
Your eyes may have glossed right over Sky Gunner when you looked at next week’s PS Plus update. That’s understandable, as big-ticket titles Mister Mosquito and Secret Agent Clank were always going to attract greater attention. But don’t write off this PS2 gem from PixelArts, as it’s absolutely worth your time.
Published by Sony in Japan, this is another one of those classics that the platform holder didn’t bother to localise, and it was actually left up to Atlus to bring overseas. It only ever released in North America, so it’ll be making its European debut on PS5 and PS4, a bit like tactics title Jeanne d’Arc earlier in the year.
In essence, this is an arcade dogfighting game, but it’s set against a gorgeous steampunk backdrop, that’s styled a little bit like a Ghibli movie. The characters are cute and colourful, and the world’s got a kind of French nouveau artistry to it which sings under the limitations of the PS2’s hardware. It’s a gorgeous and chaotic game in motion, which is only let down by a very poor frame rate.
You can play through the campaign as three different pilots, each with their own stories and gameplay styles. While there are consistencies between all three characters, they each have unique special moves which sets them apart and gives you incentive to experience the relatively short campaign from all three perspectives.
While the gameplay does settle for a relatively straightforward dogfighting affair, it’s got a pretty neat combo system which rewards you for taking out your targets in quick succession. This adds a layer of depth beyond the core combat.
We’re really excited to see Sony bringing back games like this on modern hardware. We know its emulation efforts aren’t as good as they could be, but these are real deep-cuts it’s re-releasing, and we think the company very much deserves credit for that. Yes, it could be doing more, but getting games like Sky Gunner and Mister Mosquito on modern hardware is something we should celebrate.
[source News: 13 More Games Join PS Plus Extra, Premium Next Week]
Comments 23
I like that Sony is bringing back these games that are theirs but were localized by third parties in other regions. Hopefully they follow with others like Ape Escape Pumped and Primed, Flipnic, Devil Dice and Bombastic, Wipeout Fusion... (there were so, so many!)
Always appreciate you guys highlighting lesser known games that most people wouldn't bother checking out, simply because they're not aware of their existence.
As an admirer of steampunk stuff, I'll defo check this out 😃
Never had the chance to played this game on PS2. I just watched some video and the gameplay looks pretty interesting with cell shading graphics that still looks beautiful.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0QclbuZlIic&pp=ygUNc2t5Z3VubmVyIHBzMg%3D%3D
I love Ace Combat and this game looks fit on my alley. So, another one for my wishlist :3
@zidane4028 Devil Dice and Bombastic - so good, would love a remake of them.
Edit - Pepsi Man as well 😃
I actually thought this was part of the whole Tail Concerto/Solatorobo thing on first glance. Looks interesting anyway.
Best month on PS+ for me in ages. I can’t wait for this one, Mr Mosquito, and Plucky Squire. This is sort of what I wanted out of PS+ tiers in the first place. Happy to get some Sony deep cuts. Bring on Vib-Ribbon next, please!
@get2sammyb Thanks for the heads up, wasn't aware of it. Speaking of which, Lollipop Chainsaw Repop launched to absolutely no press coverage. What's up with that?
If we're talking anime Ace Combat, then I'm in.
Sky gunner has been on my I should play that list for 20 years, guess it’s finally going to happen next week.
@somnambulance Tobal and Tobal 2, please. Steambot Chronicles, too.
This brings me back, always loved the music. Especially the opening song.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oZlMsQWuZQA&pp=ygUSc2t5IGd1bm5lciBvcGVuaW5n
Oooh thanks for mentioning this Sammy! I saw the name and thought it was a different game, which I just looked up - Sky Odyssey.
This sounds a LOT more interesting. Just when I think I've heard of most PS2 games!
This is good advice.
To add to it I would suggest you sleep on a bed for maximum rest & recuperation.
@Weez No one got any code at all to my knowledge. PR didn’t even respond to requests.
@get2sammyb After I read this I saw a Kotaku article stating it's a Jank mess lol. Guess that's why then 🤣
@get2sammyb Thanks for the info. That's an... interesting marketing strategy.
@Jrs1 I'm completely down for a pepsi man remake. I can see them adding stuff like a parkour trick system, different paths and mini objectives, etc. Almost like a sonic game
This game is awesome. Some levels get pretty hard but it's still great. Biggest issue tho is that the framerate gets so bad at times that you'd think your console would just shutdown 🤣
It's still really impressive that they were able to make such a game on the ps2.
@Pepsiman_100 Gotta keep the fmv's in though with the guy openin the fridge 😀
I have this game in my PS2 collection. I haven't played it but my wife enjoyed it for a while. Cool that it's coming to modern consoles and a bigger potential audience!
I played it way back then on ps2, I liked it although I forget whether I finished it or not. Definitely buying it again for ps5 😃
@Weez If IGN doesn't want to review the game, then they aren't either, since they are partnered with them.
Try and piece together why that is lol
Agree, what a great game to experience. Never played myself but seen footage a while ago, it's pretty cool.
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