Why Game? 1 - TextFiles.com

This high quality is a sign of the game that
follows. At every stage of the journey it betters
itself, reaching greater levels of craftsmanship
and enjoyment.
The animated intro depicts a beautiful,
Miyazaki-inspired, steampunk world of aerial
battles, huge airships and quaint villages. This
world is delivered to you through the voice of a
diva, singing as if she carried the dreams and
wishes of every inhabitant through her majes-
tic voice. It reminds us of the innocent days
before crude CG renders became standard. As
an added bonus, while the intro song is only
Japanese, American gamers have the choice of
choosing between dubbed voice acting for all
future cut-scenes, or Japanese dialogue with
subtitles. Even here, that dark cynicism which
dwells in all of us can come to the fore. How
many times have people viewed such painstak-
ingly created footage, only to find that the game
within betrays them?
Thankfully SkyGunner doesn’t rest on such
atmospheric styling, and it’s clear that Atlus
didn’t hold back when building the world seen
in the intro. Each of the two selectable charac-
ters [1] have unlimited free reign of the skies
in each stage. The ability to dive in and out of
intense dogfights while hurtling over a giant
flying piano becomes second nature, but be fast
because those crab-ships and flute biplanes will
soon be on your tail. Within minutes of starting
the opening level, not only will most people be
questioning why it hasn’t become mandatory for
all games to have sepia cut-scenes, but they’ll
be hit by the distinct style. This is not a gritty
war simulator, as even the villainous rogues
have an endearing side to them.
The temptation now is to create long lists
of many excellent things that can be experi-
enced during play, but anyone with an ardent
desire to convert others into playing this must
resist such foul temptation. It would do no
good to briefly skim through the facts: the AI
is dynamic and second to none, the levels and
goals are diverse, the wealth of extras to unlock.
[1] With three further to unlock.
No, if you were to explain these things to pos-
sible converts, you would have to explain them
individually.
It may be frustrating, but players need
to realize that unlike almost every other game
ever invented, your aerial comrades here never
do stupid things like get in your line of fire, ac-
cidentally kill you or somehow jeopardize your
mission. On the contrary, you can rely on them
to save your hide or paralyze a boss on several
occasions. Any mistakes the AI makes only low-
ers their personal scores at the end of a stage,
thereby allowing you first place and granting
extra bonus material.
Such material is well worth the perse-
verance. Who wouldn’t want extra playable
characters? Of course, explaining such facts
requires tact, since these procurable avatars are
not merely window decoration. Each comes with
their own set of stages, objectives, narratives
and special signature attacks. These too, will, of
course, require in-depth explanation when trying
to encourage people to partake in the “gaming
funs.” For the meantime let us move on.
It’s all about the system baby!
If up until this point you had been attempt-
ing to relay such information to someone else,
say on the train, while clutching their overcoat
in order to ensure their complete and utter at-
tention, they may at this point attempt to leave
your company. This is probably because such
Frustration in an Aerial Fantasy World: A Plea for SkyGunner on PS2 103