In an age when the first-person shooter is king it's nice to see that the old formulas still work so well. Sky Odyssey is a straightforward flying game. There are no guns. There are no bad guys. No-one is looking to take over the world, leaving you as the last, best hope for peace. This is a game of skill, pure and simple. Take one antique aircraft, add a host of fiendishly twisty-turny caves and canyons and throw some flight goals into the mix, and what you have is a delightfully simple yet utterly compelling gaming experience. There are several play-modes to Sky Odyssey, ranging from sky-writing challenges to a full adventure mode, in which the player attempts to navigate a path through tortuous conditions to discover the secret of a mist-shrouded island. It has to be said from the off that the graphics are disappointing for a machine as powerful as the PS2, with bland scenery at every turn; but the scenery soon takes a backseat to the gameplay, which is as challenging as any title yet to hit Sony's baby. The controls work surprisingly well; with no room for 50+ key combos the Dual Shock 2's left analogue stick controls the aircraft's roll, the icon buttons determine throttle and the shoulder buttons operate flaps and airbrakes. It's a delightfully simple system that becomes second nature in a short time. The real beauty of this game is its speed, which, while never too fast, is quick enough to make navigation in the tight confines of the underground cave systems and canyons really tricky. For extra variety landings on moving trains and aircraft carriers are thrown in.
All told, this is a very cool title that dares to be different and gets away with it. The graphics are a bit of a letdown, but if you can push that aside this is a game that will have you playing for weeks if not months--a must-have for those looking for something that breaks away from the norm. --Chris Russell
Login
Add tags