Not to be unfair to Lethal Skies Elite Pilot: Team SW, a lot of initial and final comparisons were made to Namco's jet-fighting game, Ace Combat 4. Before I start though, I would like to formally shorten the name of this game in this review to Lethal Skies. In any air-combat game, there are only a few things that you can grade on it graphically. They are (in no particular order) how well the jet looks, the ground and terrain appearance, the targets (air and land) look and how amazing things look when you blow them up. Lethal Skies does really well on the 'jet look' part. Every jet from the F-14 to the menacing F-22 Raptor are recreated in splendid detail. Every piece of metal looks to be in place, while the wings flex their mighty muscles as payloads of real-enough missiles sit perched under them. When you gun the afterburners on, the throttles light up in extreme heat. The tail and wing rudders react as you turn or brake. These are probably the best jets I've seen in any video game. Period. The targets also look good, with everything from tanks on the ground to tankers in the sea. You can tell what you're shooting at, which I've always liked. If I'm strafing some tanks and troops, I want to be able to see all of that at 400 feet. Probably the only areas where Lethal Skies doesn't look as good as Ace Combat 4 is the terrain and explosions. Granted, the terrain on Lethal Skies looks decent with lots of distinct colors, and titanic mountains rising from the sea, but I would have liked a little more detail on the vegetation. Sparse greens made jungles and forests seem an add-on at best. The explosions, on the other hand, could have used a little more time. They are weak and 'poofy' at best, often times appearing as a yellow cloud of noise rather than anything being blown up. Picky points, I know, but since you spend a lot of time over jungles blowing stuff up, it could have been better.

The sound is what sound gurus like me live for. The explosions may look a little elementary, but they sound awesome! The whine of the turbine engines sounds different from jet to jet as well, making the experience a little different for each jet. Radar's beep, and warning bleep as enemy missiles bare down on you. The soft 'budda-budda' of your machine guns perfectly leads to a frantic force of sound, as you hit the magazine of a destroyer parked at dock. Even taking off and landing sound perfect as your engine climbs to a steady pace on takeoff, and your wheels dig in to the runway, audibly thanking you that they made it back on the ground again. The music is done well, but I don't know if it totally goes with this type of game. It was kind of an ambient/techno kind of thing that didn't distract me from the mission, but it didn't help me in the mission at all. It's not very adrenaline pumping, which when you're flying in a jet, you need. I turned the music off, and took out my Top Gun soundtrack to listen to Highway to the Danger Zone.

It seems like a wacko story at first glance, but it plays out very well. The polar ice caps have melted, thus putting the world in a hoopla. You are part of 'Team SW' from the World Alliance that is trying to stop the World Order Reorganization Front. Well, stopping them won't be easy, as it takes over 20 Missions to finally get the job done. There are basically only two modes that you can choose from. There's the Training Mode, which lets you get your feet wet with all this easy 'learn to fly billion dollar jet' stuff. I suggest that you do it, because if not, you'll have the hardest time taking off of carriers. I think the game actually asked me if I wanted a wetsuit, I ended up in the ocean so many times. The other mode is the Campaign Mode. This is where the salvation of Earth is left up to you and your team of pilots. I really liked that before a mission you could choose a co-pilot that flew alongside you. They each have different attributes, which can make them a sitting duck or a godsend based off of which mission you are currently in and its parameters. You can also change your fighter jet. As you progress in missions, if you've met certain criteria in the previous mission, you can unlock fighter jets. This is really nice, as you get bigger and faster jets as the game progresses. You also can change your missile armaments, from things that fly fast and lock on quick, to more powerful missiles that are slower. These slower missiles were always good for ship battles to me, as battleships are not fun to have shooting at you, but you need to hit them hard every chance you get. Before you fly each mission, you can select the difficulty level then. That leaves the Options Mode with not a lot but Sound Volume, Voice Volume and Control Setup. There is also a Replay Mode that lets you save your replays that you are most happy with, and watch them over and over so you gain a better appreciation of being a good pilot. I know that's how I feel.

Not very. Even the 'Hard' setting of the missions wasn't too difficult. Granted, you'll have to work for some kills. The Ace pilots know how to outmaneuver you, and those ground troops surely know to let you fly by before they fire a missile at your backside. But you get good at dodging missiles (not too difficult at all) quick, and learning how to roll left or right to get a good shot at another plane. The controls make it difficult in that they are really loose-feeling. When I want my plane to go somewhere, it often takes it a noticeable delay to do what I want it to. When you're trying to get a missile off quick, or turn on the air brakes, this delay could be frustrating. However, after five or six missions, you're adjusted to the delay, and you inadvertently factor it in to any decision. Still, I wish it wasn't there. Even when you get the tighter-controlling jets later on in the game, the issue still presents itself, which can demoralize all but the best of Earth's pilots.

Sweet, no load times. Actually there are some load times, but nothing too big. Memory Card usage is nice and low, especially since those Memory Cards aren't the least expensive thing at your local EB . The manual is one of the best manuals I've ever seen for a PS2 game, which says a lot. It explains everything. If you have a question after reading the manual, then consult your local Air Force recruiter, because it's nothing the game can answer. Again, the controls may make the game a little more difficult, but it's nothing so harrowing that you can't adjust.

Riot Rundown : Lethal Skies is a really good game. It just doesn't have those little extras to make it a great game. If you're new to the team of jets fighting legions of terrorists genre, then I would go after Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies first. But, if you already have that game and liked it, then you'll like this one as well. The story line is good and the gameplay is fun. It's got a lot of replay value as missions never get old. I think a little more time could have been spent to tighten the controls and pretty it up a bit, but for the most part, it's a solid PS2 title. I know all my friends love it, and I have smart friends.