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According to Sony’s Official PlayStation Blog, The PlayStation Network has provided a venue through which Sierra Online could resurrect an old franchise of theirs. (Read the details HERE.) To say that the gameplay is addictive is an understatement for those who enjoy a simplified flight sim fighter. In fact, I am shaking my fist (much like Snoopy did in Charles Shultz’s comics) as a testament to that.

Having got that out of the way, Red Baron Arcade is not as involved as the original series on the PCs from the 90s, but it sure is fun. I believe that it falls somewhere between the Sierra Online franchise and the original Atari arcade game. For those of you unfamiliar with the original vector arcade game, you can see some footage of a sit-down cabinet that we observed at an auction in Game Apparent TV Episode 2. The Red Baron cabinet makes a short but memorable 15-20 second appearance starting at 6 minutes and 4 seconds into the video. Also, for those of you who are interested in seeing the original in action, Atari actually has a playable version on their website RIGHT HERE!

In fact, this feels a little like a simplified version of Crimson Skies or the Xbox version Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. I logged many an hour on the last one. When it comes down to it, one of the most important things about the old Red Baron franchise, the newest version, and the Crimson Skies titles has been the multi-player capability. The games are fun, but playing them against human opponents and shooting them down in the heat of battle is a real treat. Having spent an hour last night playing the demo for Red Baron Arcade, I can say that the multi-player is there and the fun-factor is intact.

One thing unique to the PS3 incarnation of this title is that it utilizes the motion detection functionality of the controller (and fairly well). Instead of using the joystick on the controller, I opted for the motion control function and the controller could be configured to interact with the game like an actual airplane’s yoke. I found this very immersive and quite natural.

For those with PCs interested in the Red Baron 3D experience, a community website is still sponsored HERE for the game and it is available for free download on that page. Otherwise, PS3 owners will find the $9.99 pricetag hard to beat for some online fun for their families.