Caltrops - Deleted Posts





	[quote name="Funkula"]This game is a sequel to the PC game of several years ago. In both, you play Nathan Zachary, an air pirate in an alternate-history 1930s. Funky retro-futuristic plane designs abound, and all commerce is conducted with zeppelins. GAMEPLAY: The game has been simplified somewhat from its PC incarnation. No longer can you build planes to your custom specs, nor are there ammo types. However, the lack of custom construction means none of the cheese of the first (i.e. removing the 2-3 excess guns and maxing out armor) and the ammo types have been replaced with a variety of different types of secondary weapons varying by plane, including standard homing missiles, chainguns, shotguns, napalm rockets, and even a nifty Tesla cannon. Furthermore, the already arcade-like physics have been simplified even further. If realistic flight models fuel your boner, you may want to look elsewhere. SINGLE PLAYER: The campaign is a good bit shorter than it should have been. However, the story is pretty cool and conveys the flavor of the setting. Still, it should have lasted more than 9 hours. The main area this game improves on the single player of the previous is its inclusion of boss battles. These are mostly a bit of a challenge and require a few tries to complete. Additionally, the designs for bosses are quite cool. These include a tank on spider legs, a flame-spouting mechanical caterpillar, a zeppelin that immobilizes other zeppelins with tesla weaponry and then mulches them in a huge grinder, and the titanic final boss, a three-hulled zep with two of the mulchers and a weather machine spawning tornados from its underside. Overall, the single player is very fun but should have been longer. MULTIPLAYER: This game comes with a two-month free demo of Live. In short, this is the game that will finally convince me to purchase Live. Multiplayer includes straight and team DM, CTF (excellent and definitely different with planes), King of the Hill, and a mode similar to UT2003's Bombing Run. I haven't played it extensively, but it is great so far. I've tried every game mode, and so far CTF seems the most interesting since the different planes give it a class-based feel. Predictably, the online community has formed a consensus as to which planes pwn and which are gay, but they're too worked up about it. Balance seems to be pretty solid. GRAPHICS AND SOUND: Both are executed beautifully. The graphics are par for Xbox-only games, and the smoke and fire effects are downright pretty. The Sea Haven level has great water, particularly when flying into the sunrise. Furthermore, the frame-rate is solid throughout. Sound effects are competent, though unremarkable, but the music is well orchestrated and contributes to the swashbuckling atmosphere nicely. STYLE: This is the stand-out area of the game. Everything about it oozes pulp-hero superscience cool. Given that it features: 1. Tesla weaponry 2. Zeppelins it scores automatic cool points. Music, voice acting, visual design, and story are all executed with attention to style. PROS: -fun single player -fun multiplayer -great voice acting -stylish visual design -good music CONS: -single player is too short -Nathan Zachary's voice actor changes from the original -lack of plane customization CONCLUSION: If you like arcade flight games with lots of style, this is a great game. If you like zeppelins, this is a great game. If you like well-proportioned men in leather flightsuits trading vaguely homosexual banter, this could be the wank material you've been looking for. 8.5/10[/quote]