Crimson Skies is Homing In

Microsoft's Crimson Skies is looking lovely. Here are the latest screens. And some footage.

Combining some seriously entertaining aerial combat with the swashbuckling style of a Hollywood action-adventure movie, Crimson Skies is set in an alternate 1930s world of gunship diplomacy and sinister intrigue, and lets gamers pilot powerful aircraft against nefarious air pirates and behemoth war zeppelins.

As the daring air pirate Nathan Zachary, leader of the infamous Fortune Hunters, players take off on high-flying adventure filled with daring escapes and damsels in distress.

Gamers can pilot 10 warplanes armed to the teeth with detonator cannons, tesla guns and remote-controlled rockets or a nimble gyro-copter. They can swoop and dive to elude bogeys just itching to take down the good guys. You command the air with ease in the true spirit of combat flying. As expected, you can also battle friends and foes online through Xbox Live, with a choise of game modes, including head-to-head dogfighting and Capture the Flag.

It's not always linear either; there are multiple ways to complete missions, giving freedom to accomplish goals either from the cockpit of customizable planes or behind the twin barrels of antiaircraft guns on trains, zeppelins and hover-copters. And the reward system turns every battle into an opportunity for fortune - with upgrades and new planes on offer.

Visually, Crimson Skies is looking lovely, but then we'd expect nothing less from a firstparty Xbox title these days. Take a look at these screens and stay tuned for more until the game's release in October.

Adam Doree
Director, Kikizo.com