SkyGunner Review - VGLN.com PS2 Reviews

With a distinctly anime art style and solid gameplay, SkyGunner is a game that you have likely not heard of but should definitely NOT pass up.

This years E3 was full of super hyped mega titles for all gaming platforms. You had Final Fantasy XI for the PS2, Dead to Rights for the Xbox, and Super Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube all making their first U.S debuts. All of the games above were excellent titles to play, even in their beta forms on the E3 floor, and it was easy to see why these games attracted some large crowds on at the show. However there were a few games that were excellent in their own right but didn't have as much hype built into their foundations. One of those games was SkyGunner from Atlus. Atlus usually has a fairly small booth compared to many of the other exhibitors at E3 (although it is strategically placed near the Media Center…), but don't mistake booth size for a lack of content. Atlus usually brings a gem or two to every E3, at least the ones I've been to. Last year it was Super Dodge Ball for the GBA, this year it was SkyGunner.

The Story

SkyGunner's basic premise has you in the role of, not surprisingly, a "SkyGunner". These are people(with tails) in the game who have the job of piloting special, highly maneuverable and deadly aircraft called “Gunners” to protect the skies of the world's major towns and cities. There are three gunners in the game; Ciel, Copain, and Femme. The game starts you off in the role of one of the three gunners, each with their own craft, and storyline (talk about expansive gameplay). Once you pick one, the other two automatically become your wingmen, which is fair enough.

All is going well for the three gunners until the game's primary antagonist, Ventre (think Doctor Robotnik but shorter and fatter), decides that he's going to steal a very valuable engine from an expo in Ciel's hometown of Rive. Ventre has a large armada of airships and fighters and it's up to Ciel, Copain, and Femme to fend them off.

My what beautiful art style you have...
The first thing you will notice about SkyGunner is the interesting graphics style that the designers have decided to use for the game. Yes, it still uses polygons but most of the objects and characters are either flat shaded or gouraud shaded. Textures are used on the backdrops and scenery in the game, but the simply shaded character models give the game a distinct anime style look which works quite nice. Don't let the simply graphics style fool you though, this game has a powerful graphics engine backing it. Some of the environments are just expansive which makes sense since all of the game takes place in the sky. Not only are the environments huge but the amount of objects that can be on screen at one time is impressive. There can be literally hundreds of fighters, gunners, and airships in the skies and the game’s engine still seemed to maintain 60 fps except in the most extreme of circumstances. Coupled with some insane weaponry and particle effects, the action gets very visually hectic at times. Not seizure inducing, but very colorful and chaotic. In the graphics department, SkyGunner gets a thumbs up.

The cinematics at the end of each chapter are presented in a manga style of comic slides with voice overs. It works out really well.

Gameplay

SkyGunner, as stated before, is played 100% of the time in the air. Full control is given to the player. This game isn't run on a rail ala Starfox, but you have complete control of your aircrafts position in the sky at anytime, fully 3D. With such expansive environments, and with hundreds of enemy ships on screen, the whole experience has the potential to get very confusing. Luckily the clever designers at Atlus have thought this out and have given you some powerful options that bring order to chaos. One of them is the auto-lock feature. SkyGunner has a camera that follows all the action. There is no searching for enemies. Simply press the △ button to instantly find them. This isn't anything new by any means but you would be surprised at find the number of developers who fail to recognize the importance of a feature like this. The auto-lock in this game works much like the Z-Trigger targeting worked in Zelda 64. You hit the targeting button and the camera's viewpoint focuses on your target. Now this changes things from the player’s point of view. Instead of controlling your fighter in full 3D from the behind the back view (the traditional view of control for most 3D flight sims), now you must control your vehicle while your viewpoint is focused on the target at hand. You'll have to orientate your ships forward guns towards the target to do any damage, but the system works fine because your target is in view at all times and gives you a good view to avoid any possible attacks from your target enemy. It might take some time getting used to, but after a mission or two it becomes second nature.

The weapons targeting system also provides for some fancy shooting options for the gunners. Some special weapons such as the Fireworks missile can target multiple enemies. This is called a "chain" and it increases your score a lot more than a single enemy take down. Try using chains whenever possible because sometimes high scores grant your gunner special weapons and additions.

Another option the gunners have is the use of special moves. Each gunner has their own unique special move. Femme, the only female gunner in the game, has the unique special ability of turning on a dime towards the closest enemy. This ability is useful when you need to eliminate enemies in a quick and timely fashion. It also helps get enemies off your tail. Be warned however, repeated usage of your special ability will overheat your gunner. A special gauge on your screen will tell you when you're close to overheating.

Once you have the basics of gameplay, the real fun comes in the mission objectives. Most of the objectives have you taking down Ventre's airships or defending against them. Personally, this reviewer enjoyed the boss battles most. The bosses in this game are some of the most creative ever seen in a game and they take creative tactics to beat. One of the bosses, Vainqueur Sage (50 foot tall battle bot) is programmed by Ventre to steal a valuable artifact from one of the towns in the game. Beating this boss takes a lot of effort from both the player and friendly A.I. Seemingly invincible, you'll have to attack it in a certain way to inflict damage. As a tip, the shoulders are the weakness.

The boss battles are spectacular. The spider machine from "Wild Wild West" even managed to make a cameo appearance.

SkyGunner on the whole was very fun. Although some missions were repetitive, the game never really got old. It has some of the best presentation values of any recent game I've gotten on my desk lately. At the conclusion of each chapter (there are 5 per character), Manga styled cinematics, and in game cut-scenes present pieces of the storyline and add a welcome break from the hectic air battles that SkyGunner will take you through.

Solid gameplay, and refined play mechanics make SkyGunner a winner. Coupled with a unique but pleasing graphics style and a serviceable storyline, SkyGunner is a game that is both worthy of your time and dollar. Pick this one up now, especially if you're an anime fan into 3D action shooters.

--- Jolex Del Pilar, The Big Boss

	Gameplay: [9.0] Exciting battles and well thought out mission objectives highlight a solid effort.
	Graphics: [9.3] Simple but powerful, SkyGunner's unique graphics style is a step in the right direction.
	Sound: [8.0] I preferred the subtitles with Japanese speaking but the american voice acting isn't that bad. Good music and sound effects.
	Presentation: [9.5] Excellent presentation. Manga styled cinematics are creatively done.
	Replay Value: [8.5] Although the single player campaigns of each gunner are relatively small, combined they make for a lengthy gaming experience.
	Global Score: [9.0] SkyGunner is a great addition to anyone's PS2 library. Highly recommended.

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