Skydrift Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Dev: Digital Reality
Pub: Digital Reality
Release: September 6, 2011
Players: 1-8
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Mild Violence

The music is your standard fare that has been showcased in just about every game of this sort since the PSOne era: screaming guitar riffs over frantic drums with the occasional string accompaniment. But I don't mean that as a complaint; the music fits the game quite well, in my opinion.

Skydrift Screenshot

What doesn't quite work for me is the narrator. At some points he gets so excited that he sounds as if his microphone is clipping, causing his voice to be a bit distorted, and at others his voice sounds emotionless and robotic. If either of these things were consistent, it wouldn't be much of a complaint. But throughout the game, the voice work sort of bounces between these two, while sounding remarkably clear in some other places. However, there is only a substantial amount of voice work in the tutorial, and after that, it's sort of left to those little reminder phrases like "You're in first place!" and "Final Lap!" If you skip the tutorial entirely, you won't even notice the inconstancy. And really, if the only complaint I have with a downloadable title is that the narrator sounds a bit weird, that stands as testament to the high overall quality of the rest of the package.

Skydrift is an enjoyable experience with a low price tag, a substantial amount of content, smooth controls, and breathtaking environments, and all this is remarkably polished for such a low entry price. Hopefully the online community is able to survive over the long term, because this is a game that could be almost endlessly enjoyable with its multiplayer races.

By Josh Wirtanen
CCC Editor / Contributing Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.7

Graphics
Is this a downloadable game? It's absolutely gorgeous.

4.3

Control
The controls are smooth and fairly simple. After a few races, you'll be flying like a pro.

3.7

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music and sound effects aren't groundbreaking, but they're appropriate. At times, the voice work is inconsistent.

3.9

Play Value
Plenty of race types, a decent campaign, and online multiplayer will keep you coming back—if the community survives.

4.2

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

Eight Modern Planes to Fly: Choose from eight modern, state-of-the art airplanes turned into killing machines, each with four different skins for a total of 32 unique racing skins.

Six Power-ups! Capture up to two different powers in your plane's arsenal, then collect upgrades to increase the strength of those existing powers. Strategy becomes key as you must choose which powers to keep, which ones to upgrade, and which ones to convert into Boost energy.

Stunning Visuals: Race through scenic venues like the Grand Canyon, Alaskan Terrain, and Hawaiian Islands, created with beautiful, vibrant colors.

8-person Multiplayer: Jump online to take your friends down in this fast and furious battle.

Three Unique Game Modes: Power Race Mode is high-speed racing paired with power-ups; Speed Race Mode where players navigate the course through ring targets that accelerates plane speed and Survival Mode where pilots race against the countdown clock and each other.