Xbox Game Pass: In diesen Action

I hadn't planned to fall in love with this game again. Because a few days ago after an evening and fun session with Turnip Boy and Dicey Dungeons I wanted to shut down my Xbox when my look in the game pass overview menu unexpectedly got stuck on something-and hunted a cozy nostalgia shower over my back.

• a festival for air pirates
• Indy flair and aircraft upgrades
• solid aged thanks to great adaptation

Because the red cover of Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge with the chic artwork had already fascinated me in 2003 when I literally inhaled the title on the first Xbox. And now the picture promised adventure and action again. "What the hell, you play in after the long time," I thought. It was still a very long evening.

a festival for air pirates

Briefly for classification: Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is an action game from the FASA Studios, which plays in an alternative 30s scenario. The transport and trade routes in the United States have risen there, and air pirates also experience a golden age here. We control one of them - Nathan Zachery - and have to put the craft with him and his crew in the course of the campaign of the nasty scientist of Essen. For this we use all kinds of aircraft, but also inpatient guns to do various orders within various hub areas.

I hadn't played Crimson Skies for 15 years, but I didn't need 5 minutes to be fully back in it. This is mainly due to the famous control, which still works excellently almost 20 years after the first release. The dogfights against opposing aircraft and boats play as catchy as it is jagged, after a short time even daring maneuvers like an 180-degree turn are great, it is just fun to move through the levels and hunt for other planes close.

Tobias Veltin

__@Frischerveltin

The action games that appeared on the first Xbox in 2002 and 2003 shaped Tobi significantly and are connected to him with many beautiful memories. In addition to Crimson Skies, this also includes the first mech assault and the first part of Splinter Cell.

Indy flair and aircraft upgrades

There is also the insanely engaging atmosphere. For example, Nathan Zachery always has a brisk saying on her lips, in general the game has a lot of the Indiana Jones adventure charm, which also characterizes the Uncharted series and is also responsible for the fact that Crimson Skies immediately in his presentation and cool style The air pirate scenario sucks. In addition, the small hub areas give, for example, a limited but at the same time very inviting feeling of freedom.

Fortunately, it doesn't just stay with the feeling, because the title also has enough playful substance for today's conditions. I had already mentioned the fun dogfights, but even with my somewhat exhausted session I found it motivating to improve my planes with collectible tokens and money and was fascinated by how different the different aircraft models in the game - also thanks to variable armament like a sniper cannon (!) - feel.

solid aged thanks to great adaptation

Last but not least - and that surprised me a bit - Crimson Skies is pretty well aged in technical terms, even in terms of technical terms. Sure, the optics can be noticed in particular with the tooth of time, but the flight spectacle in butter-soft frame rate slides over the screen, and HDR effects are automatically switched on, which the whole thing upgrades again with a corresponding display. And of course Crimson Skies is not stingy with its effects and loving details these days.

For example, there are gigantic airships in the sky, a huge metal spider on the ground has to be conquered and enemy aircraft must first pull flaps and flames behind them, before the pilot then says goodbye to the cockpit shortly after the decisive salvation and slowly Parachute glides. For my eyes even after today's standards a small festival.

Here you can see a few moving scenes for the game in our Retro Hall of Fame:

You realize that I am again blown away by Crimson Skies, I fell in love with the game again. I didn't necessarily expect that after this long time, but once again shows me which fascinating action classic Fasa and Microsoft created at the time. A remake of the game or even the second part will probably remain a dream in the future, but that's why the following applies even more: If you do not yet know Crimson Skies and you have the Game Pass, there is absolutely no reason, the thing is not at least to play.

It may have a few corners and edges, but is still one of the best for my terms, because aircraft adventures rounded out in the overall package. And if you have played the title back then and maybe forgot something again, you should also take a look again. And maybe let yourself be carried away as I do. In any case, planning for my next game pass evenings is already. Crimson Skies is included in the Xbox Game Pass, the download is approx. 5 GB. ** What connection do you have to Crimson Skies?

Do you even have one? **