New Crimson Skies Releases
Will This Altenate History Flying Shooter Be Made for the Xbox 360?
The original PC version of the FASA game showed players a cinematic 1930s aviation-dominated version of the United States. Will the franchise continue?
When FASA released the original Crimson Skies board game that featured dogfighting and daredevil pilots, they did not anticipate that FASA's computer division would be bought out by Microsoft. While the Redmond, Washington-based software company has done a good job on the high-flying adventure video games, the Microsoft programmers have not taken full advantage of the rich alternate history offered by the Crimson Skies universe.
The FASA and Wizkids versions of Crimson Skies are no longer available. The failure of the collectible miniatures version of the airplane dogfighting game made by Wizkids means that a fans of the original rules will not see a re-release of the original FASA rule set. The future of the console video game franchise is also questionable.
The Aviation Dominated World of Crimson Skies
Most of the airplane flight simulator propeller-driven flight simulators focus on the planes that fought over Europe and Japan during World War II. The appeal of the fighter airplanes like the Spitfire, the P-38 Lightning and the P-51 Mustang is undeniable, but most of the aircraft in Crimson Skies are based on real world airplanes of the late 1930s, although the weaponry and power of the aircraft have been upgraded to be more in line with the airplane technology that was developed during World War II.
What made the Crimson Skies titles unique for flight simulator video games is rather than being a World War II title or a title that focuses on modern airplanes, the games take place in an alternate history where the United States split up into smaller nations after the great depression. In the Crimson Skies universe, the new nation states vie for power and air pirates conduct daring raids on zeppelins.
Crimson Skies for the Xbox 360?
The last release in the series was Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge for the original Xbox. High Road to Revenge was considered the best Xbox live game in 2006, but rumors that a new Crimson Skies title would be released for Xbox 360 seem to be nothing more than scuttlebutt. Airplanes that are similar to the ones shown in the PC Xbox games may be seen in a different, newer dogfighting game. Legal reasons prevent the the programmers from giving their new dogfighting video game a Crimson Skies title.
Fans of Crimson Skies unmay be disappointed that Microsoft is slow to release a new sequel featuring Nathan Zacahary or any of the pilot bands the universe makes possible, but gamers who enjoy video games involving airplanes can take comfort in knowing that many of the programmers who worked on the PC and Xbox Crimson Skies titles are devoloping on a new cinematic dogfighting video game for the Xbox 360.
Sources:
Crimson Skies May Fly High Again
Crimson Skies Box Set, FASA, 1995.
Crimson Skies Box Set, Wizkids, 2004.
