Topic: Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces

This game comes out today...IGN gave it a good rating (8.0). Going to pick it up sometime next month as my budget for a video game is taken by Tatsunoko vs. Capcom.
Any of you picking it up? If so write back and lemme know if it's good or now.

The game doesn't appear to be in any GameStop stores at the moment, and BestBuy is saying it won't ship until the 14th. I have no idea what's going on, and I was hoping to play it this evening.

Dang what a shame. I know with Gamestop they get their delivery after 1 or 2, so you might be able to get it before the days end.

Thanks for the tip motang. I stopped on by the local GameStop on the way home from picking up dinner and they had 1 copy. I bought it (of course) and it's sitting on my entertainment system waiting for me to play it. If I'm still awake after dinner (been up since 5am today) I'll start playing it tonight. Otherwise, I'll start walking through it tomorrow.

No problem man, glad I was right.
1 copy...dang I guess you can say that GameStop sold out! I hope that game would do well, it looks like it's a fun game and seems to have gotten a decent rating.

I'm going to try to rent the movie tonight ($25 for a movie!? I can buy the game for that much!) and then maybe get the game, it looks great.

Game looks fun. I am thinking about Netflixin the movie. Only place I have seen give it a mediocre review is 1up. Everything else has been pretty good on the game. So many awesome games coming out this year.

Played it yet, TJ? Oh, BTW, I saw you post in another topic that you were going to give up on Okami because of the slash move. If you hold Z, it makes your lines straight. I just wanna make sure you see this, I'd hate to see you give up on that amazing game for a reason that is very easy to fix.

Popyman, I just got home from work. As soon I finish typing this up, I'm going to start playing it. I'll be sure to post my initial impressions tonight. Also, thanks for that tip on Okami, it'll help immensely and I'll be sure to give it another whirl because I did (admittedly) stop playing after getting fed up with the power slash.

Ok, I've had a chance to play through the entire tutorial, the first mission, and viewed the first interlude. Here are my first impressions:

If you had ever played a game from the Ace Combat series (for the record I've only played Ace Combat 04 up to this point), you'd know immediately who designed this game. If you liked that series, you'll like this game. If you don't like that series, this game may not be for you. The tutorials will teach you the basics in about 10-15 minutes, from controlling your plane in flight, to fighting (weapons, target selection, special weapons, etc), and how to complete missions successfully. My only problem with them is that they only let you try your hand at what they teach only once or twice before calling the mission a success. Rather, I would have liked if they let you have unlimited time to work through the skill until you felt you were done and hit a button (maybe the + or - button?) to show that you were finished. As it is, they force you through the tutorial fairly quickly (3 skills/points covered in 3 sets).

They recommend you play with the nunchuck in your dominant hand, which is going to take some getting used to for me. Also, forget about scratching an itch when you're on a mission as both the nunchuck and remote are used for plane control. Tilting the nunchuck is used for turning, climbing, and diving and titling the remote is used for speed. The C button is for selecting your base or special weapon, and Z is for firing. The joystick on the nunchuck is used for selecting special turns which will help you evade enemies (loops, rolls, etc). The A button on the remote executes moves which allow you to get on your enemies 6 and attack them, and the B button is for braking (reducing speed). I think they have a pretty good layout with the controls, but you better be sitting up straight. The first mission I played, I was laying back and as soon as it gave me control, I started speeding up and climbing because with the way my hands were, the remote and nunchuck were pointing slightly upwards.

The game progresses just like Ace Combat. You have a mission briefing, it then brings you to your plane/weapon selection, and then drops you into the mission. It certainly has the Ace Combat feel to it. After finishing the mission, it replays your kills, giving you multiple angles to view your handiwork, also like Ace Combat, and wraps it up with a solid arrow outlining your actions over the map, once again like Ace Combat.

The interlude looked exactly like you were watching anime. Whether it's taken directly out of the actual show/movie, I do not know, but it was of that sort of quality. After the excerpt (which you can skip by hitting the A button), you get a save point before moving onto the next mission.

Now, I loved Ace Combat 04, so it's no surprise that my first impression of Sky Crawlers is very positive. The first mission was a piece of cake (I'm playing on Easy though, which is one of four* difficulty options in this game) and the controls in practice were not bad. I slipped past targets a couple of times, but I imagine that those errors will be minimized with practice.

So, so far I'm tempted to give this game an 8 or 9 out of 10. I'll play a bit longer before deciding on a final score though. Once I am done with this game, I'm going to grab a couple of the other Ace Combat games for the PS2.

*It may be three difficulty options. When I was going through the "Play Individual Missions" option (which allows you to play missions you've already beaten in Story Mode) it listed my grades for playing in each difficulty but only listed Easy, Normal, and Hard.

The second mission is definitely harder than the first mission (which you would expect) and the ability to perform special manuevers (by getting within a certain range of your selected target, staying in that range for a certain period of time, and then hitting the A button) really helps you get position on your enemy and shoot him down. I imagine the anime interludes are lifted from the show/movie, and they definitely look as if you were watching them as a show, and not a video game. Graphically, I see nothing to fuss about with this game. Background objects look pretty good, and there are plenty of things going around in front of you. Screen isn't choppy and doesn't hesitate even when it gets crowded.

I was looking into getting this since it's cheap and I love Ace Combat.

So I enjoy reading your impressions Thomas.

@Thomas: Glad I could help with Okami! And thank you for the impressions! Sounds really cool. So...the nunchuck controls things well? That's good to hear, most of the time in other games it isn't the most trustworthy thing to say the least =P

Does it support Classic Controller or anything ?

AlexSays: Thanks. It most definitely plays like Ace Combat so you'll feel right at home.

Popyman: I think the nunchuck/remote setup works pretty well. They (Project Aces) certainly made complex maneuvers easy to handle as well with the built-in presets too.

ILVG: According to the box and the 42 page manual (yeah, it's thick) it supports the following control types:
1. Wiimote+Nunchuck (Beginner & Normal Mode) - when you ease up, it automatically levels the plane off
2. Wiimote+Nunchuck (Expert Mode) - allows for tighter turns, more control on yaw & pitch, more difficult to control (obviously)
3. Classic Controller (L stick is primary flight control)
4. Gamecube Controller (Control stick is primary flight control)

@Thomas Thanks man. I might have to get this after I get done with Ace Combat 5.

Thank @Thomas!

No worries. Glad to write down my impressions. I haven't bought many PS2 games lately, but after playing this game, I'm going back and buying all the Ace Combat games I can get my hands on.

I've read that the "movie clips" are all original material, not lifted from any show/movie ... which makes it all the more impressive (IMO). I hope that if this game continues to play as well as it has started out, that Project Aces has a sequel in mind.

My Amazon Review:

Let me begin by saying that if you have ever played the Ace Combat franchise which was wildly popular on the PS2, you will be familiar with the format of this game. Why? Because the people who make the Ace Combat franchise, Project Aces, made this game. Therefore, if you love playing Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies, you will more than likely love this game. If you didn't like playing any of the Ace Combat series, this game may not be for you. With that said, while there are many similarities in game play, the first thing that separates the two is the flight controls. You are given three options with which to control your plane. The two "side options" are to use the Wii Classic Controller or a Official Nintendo Classic Gamecube / Wii Controller, however the primary focus is on the Wiimote and Nunchuck. The game suggests you use the nunchuck in your dominant hand, which is the reverse of most games on the Wii, so it may take some getting used to. Tilting the nunchuck up or down will make you climb or dive respectively, while titling it right or left will make you bank/turn in that direction. If you play the game on the Hard difficulty setting, you're given some extra control on pitch/yaw of your plane by tilting right or left allowing for tighter turns, but making it harder to control (as one would expect). The C button on the nunchuck allows you to cycle through your available weapons, and the Z button is for firing the selected weapon. With the Wiimote, tilting upwards results in acceleration, the B button is for braking, and the A button allows you to execute a special move called "TMC" (tactical maneuver command) which, if you're within a suitable range of your target, may allow you to get on their six and attack. It should be noted that this does not work against all enemies, and you have to be within, and maintain, close contact with the target before initiating. The control stick on the nunchuck allows for special maneuvers as well, mostly for evasion. There are eight such maneuvers in total, and you will earn them as you progress in the game.

The game comes with four main sections. There is a tutorial which allows you to learn the ropes and can be completed within 10 minutes. There is the Story Mode which is the bulk of the game, and then a Free Play mode which will allow you to play the missions again once you've unlocked them in story mode. There are initially three difficulty settings to choose from for game play: Easy, Normal, Hard. You start out with access to one plane, with others unlocking as you progress. Based on your performances, you earn points which will allow you to modify your unlocked airplanes and weaponry. When starting a mission, you are brought to the mission room where you will be shown a map of the targets and area in which the combat will take place. The mission will be explained in detail, and then you will be given free reign to scan over the map, zooming in and out to look at the positioning of you and your enemies. When you are done, you are brought to the hangar where you pick your airplane, your secondary weaponry, and then the mission begins. The HUD is fairly extensive, giving you a radar to track your enemy in the lower lefthand corner. A compass is at the top of the screen, and the upper righthand side gives you your status on the amount of secondary weapons you have remaining, as well as a mission counter to let you know if you are succeeding or in danger of failure. Speed and altitude gauges are then found in the lower righthand corner. The similarities with Ace Combat really appear at the end of the mission when, immediately upon finishing you review your kills, and given several options with which to view them. Once you are done reviewing the kills, you are shown the route you and your enemies took throughout the stage as moving colored arrows. Both of these are throwbacks to the Ace Combat system. Combat is intense, and the sky can get quite littered with friendlies and enemies. The backgrounds are detailed, and even when things get crowded the framerate does not drop, stutter, or otherwise indicate that your system is struggling to handle the load. The game is smooth throughout, and thoroughly enjoyable.

The missions are broken up by interludes which advance the original storyline of the game. While the game is inspired by the show/movie The Sky Crawlers, this is supposedly a novel story arc. These interludes are of high quality, and look like you were watching an anime show on television. You are set in a world where there is no war, but the people are restless. Companies have taken to staging life and death battles in the skies, televised (and you hear the announcers over your radio as you dogfight) for the enjoyment of the world. You are Lynx, one of the fighter pilots of the Rostock airforce, and you are introduced in the early stages to the newest recruits to your company ... all of whom are children.

Overall the game is great fun. Graphically, both in combat and with the interludes, this game excels. The combat experience is intense (even at the easier difficulty settig), and the controls while daunting at first are easy to master. It helps that Project Aces made the more difficult moves pre-set with the nunchuck and wiimote, as this cuts down on the learning curve, but is done in such a way that it won't allow you to cakewalk the game either. On a ten scale, this game is easily an 8, more likely a 9, and a 10 for people who crave flight games. It is rated Teen, but is suitable for children 9 and up. There is no profanity and the violence is limited to shooting down planes. It is a single player game, and does not have online connectivity, but they are not missed with this title. An excellent game that cannot be recommended highly enough.

I've greatly enjoyed this game, and am now playing through it again on normal(first play through was on easy). My only real complaint is that there are only 17 missions, although on the mission select screen it shows one more, which I have no idea how to get. The thing is, 17 missions is a pretty good amount, its just that it is so addicting it goes by pretty quick. The amount of planes also greatly surpassed my expectations, and I believe I still have 4 to unlock even after beating the game once. You'll find yourself sticking with a few certain planes though, as a lot of the ones in the beginning of the game are replaced by waaaay better planes. I tend to stick with the Sanka Mark ll, Shougu, and Skyly D.