"Snoopy Flying Ace is the most realistic World War I game ever created," Clark Stacey, Vice President of Smart Bomb Interactive told during an interview. Yes, Snoopy. The dog. The one from Peanuts. This is a video game based around that character, and his dreams of being a World War I pilot. In Snoopy Flying Ace, he's not just fighting against the elusive Red Baron, he's fighting the fight online, competing in nine distinct game modes ranging from 16-player free-for-all dogfights to team-based airborne rugby. That's right, this shit just got real.

Being developed by Smart Bomb Interactive, creators of Snoopy vs The Red Baron for the PlayStation 2, Snoopy Flying Ace brings the entire Peanuts cast to the first world war. In typical Crimson Skies fashion, the left analog stick controls the plane's movements, while the right is dedicated mostly to aerial maneuvers. Other buttons were in control of speed, firing on enemies, and activating special abilities. It took a few moments to get used to, but once I understood how to play I was laying waste to biplane after biplane, teaching Pigpen and Charlie Brown a thing or two about the sky.  After the planes exploded into a visually appealing fireball, the pilots would be seen slowly falling out of the debris, unharmed, parachuting to safety. Not only can players jump into battle as any of twelve classic Peanuts characters, but there's also the option to play as an Xbox Live Avatar, meaning Isaac Clarke can finally enact his revenge on Charles Schultz's classic characters.



After a number of children had been blown out of the sky, I earned a streak reward. On the back of my plane, Woodstock appeared, rocking dual six-shooters and blasting busybodies on my tail. You know, just like in World War I. As he fired, Stacey pointed out some turrets, which were firing upon enemies that came too close. Beyond attacking anything that moves, they can also be taken over, adding another element to the game, and giving players more to do besides fly in circles. There are environmental hazards as well, adding more depth to look forward to when Snoopy Flying Ace makes its way to the Xbox Live Arcade.

Some will undoubtedly consider this game sacrilege. Charles Schultz's beloved characters are known throughout the world, and anyone doing anything with them, to some people, is a disgrace to the Peanuts name. Still, that doesn't mean that it's not going to be fun, and when it comes down to it, there's no argument that Shultz would want us to be having fun, and if it's at the expense of his characters, then so be it.

Snoopy Flying Ace is due out this summer for the Xbox Live Arcade.