Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Simulation
Number of Players: 1 or 2
Peripherals: iLink Cable
Known in Japan as: Sidewinder Max

I never really have been able to determine just why it is that simulation games that focus on aerial combat haven’t become more commonplace. You see them all the time on the PC, but when it comes to the PlayStation 2 and just about every other home console, they are few and far between. Most tend to go for more of an arcade feel unfortunately, although there is a few that manage to blend it very well with the simulation feel, such as Ace Combat for instance. The only other title that really falls into this category would have to be Sammy Studios new series, Lethal Skies, but the original game really didn’t make an impact on the critics as much as hoped. Now, Sammy Studios takes to the skies in a second attempt, aptly titled Lethal Skies II.

However, you can’t have a flight simulator, at least not one that’s geared towards dog fighting and such, without a back-story. The year is 20XX, a famous date for games since 19XX has passed us by, and the Earth has fallen on difficult time due to global warming, something that really isn’t too far fetched, but that becomes more of an editorial piece than a review. With the planet in turmoil, war looms in the distance, and with a new threat on the horizon poised, it’s up to you and your wingmen to take flight, take aim, and take them out.

LS2 is in many ways set up like Ace Combat, for you PlayStation exclusive gamers, or just about any other flight simulator that’s out on the market. It’s sort of the way that almost all fighting games generally have the same formula, or even many RPG’s for that matter. Each stage is a different mission, involving just about anything from simple air combat and just about anything else that you can imagine. It’s no real surprise that you also get the chance to select the aircraft that you want to fly on each of your missions, and successful completion means that there are more crafts that become playable, a nice touch instead of having to shoot down enemies for cash and buy planes and weapons between missions.

Your wingmen tend to be a little more helpful than those in Ace Combat though. You can choose what you want them to pilot before a mission, just like with yourself, but they actually tend to help out during missions, especially if you find yourself in a very heated situation, something that the wingmen of AC rarely, if ever did. Sure, they still tend to be bad shots, and most of the time you can take out the enemy before your partners even think about it. I guess though that you can’t have everything.

The graphics themselves aren’t too bad, and do a fairly good job at mimicking what Namco has already done. There’s still level terrain of course when you get too far down and think that there might actually be something there, but there aren’t nearly as many flattened buildings as what there were in AC4. The aircraft themselves seem to be done well, from the slight glimpses that you might catch every so often, when you actually get close enough and a missile hasn’t already taken them out of the sky. There are a few downsides though, which is unfortunate. At times, some of the stages tend to go a little overboard on some things, such as too much cloud cover, which, while it looks great, can be more of a distraction than anything else. The same can be said for buildings that may be a great touch, but can be a slight problem while trying to take in scenery and engage in combat.

The controls for the game actually feel a bit loose in my opinion and are slightly too touchy for my taste. However, that’s when you’re not in a situation that recalls for fast reactions. It seems like whenever your in a pinch, like flying low into a canyon and trying to eliminate ground force, and you need to pull up just at the right time or end up becoming part of the landscape, that’s when the controls just aren’t quite right, resulting nine out of ten times it’s game over. Aside from the particulars regarding the flight controls though, the rest of the controls are fairly simple and easy to get used to, and if you’re not happy with them you can always adjust them beforehand to suit your liking.

The game also features a two-player mode, but there’s a little catch to it. Anyone remember the iLink? I kind of thought that would be the answer. The iLink, for those that don’t know, is a cable that was designed for the original PlayStation that allowed two player games on two separate televisions. Of course, the real downside was that you needed two of everything, including PlayStations and the games themselves. Using this though is too little too late as Sony has already announced that they will no longer support the peripheral.

The real downside of the game however is the soundtrack and voice actors. The music goes for more of an 80’s metal feel, bringing to mind images of VH1 Classics Metal Mania show, though the soundtrack does fortunately lack songs by artists such as Warrant and Poison. Maybe the developers were attempting to go for more of a Top Gun feel, but regardless of the ideas behind it, it’s really not a good combination. The voice acting, without going into too much detail, and thus avoiding a huge bashing session, is comprised of the usual bottom of the line actors that have ruined countless anime films and series here in the United States. But, I suppose in this one very rare case, it’s better than trying to read the subtitles while attempting to dodge tracer fire.

Lethal Skies isn’t a horrible game, but it isn’t nearly a perfect game either. The computer AI does seem to be slightly sharper than some other titles in the same genre, and I did note that the enemies managed to score quite a few more hits on me, even with bullets, than I’ve seen happen in some other games. That brings up the point that on occasion, the game tends to be slightly frustrating, but it’s never anything that’s so bad that you can’t manage to figure out a great strategy to overcome the odds. This isn’t necessarily the type of game that’s going to be called an Ace Combat killer, but it still is one that fans of flight simulators and aerial combat games will enjoy and is at least worth a look.

-mike-