Deadly Skies 3

Richard takes to the skies with Konami's latest

Just imagine soaring through a clear blue sky at the speed of sound. Sitting comfortably inside a MIG fighter with nicely decorated interior, sounds from 'The Only 1980's Music Compilation You Will Ever Need' blaring out from the cockpit boom box. Yes we have entered the realm of the fighter pilot-em-up, the most masculine job occupation ever. Deadly Skies 3 is the latest in a long line of erratically enjoyable arcade shooters, stretching back to the legendary days of Afterburner. Like a demented bat out of hell, it flies in the face of what we all know and define 'fun' to be. So does this mean it is actually any good?

Konami have brought this game to the Playstation 2 after seeing previous incarnations appear on the Dreamcast (RIP) and that deathstar device known as the Xbox. Both received goodish reviews at the time, although on the PS2 Deadly Skies 3 has to compete with the prestigious Namco Ace Combat series. Now this is considered a very good example of the genre, it hits the right combination of arcade thrills and simulation. Unfortunately, DS3 has trouble keeping up the pace.

As it loads and the initial loading screen appears, you know you are in trouble. The interface has a vague, anime style charm to it but is inescapably very basic. Next the player is introduced to a host of motley characters, all appearing as comic book like stills. Here in the story mode you are suddenly hit with a rather unexpected RPG element to the game. However, it feels a tad out of place and appears rushed. This is where the problems begin, when the other game characters begin interacting with you. Heck, there is a large barrel-load of dialogue in this game. You thought Metal Gear Solid was bad? Each stereotypical character has some wiseass comment to make and female representation is seemingly hurtled back to before the days of the suffragette movement. It is not all bad though and sometimes it verges upon being a fairly enterprising add-on to the genre, tapping into the keen rivalry shown to exist between fighter pilots and represented in many a classic 1980's film. If only they had a more of a parody 'Hot Shots' style approach to the plot, they may have been onto a winner.

You play as the reluctant hero, Ken Thomas. Right from the very start as the lengthy first level introduction begins, his aloofness is startlingly apparent. "Can't anyone else go?" Our champion hero Ken sulkily states, in response to a request to go out and save the world. A nice touch, I feel and one that actually adheres me to the protagonist. Then it is all systems go! You get a large and detailed range of authentic aircrafts to ride in, each opening up as you progress through the 60 odd missions.

You get a shop to upgrade or sell your aircraft, or buy a new one and special weapons. Alternatively, you can just have a friendly chat with the guy behind the counter; Harvey Garret, who tries to combat some of the logical deficiencies in the game but fails miserably. "What do you mean, why does it cost money?" He rhetorically asks himself, before proceeding to explain how he can get you planes and weapons that the army cannot. "I do have to be careful not to get caught, though. You should watch yourself, too" he advises, discussing the fact that he is an arms dealer, dealing in hardware too powerful for conventional armies! Suffice to say, none of it makes much sense.

The mission structures vary between standard air combat, to escorting trains and bombing missions. Really, there is little difference between the missions. They are simplistic and not different enough to keep the player interested. As control systems go, DS3 is a rather standard affair. The planes are generally quite responsive and react well depending upon their various attributes such as weight, size, speed etc. There are over 150 planes available to choose from, ranging from WW2 classics to the latest hybrid fighters. Each offers a brief, if rather superficial slice of variation to the game play, as do the 20 odd pilots that the player gets to control throughout the game.

Highway to the Pension Home

I'm not going to beat around the apple cart so I must tell you, loyal reader, that Deadly Skies is very slow. Slow like watching grass grow through the eyes of a fly. The perception of speed in such a game can make or break it and it never seems to materialize here. Richly modeled fighter planes seem to float around and the scenery passes at a snails pace. Thusly, the graphics do not appear to push the decaying technology of the PS2 in any significant manner; environments are generally sparse and ground infrastructure is usually a rather pixilated affair. Other sea-based levels are a small improvement and tend to appear more realistic, fitting comfortably with the skillfully textured aircrafts. Likewise, this game does not receive many props for its audio either, although the effects and music have a familiar arcade charm.

Now perhaps this is just something that only bothers me, but I have never thought arcade games of the nature of Afterburner transfer well to home systems. There is definitely something lost in the translation, perhaps it is the disjointed technology behind the hydraulic movement of the arcade cabinet. Regardless of which, it has to be a better than great game to be fun at home, without the novelty of sitting in a badly put together cockpit with burberry capped kids pointing at you and laughing. So have the band of development wizards at Konami done enough to ensure this game will reinvent the genre? Unfortunately not, this is for die-hard fans only and anyone else will inevitably play it for a few days before discarding it to the back of their game collection. Konami, what are you playing at?

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By Richard Pomfret