Date: 2008-11-02 11:52:02 Created: null
After one session ...
Since I've only played one reasonably short session so far, I really shouldn't open my mouth. The only reason I do it is for future reference, I'm trying really hard not to let expectations mar my impression of the game.
That said, here are the impressions of a huge fan of the old PC game who would probably have been totally happy had this one been exactly the same:
First, what's this with no speed control? Temporary boost and one-step break, why not give us analogue control like every other game does? I haven't thought about controller setup (maybe this is best for the overall control scheme) but surely it can't be because people can't handle analogue control? I'm not totally happy with the rest of the plane control either right now, I would have liked a slightly different setup where you don't have to resort to "specials" to do your Immelmanns. But I hope it all will grow on me, I sure like the qucik turning ability of instant Immelmanns and can understand the decision.
Second, there's design and music. The developers made a good case for their design choices in a development diary I read but damn, I loved what they called the "radio drama" style and all the in-mission chatter. The writing doesn't feel as sharp this time round though, so maybe the lesser story is for the better in this aspect too.
Again, don't take this as anything even resembling my Final Judgement about Crimson Skies for the Xbox. These are my very first impressions, no more, no less. Now I'm off for my second session.
Mad F out.
After two sessions
Forgot one gripe above: that they couldn't get the same actor to do Nathan Zachary (the main character) as did the part in the first game. But again, seems they didn't get the writer either so ...
I guess all my gripes are really matters of taste ... The first game did it one way, this one another, take your pick.
Many Sessions Later (January 18th, 2003)
I've finished the single player part a while ago (more of which on the parent page). Have even started re-playing it on the highest difficulty just to check for differences. A few missions in it does feel easier to die, but not unbeatably so. Don't know how far through I'll go though, it's not a religious quest :-) ...
Anyway, Xbox Live is of course what takes the vast majority of my CS time now. With headset of course, even though I'm not exactly chatty online I like to join in if others are talking. To my surprise I seem to be a relatively skilled player, I got into the top 10% of players (which gives you the top rank indicator in the game) pretty fast and I seem to be hovering in the middle of the pack, with comfortable distance to being demoted :-) ... I might even be working my way upward still, but that could just be temporary. We'll see.
In any case, I prefer the lighter planes, just like most other players do. The first plane I got heavily into was the Desert Fox, which seemed to make me slightly unique. I've never seen very many people picking the plane, so either it helped me advance, or I made progress despite a bad choice :-) ... I like the speed and nimble feeling of the plane in any case, and secondary weapon is always satisfying to unleash on anyone who gets too close.
Lately I've switched to the Dust Devil as my primary plane though, making myself quite a bit less unique :-) ... The first few times I tried it I just wanted to get back to my Desert Fox, the Devil seemed a bit slow and difficult by comparison. But still, quite a few good pilots I met were using the plane, and very often kicking my ass with it too. So I assumed I must be missing something and eventually decided to get down to business and really learn the plane (if I could).
The process wasn't actually that painful. The main hurdle was getting used to a secondary weapon demanding a bit more precision to do any good, once that was done things got pretty comfortable. I'm still not a sniper or anything, a head-on faceoff with another Dust Devil pilot of decent skill still seems to end with me more dead than my opponent, but otherwise I hold my ground (sorry, air) well enough.
Guess a logical next step would be trying out one of the heavier planes ... Many people do well in those Doppelgangers after all ...