Konami has no problem spreading their development love to each platform, but unfortunately for owners of the less popular machines, second tier titles are usually about as good as it gets. Konami's most original effort on the Dreamcast came in the form of Air Force Delta, which turned out unsurprisingly mediocre in light of Namco's polished Ace Combat series. For the launch of the Xbox, Konami pulled the Air Force Delta series out from under the table and has released Air Force Delta Storm, an upgraded, yet still very lacking, installment in the air combat series that continues to be outclassed by Namco's efforts.

Konami could not decide when Air Force Delta Storm should take place, resulting in the game's year always being referred to (yes, even in the voice acting!) as "two thousand and some". The mapping of the human genome has resulted in cures for every possible disease. The life span of humans has extended dramatically, but the Earth's resources are being consumed at a rate faster than it can regenerate itself with. The world has been divided into the factions of those who can and those who cannot eat. It is you who will make the difference between who wins.

Ace Combat 4 is one of the most visually impressive titles on the PlayStation 2, but Air Force Delta Storm does not do the same for the Xbox. Instead, while it includes over seventy extremely detailed aircraft to purchase, they fly around in a Nintendo 64-esque environment - blurry, little detailed textures and all. Considering that the game's engine only has the render one or two aircraft on the screen at once at any given time, the fact that environments are fogged up and city buildings are comprised of less than a dozen polygons is completely inexcusable. If nothing else, however, the water has an extremely cool glossy look to it, especially when the sun is reflecting all over it. Overall, though, Air Force Delta Storm looks average, with nothing to make it stand out from anything else on the market.

Gamers start out on an overworld screen that has several branching paths. In order to move to the next spot on the map, there are intermediate areas that are just you against a couple of fighter pilots and ground units - no big deal. Conquering each of these locations defeats that area, but only for a certain number of cursor moves. Confused? It's still obscure to decipher in the actual game, and only results in absolute frustration when pressing moving in the wrong direction on the overworld by accident means having to complete a non-mission area all over again. Completing these non-mission sections made sense in theory, but why make the player experience them over and over unless they deem it necessary?

The actually plot of Air Force Delta Storm does not come together very coherently, making the game's objectives and purchasing new aircraft the gameplay's only motivation. That stings because one of those reasons is soon lost because of the game's lack of mission variety. You see those red dots on the radar? Blow 'em up! Now do that over the course of fifty missions, and you are well on your way to completing the most mediocre air combat title next to Konami's own Air Force Delta on the Dreamcast. Aviation fans will find plenty true-to-life aircraft to purchase during their exploits, though some of the later aircraft become so ridiculously expensive that earning the money needed to purchase them is hardly worth the return. Some of them look bad ass, though - that much can be admitted.

The Xbox might not have a platter full of AAA titles to choose from, but there are certainly better choices than what Konami has to offer with Air Force Delta Storm. Gamers are better off waiting for the freakish, horrific and stomach churningly good Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams on the machine when it arrives in the coming weeks.