Turn-based air combat isn't new, but Steambirds does have a nice elegant implementation and a slightly interesting Sci-Fi pretense.

Damn, it gets tricky fast...

It's pretty nice and I liked its implementation of turn-based combat. I also liked shooting down a giant armored dirigible. (Or failing to do so, anyway.) The emphasis on alternate history events is a plus for me.

Very nice, but the ranks seem pointless...

that was quite fun.
missions plenty doable, challenge is 4-staring them.
a hotseat MP mode would be kickass.

Awesome game! It reminds me of Crimsons Skies; not the Xbox game, the board game. (Does anyone remember it? Fun times!) Similar history-bending, and turn based movement where everyone moves at the same time. It's long out of print now, but if you can find the FASA original somewhere, buy it! My copy I bought off Ebay for around 65$...

Eric the Orange:
got to the 3rd to the last one. you get 2 friken planes vs 2 planes, a big plane, and a really big plane. to put this in perspective, a level 3-4 levels ago had you with 3 planes facing just the really big plane.

Oh, and don't forget. You start that level with all those planes behind you!

really fun game i beat the campaign and now on the bous levels

fun kept me awake

It's quite a nice game to play. A bit hectic at times with so many planes to worry about, but it works well.

MR T3D:
that was quite fun.
missions plenty doable, challenge is 4-staring them.
a hotseat MP mode would be kickass.

Wow, I agree. Multiplayer would be awesome!

I third teh Multiplayer option!

This kind of gameplay was first done in the Critical Mass series by Sean O'Connor (which was way harder to score hits in as you had to plot firing your weapon systems ON TOP OF plotting your moves in advance).

http://www.windowsgames.co.uk/critical.html

It's nice to have full control over your whole squadron, and I love the addition of the special abilities.