Layer Section II

"An interesting shooter with one of the best shmup soundtracks ever."

Layer Section 2 (RayStorm in the states on the Playstation) is a shooter from one of the oldest companies in the biz, Tatio. While not without some gameplay flaws and some graphical hickups resulting from the not so gracefully aged saturn hardware, Layer Section 2 combines fast paced thrills, a new spin on the ''shoot everything'' concept inherent since the dawn of the genre, and a fabulous soundtrack for a light hearted blast any arcade shooter fans will love.

Graphics 7/10

The weakest point of the game is by far the graphics. However with a just downright awesome palette of colors, the shoddy 3D capabilities of the saturn are overshadowed and you're left with more than competent engine. The ships are 3D and there are some 2D crap effects that the saturn is notorious for (see: explosions). Slowdown happens when things get busy (bosses) but it's almost welcome due to the difficulty of the title. The Art direction and ship designs are top notch and the everything else, such as the menus and the like are visually pleasing.

Gameplay 7/10

A Fairly original twist is introduced here. There are two fields of gameplay as to where you shoot. There is the obvious horde of enemies in front of you as well as many enemies in the background who are still toastable with the games lock-on laser weapon system. So a sub is about to fire some anti air missles at you. So what, just lock on to him with lasers and take him down, while not forgetting about the enemies shooting at you in the foreground. Oh yeah, dodge a lot of crap too.

Sound 9/10

This is honestly one of the best soundtracks ever as the atypical techno crap from Thunderforce and the like is replaced by some ambient and experimental electronic goodness. The first stage is just incredible. Sound effects are the same as everything else, but what did you expect, DTS?

Control 8/10

The funky slanted overhead view makes for some compromising situations, but overall the controls are pretty spot on. Getting used to playing two fields is the only thing that'll get you.

Overall 7/10

Just a great shooter that is worth picking up if you have a Saturn, if not, get the PSX port. Since this is an old game and an import it ranges from 25 to 50 bucks depending on the POS. But for around 25-35 it's a great old school blast. Bombs away.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/03