Radiant Silvergun

"The best shooter, if not the best game ever created."

Graphics

This game is just freakin' colorful. Backgrounds are nicely designed and are loaded with transparency. Not only that, they scroll and distort and change like crazy. Boss designs are unrivaled, even though there's around 30 of them. As for the normal enemies, they get the job done, meaning they aren't that amazing. Explosions are great(except the one where you die) except that I kinda wished they used the original Treasure style explosions(see Contra 3, Gunstar Heroes, and Alien Soldier) because they were much crazier. Slowdown usually occurs when the boss is dead or when you use the lock-on weapon and several objects. In the two-player mode, slowdown WILL become annoying if you both use lockons at the same time.

Music/Sound

Sound effects are cool, but are way too muffled to appreciate. The music is some of the best I've heard, but I kind of wish Hitoshi Sakimoto(Final Fantasy Tactics, Soukyogurentai, Tactics Ogre, etc.) did a bigger variety of music. In almost every song, you'll either hear a snippet of one of his older songs, including other Radiant SIlvergun songs. Sometimes I wish there was some crazy techno in the game. Oh well.

The Game

The game itself is the reason why I love this game so much. It's both complex and simple at the same time. First off, the weapon system is innovative to shooters. It's basically like RPGs where you earn experience to become stronger. Same here except experience comes from points(OK, it's the same thing). The scoring system is simple, yet the way the levels are designed makes the whole experience complex if you're willing to try. I'm not going to explain it since there's already a FAQ on it. Depending on the type of player you are, trying to compete with others for a high score is, well, fun. It's not like Asteroids where you see how long you can last, and that's why it's fun, because there's a limit to how far you can go. Trust me, the level designs are really clever and present some new challenges after you've already beaten the game without trying to score high. Unlike other shooters, the game is not cheap except in two cases where the boss will crush you without warning. Another thing is that if someone joins in midgame, that person is screwed. You will see why.

According to Radiant Silvergun, I've logged in about 80+ hrs. which is a lot for a shooter. Buy it now.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99