Did anybody pick this game up yet? I was hesitant, because I was really disappointed with the first game... but my brother bought it since he's gonna be in Buffalo for a few days (so he went on a portable game buying binge, I do the same whenever I go on vacation for some reason, even though I have a massive portable gaming backlog) and I played his copy for like 20 minutes... and I am definitely impressed.
Well, it doesn't do anything new, but it's a (very) competently made shooter, and it's such a vast improvement over the original... gone are problems like the strange perspective and touch screen weapon selection, but the game retains the great graphics and catchy music of the first game. Graphics are some of the best 3D on the DS, and the music bears a very strong resemblance to Gradius V and shooters of old. So far I am not sure if I like the soundtrack as much as the first game (best thing about the original). The levels are a mixture of top-down and side-scrolling, like Life Force, as a matter of fact, one of the stages is a blatant tribute to Life Force. Weapon-wise, you can select from one special power (which drains as you hold down B, and you restore your special power meter by shooting down a whole wave of enemies) and the position of your "options", which you can rotate from front, to side, to back to fire behind you. I'm not one of those hardcore shmuppers who play for score, being content to just try and make it through and survive, so I can't delve into the intricacies of the scoring system, but I'd imagine it is pretty basic.
There are some slight bullet-hell parts but it's no where near as manic as a Cave shooter, a lot of the challenge comes from dodging walls and maneuvering through the levels. Some parts seem to use rotation and the 3D capabilities of the DS, but I haven't seen anything that overdone or "wow" inducing yet.
I think this shit's rare too, my brother managed to snag a copy at Best Buy, that was the only place he said had 'em. I'm gonna pick up a copy for myself next time I go to the store, and I recommend you DS owning shmup fans do the same. Don't expect the world from the game, but expect a competent if not exactly inspired shooter, and expect a VAST improvement over the original.
