Galerians

"A great rent- a wretched purchase"

Sometimes you find a game that sounds so intriguing that you have to purchase it. Other times, you find a game that sounds like a decent rent. At other, stranger times, you find a game that looks like a good rent, but because you found out you'll be getting a tax refund, you purchase it. Such is the case of Galerians.
To all those with short attention spans, I'll sum this up. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME! Let me add- GO RENT THIS GAME!

TIME TO COMPLETE-
This game does NOT offer the 50 hours advertised on the back. Crave Entertainment claims that ''an average gamer will take 12.5 hours to complete a stage'' (there are 4 stages). In all reality, it takes no more than 3, 4 if you are a newbie to the survival genre. You can easily play each stage in 2 hours.
THE MEDIA- MUSIC/GRAPHICS/SOUND-
The CG sequences are nothing really special. They hold their own. The in-game graphics are adequate, although Rion's point of view is hard to discern when the camera is zoomed out, causing unnnecessary shots into walls. The music is decent during the times when it is audible, a number which I can count on my hands. The sound effects are pretty good, though, and add to the atmosphere.
THE GAMEPLAY-
Not being a Resident Evil veteran, I had trouble adjusting to the style of control at first. However, it soon became very simple, and the fighting style is elementary, almost to an extreme. Face within 90 degrees of opponent, press R1, press X. That's it, and there are only 3 ''weapons'' (psychic power drugs) to choose from, and one of them is only available for a short time towards the end of the game. The bosses are difficult, but most (not all) of the regular enemies you meet are ridiculously easy. After stage A, there are few regular enemies to fight. You just puzzle-hunt and fight bosses.
WAIT, SO WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THIS?-
Well, the gameplay is still pretty good. The plot is intriguing. The movies are plentiful, and you can review them with an extra menu option (which other games should emulate). The voice-acting is hilarious to laugh at. The shorting effect is neat when you blow up every enemy's head.
SHOULD I PURCHASE THIS?-
Oh, heavens, no. I'm selling it within a few days. There's zero replay value.
THE FINAL WORD-
A great rent, a bad buy, a good story with wretched voices...all in all, not the wisest use of my tax refund, but not the worst either.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/00, Updated 04/13/00