SkyDrift Videogame Review

Review by Stephanie Lee on http://ps3.ign.com/articles/119/1193492p1.html

Digital Reality's SkyDrift left the release runway with a barely audible media pop and slipped past a lot of radars when it hit PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade earlier in the week. That's a shame; SkyDrift deserves more attention, as it's actually a rad sky-racing game.

Many of you might pass by SkyDrift because of the airplane adorning the cover, but do not confuse this with a flight simulator or your run-of-the-mill airplane-racing game. It certainly contains all the typical ingredients of a sky-racer: a total of eight planes with varying stats, a hodgepodge of race modes, a healthy competition for first place, post-race medals, and aerial mines... wait, what? Oh right, I forgot to mention the wacky Mario Kart-esque premise at play here.

SkyDrift wholeheartedly encourages not-so-friendly competition, to the point of condoning blasting opponents out of the sky to gain the lead. Even its personal mantra reads: "If you can't overtake them, shoot them down!"

Though you contend with natural obstructions and seven other competitors, the real danger lurks in the power-ups that you or your opponents can snatch up. Miss out on that red missile power-up? Just pray that the opportunist behind you doesn't exploit your folly by stuffing your tail-end with the very missile you hoped to turn loose on the guy in front of you. You can never get too comfortable passing someone either, but you're not helpless in all of this either; you can raise shields to repel oncoming attacks, release shockwaves to counteract missiles, or even repair structural damage.

And power-ups upgrade when you collect two of the same one. It'll likely take a few races for you to identify power-ups on-sight -- and a few more to learn the best strategic applications -- but once you get the hang of it, SkyDrift's items help to fill every moment with sweat-dropping tension, right up to the finish line.

The controls for unleashing these terrorizing acts are solid and simple: You can boost, brake, switch between two dedicated power-up slots, perform sharper turns by engaging the second thumbstick. The barrel roll, however, doesn't feel as natural to pull off, and it's rather superfluous; it switches the plane's position, setting it up to more easily tackle direction changes. Oftentimes, I just found myself losing control of the plane instead. It definitely takes practice to get used to.

Digital Reality clearly poured a lot of effort into crafting each course: The environment details and designs are superb, supported by a good mixture of appropriate musical tracks. You fly through jungle ruins, careen over molten lava, slip past narrow rocky slits, and knife through valleys with a grace that is exceedingly rare for an arcade racer. The six unique tracks (and their reverse counterparts) are well designed; some minor jagged edges and visual rough spots crop up on occasion, but the real danger is the landscapes' overall look -- get too distracted ogling the pretty sights, and you just might need to prep for a crash-landing.

Composure willing, you can fly through the single-player campaign in about two hours, though SkyDrift's unlockables and variable difficulty levels afford it some replayability. You can also unlock a great selection of airplanes to take to the multiplayer skies, and test your racing mettle against human players -- at least, when you can find people to play against. On PSN, I found fewer matches than I'd have liked -- and only against one other person, a less-than-ideal number for a good multiplayer experience. I was able to compete with a few more players on Xbox Live. When games get going, multiplayer is where the thrill of racing truly lives. The lack of a local split-screen option is a bummer, though. Fortunately, even if you can't find someone online, the A.I. still knows how to throw down.

Closing Comments

All told, SkyDrift is a pleasant surprise and an impressive feat from Digital Reality. Something's just beautifully chaotic about the savagery of nailing other planes amidst serene-looking landscapes. This is a fun, arcade-style racer that offers surprising depth and rewards smart play. If you're a fan of racing games or picking other planes out of the sky, SkyDrift is definitely worth checking out.