SOFTWARE REVIEW

Communications Report:

Lethal Skies II

Category:
Flight Simulation

Players:
1 - 2

Type/#:
CD / 1

Graphics and Sound:

With arcade style gameplay, Lethal Skies II doesn't need the type of graphics to rival flight sims the likes of Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator. Instead, the things you see most often, your plane, the cockpit, the landscape, are given more attention to detail. Other things, like ground targets that you never really get that close to, suffer from a cutback on graphics.

Being originally a Japanese game, Lethal Skies II doesn't quite deliver the audio experience that American audiences are used to. The music is a poor derivative of the Top Gun soundtrack, and the dialog is vague, poorly timed, and usually downright useless. On the other hand, the sound effects are pretty solid, and fortunately will be filling your speakers more often than the dialog. The music is another story, but at least you get to pick your poison every time you go into a mission.

Gameplay:

Lethal Skies II comes flying along the same vein as games like Ace Combat. It features arcade style flight sim action without the huge learning curve that is inherent in hardcore flight simulators. Over the top action and less-than-accurate flight mechanics are the name of the game here, a formula that actually adds up to a little bit of fun.

Lethal Skies II takes place during 20XX at the height of what seems like World War III. A convoluted story line that seems a little too outlandish to ever actually happen drives you from mission to mission. Overall there are about 20 of these, along with 19 different airplanes that you can unlock and fly on any mission.

Though each airplane you can fly is designed after a real piece of military machinery, some of the enemy designs you'll face seem a little out of left field. Tanks with legs and walking robots that look like something out of Star Wars are just a few of the baddies you'll have to dismantle with your lethal armaments.

Not much is offered beyond this initial game feature. There are a few extra levels you can unlock on higher difficulty settings, and some of the last planes can only be unlocked by beating the game on Hard. A 2-Player mode is also offered, but the matches are limited to either Deathmatch or Time Trial, each offering little in replay value.

Difficulty:

A firm understanding of the physics of high altitude dog fighting is not needed to be good at Lethal Skies II. The game's arcade style controls and pacing of the game make it easy for anyone to pick up a controller and go at it. Some of the later missions can get pretty tough, especially on higher difficulty settings, but there aren't any real stumpers along the way.

Game Mechanics:

Going into each mission requires minimal setup, which involves picking an armament for your plane, and then picking your wingmen and their planes as well. Once that's over and done with, it's on to the action. The game is easily played with a controller, and allows you to pick from a variety of different views, some useful, some worthless.

Because you are taking some high tech pieces of aeronautical equipment into the air, the controls haven't been dumbed down to third grader quality. Instead, this scheme is about as close as you're going to get to a real sim without going overboard. The first thing you'll notice is the HUD, which is chock full of stuff to look at. However, most of the readouts don't need your attention 100 percent of the time, and the more important ones let you know when something's up.

All in all, Lethal Skies II adds up to a quality gaming experience. Plenty of planes, missions, weapons, and a bit of replayability land this title at a safe distance from other clones of the genre. If you're in the mood for some decent aerial warfare, check out Lethal Skies II.