"*Taps his foot to the beat of the music*"

Introduction:

So there I was, standing in the Gamecube section of my local Gamestop. My eyes were staring greedily at Viewtiful Joe, but then something caught my eye. It was a game with a sleek, futuristic character on the cover. Actually, it's the shades that got me. But I needed a new shooter for my Gamecube, so I resolved to get it. Now, it wasn't all I expected, but it's not bad either. Here's why:

Gameplay:

This is a very straightforward shooter. You run, jump, crouch, sidestep, roll, and shoot. Therefore, it's not the amount of moves you have, it's how you use what you've already got. Luckily, this game has auto-aim, but you can toggle between enemies using the X-button. There are two energy bars on your screen; one for your health or ''Barrier'' Gauge, and the other your ''Energy Drive'' Gauge. Now, the character can do special shooting techniques, depending if the ability has been purchased and applied to the current Aegis battle suit. You punch in the correct button combination on the directional pad, and you will unleash the special attack. Next, the battle suits. Each battle suit, or ''Aegis Suit'' has different capabilities with respect to their stats. These stats include Barrier, Palm Shot, Automatic, an Energy. Barrier refers to your health. The Palm Shot refers to the power and of strength of the energy bullets you shoot at the enemy robots. Automatic refers to how fast you can shoot. It comes in handy later in the game when you're faced with multiple enemies at once and need to dish out damage. And lastly, Energy refers to the special shooting abilities, or ''Energy Drives'' that can be performed. Each suit specializes in certain areas of the stats; some suits can have better Barrier ratings, others can have superior Palm Shot and Automatic ratings, etc. All of these are purchased using the points you receive in gameplay. When facing multiple enemies, you can destroy a single enemy, then a time count down will appear on the screen. During that countdown, you can destroy another enemy, multiplying the scores earned through bonuses. You must progress from room to room, shooting and dodging whatever comes at you. At the end of every room, your points will be tallied. If you don't get damaged at all in the room, you will be given an extra ''No Damage'' bonus. After beating each level, you are given the option to do Training Missions on the level you just beat. You must fulfill certain objectives in order to beat these training missions. These are good for honing your skills and ability to memorize attack patterns. Also, Training Missions are essential for gaining the points you need to unlock new suits, weapon abilities, etc. You progress through the levels, each level becoming increasingly difficult. A large part of this game is memorizing attack patterns, dodging, and shooting back. There is nothing more to it; just a simple, straight up shooter.

Story:

Not much here to say. Basically, a small colonized planet is under siege. The Computer Arms Management System, referred to as C.A.M.S. needs to be taken out before it becomes a bigger threat. Your name is Vanessa Schneider, the one getting paid to go down to the planet and take out the unruly robots. The thing is, you don't know who your client is until the end; all there this during the game is a blank screen that gives out instructions. But the, the story isn't really that important...

Graphics/Sound:

Graphics are great, actually. Not top of the line Gamecube graphics that some of us have seen, but still on the high end. The indoor battle environments are very clean cut, giving an almost sterilized feel to the gameplay. The robots, aren't nearly as detailed as Vanessa, but they still have decent effects. They make a sort of hollow noise when they appear out of thin air. The energy blasts are well-lit, and have decent sound effects. Best part of the sound is the music. This game has a decent techno beat to back up the futuristic settings. Not bad.

Play Time/Replayability:

Here's a tough one. If you're into shooters, you can spend hours on this game. If you want something more than this game has to offer, you'll put it down after one try. it really depends on the type of gamer you are, with respect as to how you want your gaming experience. However, this game does have decent difficulty, multiple suits to unlock and stats to max out, etc. And you can spend hours just honing your shooting ability.

Final Recommendation:

Rent it first, then buy it if you like it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/04