"Now peace is retvrning to this town again."

Yes, I spelled that right. Or rather, the game didn't spell that right. This was one of the coolest-looking games ever when it came out. Once you actually plunk in a quarter and play it, it's a lot like most other sidescrolling shooters, but there's a certain charm there nonetheless.

On some other planet, aliens (or gods, according to the game, but no gods in particular) have invaded and are terrorizing the people. You're one of two guys who can float and has a laser gun who doesn't want the gods to terrorize you anymore. So you set out on a mission to kill them and save the world.

It won't be easy, though. Your weapons are pretty crummy for taking on gods at the beginning of the game, so you need to kill the lesser enemies to get crystal balls called zenny (money), and enter the shops that pop up in order to increase the power of your gun, buy armor or more health, and ''satellites'' that follow you around and have different kinds of attacks.

The graphics are incredible for such an old game. The levels look great, and so do the imposing boss gods waiting for you in each level. Between each level you and your partner (even if you're in one-player mode) talk to each other in poorly-translated speech that doesn't really make a lot of sense, but Forgotten Worlds isn't the kind of game where the plot really matters.

The gameplay is really pretty simple. You fly up and down, shooting at anything that moves. So really it's like every other shooting game that had ever been invented in that regard. But the game has some of the biggest and most inventive boss enemies I've ever faced in a shooter (not that I play a lot of shooters, though, so take that with a grain of salt). They're tough, too, and you're really not so tough, so it's hard taking down bosses as big and strong as them with just your little laser gun. But it's a rewarding experience to see the huge armor-clad boss of the second or third level go down screaming in pain.

Forgotten Worlds is one of those games that has some kind of indescribable quality that makes you want to play it again and again after you beat it, even if it has almost no substance or anything to distinguish it from other games in its genre on its surface. It's kind of long, but you can have a lot of fun with all the mindless blasting, huge boss enemies, and great graphics for a game of its day and age.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/04