Giga Wing

"A 2-D Shooter on DC?! Wait, what is this?!"

Ahhh, the 2-D shooter. It will go down in history as the little genre that could, somehow staying alive in an industry where nobody respects them anymore. It's a shame too, because the shooter genre is and always will be one of the most revered in the annals of gaming history. Alas, they have nearly been forgotten... what is this though? A 2-D shmup on Dreamcast? Yes, this is what I've been waiting for! Wait... what in the heck is this? Why are the graphics so muddy? Why is gameplay challenge nearly non-existent? What the... a reflect shield?! Why Capcom, WHY?

''Muddier then the Mississippi River...''

Oh boy, this isn't pretty. How on earth could they have forgotten to add color to the game?! If there is one thing a shmup needs, besides intense gameplay, is some decent graphics. They don't need to be some kind graphical achievement, but some nice animation and a, well, colorful color palette would be nice. Gigawing suffers from horrid animation, and a poor color palette. To make a short story even shorter: Gigawing has crappy visuals. Period.

''I would rather drive a railroad spike into my ear...''

...Then listen to this garbage that is pushed on us as a 'soundtrack'. Infuriatingly bad techno beats will drive you to insanity, and drive you to sending nasty e-mails to Capcom, demanding an explanation as to why their is no option to turn the music off. GW is one of the few games where I would rather hear SILENCE than the music it self. Ugh.

''Well, at least it's fun, right?''

Wrong. Gigawing is not fun. Sadly, the gameplay cripples GW, rendering the game totally un-fun after just a few hours. 10 hours, that's how much time I got out of this game. Sadly, most of my fun came from the fact that I was playing a 2-D shooter, and not the game itself. Why isn't it fun? Well, the jerky ship movement, poor level and enemy design, and most importantly, lack of challenge. I mean, Gigawing is by no means a exceedingly tough game. Yet, Takumi felt the need to give you a reflect shield. Nice gimmick yes, but it destroys the mediocre challenge you were given in the first place. Without an intense challenge, it's really had to get excited about a vertical-scrolling shmup. As a matter of fact, one of the toughest challenges is the control. Too jerky and quick. It's actually quite sad that the main challenge in the game is the game control itself...

''So I shouldn't buy it? WHAT?! I SHOULD buy it?''

If 2-D shooters were as prevalent these days as, say, the insipid racing genre (am I the only one that hates those games?), I would augh if you asked me if you should spend good money on such a mediocre game. Yet, they are not, so I recommend you DO buy GW. Why? Vote with your wallet. The better it sells, the better the chances of seeing more games like it, which means that more deserving titles, like the upcoming Strikers 1945 3, will make their way to DC, and possibly the good old U.S.A. So, even if you don't like it, this game is still a must-buy, just for the fact you have to show your support.

''It's sad...''

All the amazing shmups that COULD make their way to DC, and we get the most average of the bunch. ESPrade? Nah.How about an improved port of Radiant Silvergun? Nope. We get Gigawing... Thanks Capcom.

''In closing''

As I mentioned, even if you don't like it, if your interested in shooters at all, buy the game. We need to show our support... besides, some of you may just like it. Now Capcom, about a beefed-up port of 19XX...

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/22/00, Updated 01/11/01