Before taking on the Campaign mode, I decided to play through the training missions.  Surprisingly, the training missions are one of the highlights of the game.  This was the first time that I had played Dropship, so I didn't know anything about the controls.  That wasn't a problem though, because the training missions are very helpful.

The analog buttons are superbly used in this game.  I was pretty surprised by how sensitive they were.  The further you depress the L1 and R1 buttons, the faster your jet will take off.  Similarly, the further you depress L2 and R2 buttons, the faster you will land.  Of course, if you land too quickly, your jet will explode, so it's best to ease up on the buttons and land smoothly.  This part of the game is great.

You automatically take off in hover mode, but the jet can easily be converted into a high-flying bomber by deeply pressing the X button.  Once above 150mph (miles per hour), the back engines will ignite and give you an immense increase in speed.  The brake/reverse button is also pressure-sensitive, so if you want to brake softly and slow down over time, or speed ahead and slow down quickly, you can.  However, it is very difficult to stop completely.  Most of the early missions require you to stop to complete a specific task.  This is one of the most frustrating things that I have ever tried to do in a video game, mainly because it is actually very simple.  Or at least, it should be.  See, the X button moves the plain forward -- square moves it in reverse.  As soon as you reach 000mph (by depressing square), your jet will start moving backwards!  The same thing happens when you try to move forward again.  A stop button would have solved this problem...

There are also ground vehicle missions (as I mentioned above), and when equipped with the BUG system, you can command a small group of allies, RTS-style!  It's difficult to do, but is still pretty cool.  I don't know of any other flight/combat game for the PS2 that incorporates real-time strategy elements, do you?

Needles to say, I was impressed.  The training missions got me pumped-up for some incredible flying action.  Like a clueless rookie going into battle, I was anxious to kick some butt.  But as the rookie soon finds out, war isn't what he thought it'd be, and this game isn't what I thought it'd be either...

Mission 1: pick up cargo, drop it off.  Repeat.  And don't forget to "stay low."  If you don't stay low, the enemy might spot you, causing you to fail the mission.  Mission 2: scan a bunch of moving targets (enemies) before they escape.  The enemy appears to be hiding "something big," which is why you're here -- to prove that they do.  When the enemy realizes that there's a harrier jet spying on them, they run for cover.  Whatever happened to the "shoot them before they shoot you" motto so commonly found in war games?  At the tail end of the mission, the enemy finally unleashes a few missile-toting vehicles that are powerful enough to take you down.  Your mission: to run away!  You can't fight them, because you'll automatically lose.  That's not your goal anyway.  The game wants you to escape.

After this point, the missions start to become a little more intriguing, but the controls are still a total mess.  I should not have to struggle just to line my jet up with my target, regardless of whether or not it needs to be scanned or blown up.  Maneuvering around buildings should not be a chore.  But it is a chore.  Most of the game is a chore, killing off most of the fun.

Gameplay: 7.1
Dropship is decent in many ways, but the structure is really bad.  The analog buttons are used to their fullest, but the Dual-Shock 2 is not.  The analog sticks are not nearly as smooth as they could have been.  But this game needs more than smooth controls to make it better.  I know the developers were probably going for the most realistic feeling possible, and I respect that.  But this is a video game, so they should have broken the rules.  A word to the wise: put the entertainment value first.  Worry about realism second.

Graphics: 4 
Despite what it says on the box, Dropship's visuals aren't photo-realistic. The explosions are decent, but the planes are rather plain and unimpressive..

Sound: 5
Bad voice acting, so-so music, and unrealistic sound effects are just some of the things that make Dropship a disappointment.

Difficulty: Hard
Technically, Dropship isn't hard, but it is really frustrating.  Flight/combat veterans will have a hard time controlling all of the jets in this game.  Newbies will pull their hair out when they try to stop moving.  You can hover, but it's nearly impossible to do so after moving forward.  You can't brake all the way without going in reverse, and you can't brake in reverse without going forward!  So you're almost always moving.  This makes it extremely difficult to aim at the targets on the ground.  If you zoom in on your target, you run the risk of running into something, like a mountain, a tower...or the ground.  If you don't zoom in, you still have to point your nose down to aim, causing you jet to fly toward the ground.  AHHHHH!!!

Concept: 7 
Dropship scores points for trying.  Certainly the developers had good intentions, but not every great concept translates into a great game.

Overall: 7.1
There are a lot of great concepts here, and it had a ton of potential, but for some reason or other the game just doesn't come together.  Interested gamers should rent it and save their fifties for something more fulfilling.