X2

"Just how many Han Solo-type characters are their in the gaming universe?"

Being a huge fan of Capcom, I had this one pre-ordered before its Japanese release. Never mind that it wasn't programmed or developed by my favorite game company. I figured if Capcom put their name on it, the game was as good as gold...

X2's story has you playing as a reckless, Han Solo-type of pilot, defending the Earth against alien invasion. Whoa! Talk about originality, but shooters of this nature aren't well known for their story-lines.

I don't know if its just me, but I think that most of this game could've have been programmed for the Super NES. Backgrounds are very plain and unnoticeable, and the enemies aren't much to write home about either.

Going hand-in-hand with the poor graphics are the games sounds. Uninspired music with limp explosions pepper this game, leaving am overall bad taste in your mouth.

As bad as the audio and visuals are, the controls are surprisingly good. Quick and responsive, you won't find much to complain about here. One of the games few saving graces.

Design is a mixed bag in X2. On one hand, the icing of the cake sucks. But once you get to the heart of the game, its not that bad of a play through. I guess the two most important things of a shooter are controls and challenge, both of which this game delivers well.

No bonuses or secrets for your time. What you see is what you get. Not what you'd expect from a Capcom published game.

If you can ignore the bad graphics and sounds, and you want nothing more than an intense, barely-making-it-out-alive shooter, X2 just might be the game your looking for.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 07/05/02