Graphics

Crimson Skies looks great thanks to its expansive outdoor environments and textures. Planes are detailed and give off an excellent ‘heat wave’ effect when you’re running it full throttle. No doubt from its experience from blowing $#!+ up in MechAssault, Fasa Studios has created excellent damage and explosion effects for Crimson Skies. Damaged planes catch fire and leave a trail of smoke. There will be no mistake when destroying an enemy plane, as it bursts into flames and explodes with the pilot ejecting out.

The CGI sequences are beautifully rendered and add a real dramatic flare to the story. Its only flaw is that the video suffers from compression artifacts, making it noticeably below full DVD quality.

Audio

The sound effects are good, matching well with what’s on screen. The weapon firing effects can sound a little muted though, in contrast to the game’s booming soundtrack. The score almost constantly accompanies you in the air, with musical cues filled with American optimism that seem to be lifted straight from swashbuckling action-adventure movies from decades ago.

Crimson Skies features a good amount of voice acting for a game of its nature. Thankfully, like its PC-based ancestor, all of the voice work is excellent.