I remember running out to buy Colony Wars for PlayStation, sitting down to play and realizing that the strange 'ass-kicking' feeling I was having just wasn't going away. In fact, time after time I was awed by the cool interface, dazzled by the great controls and attention to detail but pretty much shim-shammed by the crazy-hard AI and lack of save points. But, flight combat action rocks. So, what could possible be wrong with stretching the flight-combat genre to include jousting on giant dragons? Well, not the graphics or sound. bam! Entertainment did a great job of creating a world that, much like Colony Wars, pulls you in and makes you feel like you're really there. There probably wasn't as much Heavy Metal music back in those times (like, King Arthur slash Excaliber times, man!), but the mood is dead-on for all the dragon-loving, hard-rocking, Anne McCaffrey fans out there. The graphics are sharp, and although the level of detail in the background and the contrast sometimes leaves a bit to be desired (enemies and especially power-ups can be indistinct at times) the different feel of each level and locations you'll fly in makes Savage Skies an interesting experience. Gamers who like the flight-combat genre but are looking for something other than Star Wars, Star Trek derivatives and fighter-jet or helicopter games may find this is right up their alley. But, while the graphics are nice to behold, the action in Savage Skies feels bogged down and too slow-mo to really captivate fans of other twitchy titles in this genre. So, what we end up with is a lot of eye candy that one would only expect from a console like PS2 as window dressing on a game that feels more than average because it's unique, but barely average compared to everything else you could be spending money on. The music is interesting if only for the fact that we don't hear such hard-rocking cuts in videogames too often, compared to the prevalence of Techno and various Electronica styles. But, you had better be ready for a BIG dose of rock, people.

Savage Skies is built around a story worthy of any good Fantasy writer's annual salary. Oh, those guys only make like 8 bucks an hour? Well, let me put it another way. For a game that is all about flying around on dragons and blowing crap up, Savage Skies spins a lot of yarn and makes each mission mean something. You're not just completing an objective, you're fulfilling another piece of the greater mission to restore a deposed king and bring peace to the land! The story is inventive, and with three different Campaigns to explore in Single Player Mode, you have different perspectives on the action. After a plot to kill the King succeeded, the land is split into 3 parts. Each faction has its own character and a hero that represents it in the skies. What nobody realizes is that while the King may not have corporeal form, he is still present in spirit form, split in three pieces. And - you guessed it - each of the three heroes representing a faction is fighting both for his agenda and the possibility of carrying the King's legacy of rulership forward under a new flag. You have a chance to play each of 3 campaigns, characterized by 8-10 missions you'll fly under orders from your leader. The themes vary according to the spirit of the faction you're fighting for, but you'll play as both good and bad, riding dragons that may take the classic giant-lizard form or be represented by a grotesque oddity that looks like something out of a Stephen King novel.

Several dozen dragons are available, and calling them dragons only goes to the classic definition of a dragon as a giant, flying monster. You'll fly giant pigs, rats and demons, graceful Pegasus or owl dragons and others too strange to describe. Each dragon brings at least 2 attack powers and sometimes special moves or abilities that can be unlocked during missions. Apart from stock moves, you'll be able to grab power-ups in each level that can affect offense or defense and give you the edge in combat. Don't think you'll be exploring too much, because the objectives for each level are timed and often difficult. Primary objectives must be completed to consider the level a success, and secondary objectives exist to give you special rewards and open up bonus areas or creatures. In fact, even once you unlock a creature, secondary objectives can be used to unlock variations on that creature. Apart from Single Player, other modes include an excellent Training section that introduces you to the mechanics of flying your creature, attacking enemies and completing missions. And, lest we forget Multiplayer Mode, you can have another friend join you in cooperative gaming or 2 competitive modes. Nothing quite as robust as Capture the Flag or 'Who has the Bomb' modes is available, but you get to fly around and compete for quickest kills or most number of kills within any arena or creature you've unlocked in Single Player Mode.

Each creature has particular strengths and weaknesses, but you'll not have the chance to find a favorite creature and use it again and again and again. Basically, in keeping with the progression of the story and being true to the idea of creatures that resemble the spirit of the land they fight for, you'll be given a dragon for each mission. You learn that certain dragons fit your style and others don't, so it's too bad the choice of at least 2 or 3 mounts for each mission isn't available. I think the level of difficulty will discourage a number of people who might otherwise enjoy the game a great deal, and I think there was a missed opportunity to position Savage Skies effectively for people who don't want to fly jet planes or helicopters or X-Wing Fighters exactly for the reason that the action is too frantic. Instead, we end up with a number of missions that are just way too hard and dragons that are anything but frantic. The enemy AI is so relentless that no amount of 'smart' flying seems to shake them off your tail. Luckily, the enemy position and approach in each mission is nothing if not predictable, so you'll be able to adjust your strategy over time to reign supreme. Still, the generally slow feeling of flying dragons combined with frustrating and difficult missions hurts Savage Skies a great deal. And speaking of damage, who decided this needed a Mature rating?

One of the weakest elements of Savage Skies is the engine. The performance of the game's engine would be fine for a beta or demo version, but there are some real issues in speed and response that can't be ignored. I appreciate the hint in the manual about dragons maneuvering 'much better at low speeds than high speeds,' but what I saw was a lumbering creature that was never fast and didn't maneuver well at low OR high speed! No delicacy in movement is present, and the sad part is you would naturally expect a dragon to be more maneuverable than a plane. As it is, most of the dragons feel about as nimble as a big bomber-plane in some average WWII flight-combat game. I would have thought we could get a really fast flight combat game or a moderately difficult 'arcade' flying game, and Savage Skies should have been able to provide the right experience for us. As things stand, you'll find that if you enjoy the theme you'll probably be able to overlook the slow action. Much of the difficulty is not just tough enemy AI, but the struggle to avoid enemies and enemy fire steering a dragon that moves like a Lincoln Towncar.

Mastering flight control is easy, and the toughest button combos you'll need to learn are for special attacks. Analog controls, including the L3 button (depressed left analog stick) control most of the moves and button presses control weapon firing or attacks. By holding down the triangle-button, you can convert your attack power into a seeker-missile style projectile that locks on targets and takes them out. Other controls affect target selection, flight speed and even ground controls for walking around. The difficulty in adjusting speed was a quandry in Colony Wars, where you were constantly gunning the throttle and hitting the brakes to adjust for a target. Savage Skies doesn't find a good way to simplify controls, and doesn't seem to have made the effort to address its technical issues. With a fast, elegant interface you might not mind, but the clunky controls encourage you to throw your controller at the wall instead of going back through the training session again.

I've been a passive but interested party in the development of this genre for PlayStation. Most flight-combat games have some nice things to offer, and are entertaining at least. Savage Skies brings a unique perspective on gameplay to the table, and it wins points for originality of story and execution. Where things fall apart is under the hood; poor control issues and a doggy engine leave us with a game that catches our eye but fails to win our hearts. Good for a rental and a play with your buddy, but don't approach this one thinking you're getting the definitive flight-combat game.