|
A huge improvement over the original. Lethal Skies I was a fun but flawed game. Its sequel, Lethal Skies II improves many of the original’s faults, making the game even more fun.
Lethal Skies II isn’t a full fledged flight simulation; it is more arcade-style, akin to Namco’s Ace Combat series. You are put into the shoes of a pilot who just got out of a long war. You helped the Frontier Nations defeat the WORF army. Everything was going awesome until the defeated WORF grouped up with other nations to form ANGIL, which then started war again with Frontier Nations.
Lethal Skies II will provide several hours of gameplay for the average gamer. You’ll encounter almost twenty planes, which you can use in the game’s over twenty missions. The planes handle differently, and you’ll need to get used to their subtle differences to go through the missions. You’ll usually be in the air, but there are times when you’ll need to be close to land to take out ground troops. After each mission, you’ll get a grade. You’ll often find yourself going back to those missions to improve your grade.
Anyone who has played a flight simulator will tell you that flying a plane is much harder than it looks. While it isn’t as complex here, you’ll still need to get used to flying a plane at insanely high speeds. Things are fine in the air but when you need to get closer to land, you’ll really need to master the planes. And then there’s another thing to worry about, shooting things down. Flying a plane and making sure you’re hitting the right targets will prove to be quite a challenge initially. Luckily, you’ll get used to it rather quickly and the missiles in the game can be locked-on to the target.
If you can find someone else to play with, Lethal Skies II is a blast in multiplayer. The game supports two-player-split-screen mode, for most of us to use. But if you happen to have two TVs, two PS2s and an I-Link cable, you can connect them to play multiplayer on two TVs.
The visuals in Lethal Skies II look pretty good. The planes themselves are wonderfully modeled, and there is plenty of attention to detail. The cockpits are unique to the planes, and are realistically rendered. You’re opponents are equally impressive and there are plenty of them. The explosions look pretty good, too. The only thing isn’t quite up there are the backgrounds. They aren’t too detailed and some seem bland. Nonetheless, the overall look is good.
The sound effects effectively capture the mayhem of flying a fighter plane. The missiles going off, the firing of the guns, the explosions, and even the noise from the plane all sound awesome. There is some voice in the form of commands, and although there isn’t too much, they do sound good. The soundtrack is made up of rock, so that may or may not be your cup of tea.
Sammy Studios and Asmik Ace should definitely be given a most-improved sticker. Lethal Skies II is a big improvement over the original, making it even more fun to play. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Sep 28, 2003
|
