Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (lost E3 2002 beta build of Xbox flight-based combat game; 2003)

The game's box art.

Status: Lost

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (also known as Crimson Skies 2 during development) is a video game developed by FASA Studio (part of Microsoft Game Studios) for the Xbox. The game, like its PC predecessor, is an arcade flight game.

A year before the game's release, the first showing of Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge was at E3 2002 between May 22nd and May 24th, which also happened to be the first time the game could be played by the public. Originally, the game followed the vein of Indiana Jones with an "interactive movie" concept. At the time, the levels of the game and storyline were completely different from the final version, and was intended to be released sometime on Fall 2002.

The content of the game included levels featuring a zeppelin casino, and an early version of Sea Haven, Chicago and Arixo. While on the other hand, the game would had featured destructible environments, bonus weapons and "danger zones" (incorporated from the first game). These features were scrapped in later development after the development team chose to rework on the game in response to playtesters criticizing that they feel that the game's levels are too short and linear, and that producers found that it was difficult on translating the "playable movie" concept from concept art to gameplay. This caused the game's release to be delayed for 2003.

Description

The game's storyline is stated to be slightly different and more elaborate than the final version of the game, except not much of it is known. In a (now deleted) page of Xbox.com, Wolf Wilson stated that the game's first level started with Nathan Zachary and the Fortune Hunters on a routine heist on a floating casino in Catalina.

The next report on GameSpot comments that the game's antagonists, the Ragin' Cajuns, were intended to be the supporting characters of the game before their roles were changed. It talks about another level where Nathan Zachary has to fight against the Red Skull Legion, whom are serving as enforcers of the owner of the floating casino. Furthermore, there is a "trench run" in which the player has to defend one of their wingmates from enemies in a narrow canyon.

The game also featured older renditions of the soundtrack such as the instruments sounding slightly different to the final game that can be heard from clips of the game's E3 2002 build.

Gallery

Screenshots

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Videos

IGN footage of the build.

The game's official trailer, showcasing an earlier prototype of the build.

The game's Official Xbox Magazine trailer, showcasing a later prototype of the build.

A clip of X Factor: Inside Microsoft's Xbox documentary, showcasing a (very) later prototype of the build.