Back in the early days of XBL (XBox Live) one of my favorite games to play was Crimson Skies. I would literally sit there and play CTF for hours at a time. For a long time I have been wanting someone to do a HD remake of Crimson Skies or come out with a new version for the 360. My wish has been granted…but this time it’s called Snoopy Flying Ace. I can honestly say that anyone who liked Crimson Skies will enjoy Snoopy Flying Ace. Most of the game mechanics are the same, only exception being a few upgrades.
The game comes with a single player, but to be honest it’s just multiplayer prep. Through the single player you will learn how to maneuver well and how to use weapons properly. You can also unlock additional planes and weapons in single player. Planes are broken down into three types, fast ( light armor), medium, slow (heavy armor). Naturally the less armor you have the faster you go, but the negative is that you’re easier to kill. Also, heavier planes don’t handle as well as lighter ones. Regardless of the plane you can do several maneuvers including s-turns, barrel rolls, and full loops. These come in handy when trying to escape enemy fire. You can customize your plane with many different color and design choices. You also have 15 different weapons to choose from. You have a default machine gun, but then you have two additional slots to pick any of the 15 special weapons.
One difference between this game and Crimson Skies is that you have a choice of both offensive and defensive weapons. This makes a big difference when playing CTF (Capture The Flag). Depending on what you want to do (attack/defend) you would need equip your plane accordingly. If you going offense you probably want some weapons that will help you blast through your opponents defensive line to get the flag. If you are going defense you probably want to equip some mines and place them in various areas around the flag. Weapons recharge, so as long as you aren’t too trigger happy you should really run out of ammo. You might say there are 16 weapons because you can also fly into turrets and use them. This is great for defense.
The meat of the game is in the multiplayer. This 16-man multiplayer as 10 different maps to tear up the skies in. The multiplayer maps are open, but significantly small for a flying game so you will always be in the middle of some action. The maps are designed in such a way that there are several obstacles and structures that can cause you to crash if you’re not careful or can help you avoid weapon fire from opponents. There are several multiplayer modes to choose from. Dogfight is your standard FFA (Free For All). You can also have a Team Dogfight. There is CTF as mentioned earlier. There is a king of the hill style game mode called Dogpile and Team Dogpile. Your objective is to hold the bone for the longest amount of time. If you get shot down, you drop the bone. Finally there is a Pigskin, which is basically Football with airplanes and guns. Your goal is to get the ball to your goal post. You can pass the ball between team members, but it can also be intercepted.
I think this game is well worth the $10 (800 Microsoft Point) that it costs. The game looks great for a XBLA title, controls great, and is tons of fun. Check out this video and then check out the game yourself. It’s worth it!
There used to be an embeded media player here, but it doesn't work anymore. We blame the Tumbeasts.
*Image taken from Snoopy Flying Ace Game Details Page
