Piloting

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge arrived with so much hype and fanfare that it's easy to forget that, at one time, it was nearly vaporware. After a dismal E3 showing a couple of years ago and tepid feedback from testers, Microsoft made the decision to halt the title in mid-development and start from scratch with a new team of artists, writers and programmers.

Either Keith is a hell of a lot better at playing games than I am, or he was being very kind by glossing over Battle Engine Aquila's difficulty level. Before I say anything else about the game, let me say this: it's hard. So hard, in fact, that I had doubts as to whether I actually possessed the skill (and patience) to bring the game to completion.

Game Description: The world is facing a devastating global warming effect and you have to stop it with the help of a variety of flyable real-world jets and intense action-packed supersonic shooting, plus improved graphics, and accessible flight models. This version of the flight action series offers a science fiction theme and upgraded visual engine from the previous game. Experience G Force using the controller; 3rd person view cockpit and full screen; Engage multiple enemies in a variety of death defying missions; Pilot up to 13 state of the art aircraft.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Violence

Those generic products delivered what was promised in that bold, black lettering, but they didn't go much further than the bare essentials in terms of taste or luxuriance. The same could be said for Asmik Ace's Lethal Skies II. Although it's not sold in a plain white box reading "Generic Military Flight Game," it easily could be.

Game Description: Open-ended kart-like airplane racer with a strong focus on humor, over 13 different characters, and 9 stages from exotic islands to roaring Chicago., Take to the skies for some of the goofiest cartoon-style racing ever. Choose from a list of 13 broad characters, then see what kind of damage you can do on a total of 10 tracks including 1920s Chicago, a spooky graveyard, and a pirate town. In addition to the stiff competition, you’ll have to contend with obstacles like leaping sharks and angry gangsters. With dialogue created by the writers of The Tick, an awesome soundtrack, and lots of hidden tricks, this one’s full of laughs, challenges, and adrenaline-pumping excitement.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Comic Mischief, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes

From the beginning, gamers have longed to kart race. Well, maybe that's not entirely true, but the racing genre, and especially "kart racers" have made up a consistent chunk of gaming libraries since Atari (the original one, not the new, fakey one) burst onto the scene. A kart racer is probably best described as a racing game that's less concerned with simulation as it is with allowing colorful, easily identifiable characters to joust with each other while whipping in circles around fantastical landscapes.

Thom and I are basically on the same wavelength about MechAssault, though I daresay I squeezed a little more enjoyment out of it than he did.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Violence