder controls, general laws of physics, and area specific damage are still in place but for the most part the idea was to keep things instantly playable.

Taking place during the 1930’s in an alternate universe, Crimson Skies has the sort of surreal feel to it that some might remember from Westwood’s Red Alert series. The United States has shattered under economic stress and now large territories make up the North American landmass. Large zeppelins roam the skies, either fit for battle or material transport. Playing as a leader of a small band of airborne pirates known as the Fortune Hunters, the player takes part in a single player campaign that puts them up against the forces of other countries, other pirates, and even Hollywood.

As mentioned above the act of flight has been limited enough to keep the battles realistic but fun. Most modern PC joysticks can be mapped to completely remove any use for the keyboard during the action. The use of the rudder and throttle controls really allow an experienced player to gain an advantage on anyone who doesn’t realize how important these two things are. For the most part the physics are pretty realistic but are adapted to the gameplay, not the other way around.

Crimson Skies’ most impressive accomplishment is the game’s ability to consistently present the alternate 1930’s universe. The aircraft, for example, are quite radical in design but the technology behind them stays pretty much with what was available at the time. The weapons also adhere pretty well to this rule by offering a selection of un-guided rockets and types of machine gun slugs.

If there was one area of presentation they really could have dropped the ball it lies with the spoken dialog. Crimson Skies’ story is presented almost completely with spoken dialogue with a few movies sprinkled about for even more story advancement. Cast those worries aside because the style and performance of all spoken sequences are very very good. The lines used and the interaction between other characters is not only accurate considering the times, but it all sounds very natural and smooth.

The in-game experience is just about as smooth. The colors used in this game are all very vibrant and for the most part well used. The texture quality is certainly above average but doesn’t always feel consistent. For example, the textures used for terrain are really nice while those used for the large blimps aren’t quite as good. While this conservative use of textures has kept the game from being the prettiest sim on the block, it keeps everything pretty playable even on lower end platforms. Considering the fact that each battle has a good number of planes (wingmen and enemy alike) along with some large zeppelins, all of the terrain, and weather effects, everything runs really smooth even in larger battles.

There are some cases where a player’s wingmen can be as dangerous as the anti-aircraft fire coming from defended positions. This is perhaps the only real problem with Crimson Skies but it really should be addressed. They have great aim and can be really good in a battle yet they are prone to running into your plane. Of course if they could speak they would probably say I ran into them, but there have been many cases where just throttling down has caused my wingman to plow into the back of my plane or taking a sharp turn has brought about similar results. Although it is a realistic notion for pilots to watch where they are going, having this as a responsibility for the player doesn’t suit the gameplay.

Although the single player campaign may provide some excellent event scripting, dogfights, and humor it does tend to be a little easy even on the normal setting. How long the challenge lasts depends on the player, but for the CS experience doesn’t stop there. Some might want to jump straight into the action and Crimson Skies’ Multiplayer and Instant Action game modes allow just that.

The Instant Action Mode is probably my favorite since it reminds me of the instant action mode found in the old flight sims that ran on pre-Pentium machines. It works a lot like a mad-lib story. The player has a rough scenario full of blank drop menus. From this menu the player sets up their choice of aircraft, number of wingmen, scenario (which decides objectives), number of enemy fighters, and the location of the battle. The scale of the engagement can be really huge and even an experienced player should be able to test their mettle.

Zipper Interactive’s Crimson Skies is just a sign of the good things to come. Soon Microsoft will release Combat Flight Simulator 2, which should prove to strike an even better balance between the casual and serious flight sim fans. As it stands now Crimson Skies is a great game that introduces a fresh feel to a genre that really needed it.