After Digital Reality released the well thought out but poorly executed zombie-defense game Dead Block, I honestly had no idea what the company was planning to do next. So when it was announced that Digital Reality would be developing and publishing a plane-racing game called SkyDrift I was, well, intrigued; from a zombie game to a plane-racing title, that’s quite a change.

What I ended up experiencing was probably one of the most fun Xbox LIVE Arcade titles I have ever played.

SkyDrift is unique. Sure, the core elements of the game are basically racing and collecting power-ups to get the upper-hand which, let’s face it, is nothing new. But what Digital Reality has done here is combine the realistic feeling of flying an actual plane with its slightly hard learning curve when it comes to controls, but ensured that it stays fun with its huge emphasis on arcade-style fun. There haven’t been that many aerial racing games out there lately. Heck, there haven’t been many games out there focused on the flying of planes in general as of late, and SkyDrift has come at the perfect time to show us all just how much fun games like these can be.

SkyDrift throws you straight into an extremely detailed tutorial. Once you’re done learning about everything from the controls, the scoring system and all the way down to the six power-ups scattered across each and every map, you’re put into your first Power Race Mode match, which is just one of three different games modes (which includes Speed Race Mode, where there are no power-ups but with golden rings included throughout the race to give your planes a boost, and Survival Mode, which sees racers trying their best not to be in last place when the timer reaches zero; racers are eliminated until there is only one left, making for a great final battle during the end between the two surviving planes). SkyDrift features seven Stages, each stage with its own set of levels to complete. The first few Stages end with a Survival Mode match, which is without a doubt the most exhilarating out of the three.

Since power-ups play such a huge role during two of the three modes of SkyDrift, aerial combat is something that you’re going to find very hard to avoid, especially considering the fact that it’s so damn fun. The adrenaline rush I got whenever I picked up a power-up, such as the machine-gun, upgraded it by going over another one of the same kind and then raining hell on the pilots in front while maneuvering my own plane in order to dodge oncoming fire by turning my plane upside down and stepping on the boost, was one that I’m still enjoying. An added bonus is the fact that you’re able to carry two power-ups at a time, but can also burn one once you’ve acquired it and turn it into boost. The in-game Awards system (each award having Bronze, Silver and Gold versions) is a nice feature, though more could have been added to the multiplayer in order to keep players coming back, seeing as SkyDrift doesn’t have any level-up system in place for online play.

There were several points during my playtime of SkyDrift where I stopped racing and instead decided to admire the graphics. They’re simply unbelievable for an Arcade title. Water is detailed magnificently; events that happen during a race (such as a volcano exploding) are pretty much breathtaking. Even when I decided to be sneaky and went up close to certain structures and walls while slowing down my plane, the detail still looked great. I was hooked to this game; in fact, I still am. At one point I told myself that I would take a quick break after an hour of play but instead decided to play “just one more game.” I ended up getting an in-game reward telling me that I’d just surpassed the 3 hour mark. It’s just something about being given a rather challenging control scheme to get used to, but being shown just how fun the actual gameplay is, that keeps you hooked until the end. Speaking of the end, SkyDrift is actually quite a lengthy game. It took me over 4 hours to complete the campaign on Medium (the recommended) difficulty, but there were still planes, skins and awards that I hadn’t been able to unlock yet, not to mention the fact that there’s also a Hard difficulty to play on.

SkyDrift isn’t without its faults, however. Track designs almost trick players into thinking they can go where they want, when it’s not the case. There have been quite a few incidents where I assumed I’d be able to take an attractive route that looked like a shortcut, only to have my plane dive down and crash. This is despite that fact that throughout each race are arrows on certain parts of the track telling you which way to go and how hard you’re going to need to turn; they just weren’t there in the places that they should have been to avoid confusion. The fact that once I respawned my plane I instantly crashed into a rock again did not help me get over the issue.

Also, the announcer guy. He’s… I don’t know. In Dead Block I found the announcer that Digital Reality used to be a bit over-the-top. In SkyDrift the announcer sounds bored and like a robot. Also, the guy doesn’t seem to be able to keep track of what’s going on in a race. Numerous times when I’d go into first place during a race it would be another 5-10 seconds before I heard him unenthusiastically say, “you’re in first now.” I understand that maybe Digital Reality didn’t want to go overboard with the enthusiasm like in Dead Block, but come on, this is an adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced racing game involving planes, with said planes exploding all over the place. Another complaint I have is the mini-map on the bottom left of the screen. It’s too small. I can see the layout of the map okay, but the triangles are too hard to see, even on a 42 inch HDTV.

None of these issues, however, affect how SkyDrift is a wonderful little game. Its arcade-style gameplay mixed with the mildly challenging controls are a strangely excellent mix. Digital Reality, I can say, surprised me with this. I didn’t think they’d be able to make something so visually beautiful and fun, but they did, and 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) is most certainly worth it.