Nintendo Wii Fanboy

One of the most important aspects of a flight-sim game is, of course, what you're piloting. If we're going to take part in virtual flying, we're going to do it in style. That's why we were pleased to see Famitsu post some screens of the airware in Sky Crawlers, a title that we've been keeping our eyes on.

The game is just so pretty that this plane looks equally so, whether you like ones with propellers or not. Granted, though, we're not aircraft experts, so we have nothing but the drool coming out of our mouths to judge it by.

What about you, flight simulator aficionados? Do these images (more after the break) bring out feelings of woot, or meh?

These latest screens from The Sky Crawlers only serve to cement what we already knew: this game is absolutely gorgeous, and probably still very much out of our hands. The game is set as a tie-in to the film from Production I.G, which is based on the books by noted Japanese author Hiroshi Mori. Since we know of no plans for an English version of Mamoru Oshii's film, the game's localization seems less likely, but that doesn't mean we can't hope! And after seeing the new images, we're hoping something fierce.

We'd take the movie, too. Just sayin'.

Some scans and info from Famitsu reveal more about the ever-so-delicious Sky Crawlers, an upcoming flight-sim game for the Wii. The developers (you know, the Ace Combat team) boast about how pretty this title is, and we can't help but believe them. As for the story, it centers around a pilot in an elite fighting unit, as well as young girl named Orishina Maumi who has recently joined the squad. Playing off of that, the subtitle for the game is Innocent Aces.

Details about the controls were also revealed, with the Nunchuk being used as a joystick and the Wiimote being used for throttling (and, we gather, shooting). If you're an ace with the controls, you'll also be able to pull off acrobatic maneuvers. The last important aspect in the scans worth mentioning is that Sky Crawlers will involve squad management, which is a nice feature when it comes to flight sims.

Oh, Japan, how we envy you. Let's hope this one gets localized -- Namco Bandai isn't one to normally give us Westerners the shaft. In the meantime, hit up our updated gallery below for a handful of new screens.


[Via NeoGAF]

Should you happen to be as excited about Sky Crawlers as we are, you might be interested in this trailer -- even if it's just a total tease. We can't tell much about the game from this video, but it sure does look nice. We like the oldschool planes, too, as opposed to modern jets, but maybe that's just us. Here's hoping that more info on Sky Crawlers gets released soon!


[Via Gemaga]

If the time is just crawling for you until Sky Crawlers comes out, at least there's now an official website for the game to keep you busy. The site is in Japanese, but it's not too hard to click on buttons and hope for the best.

There's not much to see at the moment, though, except for the snazzy screens we've conveniently added to the gallery below. So, those of you who are afraid of the cold, harsh arms of the internet don't even have to leave the safety of Nintendo Wii Fanboy for now.

Reminder: Make sure to click on the "Hi Res" button when viewing the photos, or else you're just a fool.



[Via NeoGAF]

We have one word to describe Sky Crawlers: Gorgeous. Yes, looks aren't everything, but we're too busy mopping up our own drool to care about such technicalities. Also, since the game is being made by the same people behind Ace Combat, we're going to bet that the gameplay in this will be just fine. At the very least, the controls sound solid. Simply enough, you move your plane around with the Nunchuck, and then point and shoot with the Wiimote.

The best shots of the game are in our gallery (below), but some more Famitsu screens are posted after the break. So, click away if you're looking for some nice Wii eye-candy.

*Note: The pictures look best when viewed in their full resolution, so make sure to click here to see them in their glory. If you prefer, you can also click on the "Hi Res" button in the gallery.

Remove Petit Copter from the equation, and pickings are awfully slim when it comes to Wii flight sims. So what's a budding Biggles to do? Pray for a Wii update to the absolutely flawless* Pilotwings 64? Well, that's one option (and something we do on a daily basis anyway), but Bandai Namco is hoping to provide another in the form of Sky Crawlers, a flight game based on an animated film that's to be released on August 2nd in Japan.

The latest edition of Famitsu has the first shots of the title, in which the Wiimote doubles up as your throttle, and the nunchuk is used to steer. Even though the film is based on a fantastical premise -- youngsters fighting a war organized by adults as a form of entertainment -- the game features realistic visuals.

In summary, we're keen to see more of this, particularly as it's developed by the same team behind the Ace Combat series. With any luck, we'll be able to banish the craptacular likes of Wing Island from our memories forever.

* Seriously, don't argue with me here. Like, seriously. I have maimed for less.