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Rating: 5/10 after 1 play
by Pier Giorgio Paglia & Andrea Angiolino
art unknown
publish Nexus/Fantasy Flight
Players: 2-4
Duration: 30 mins.
PACE: Quick. Since you don't know what the opponent will play, basically you just choose 3 cards that you think will put you in the best position possible.
COMPLEXITY: Light. The rules seem odd at first, but take no time to get into, and the game makes sense -- very videogameesque.
LUCK: High. Which is to say that players are unpredictable -- but there is also luck in the damage cards pulled: if you pull heavy damage from the deck, you die; if not, you live longer.
TENSION: Low. But it is kind of cool watching a plane enter your firing range and hoping he'll move close enough for a double damage.
VICIOUS: High. Umm...well, you are shooting people out of the sky, the gameplay is actually quite independant, of other players, so in that sense, it is not vicious at all. But there is player elimination -- a quality I do not like in a game.
SOCIAL: High. Light fun, easy breezy gameplay. And partners can coordinate.
VISUALS: Good. In fact, the planes look nice. The game does have a lousy box insert, and the player mats add a high and rather unnecessary pricetag to the game. Still the planes are nice, and the cards are simple and easy to read. The illustration have a very nice feel to them.
THEME: High. As we were playing, my friend noted that it felt like a video game -- and he meant it very complinetary. Watching a plane wheel around, and then another do an Immelman as the intersect and blast away is a nice touch.
GAMER APPEAL: Maybe. Lots of luck, but most gamers like wargames.
NON-GAMER APPEAL: Maybe. The spatial relationships of planes and card placement may hurt appeal a bit, but theme should make up for it. Somehow this game feels very American: player elimination, lots of exact unit movement, lots of luck.
2 PLAYERS: Yes. You'll want 2 planes each though.
REPLAY: Poor. I don't like this game tobegin with, so replay isn't much of an issue. Ultra simple, very lucky, and I'd rather just play Crimson Skies on Xbox. Some things are better on a console.
RATING: 5/10
I've played 1 time.
Good with 2-4 players.
Best with 4 players.
