"If you like shooters...get this one"

My Thoughts on... Zero Gunner 2
Developer: Psykio - Publisher: Psykio

This game was the first import I ever purchased for any console. I knew that I liked shooters such as Mars Matrix and Ikaruga, so I figured I would also like this one. I purchased it on Christmas Eve 2003 and it arrived a few weeks later. This is now one of my favorite games on Dreamcast and certainly one of (if not the #1) favorite shooter on any console.

Graphics
The graphics in Zero Gunner 2 are excellent. The backgrounds are very detailed 3D environments and the aircraft that you must fight are also very well designed. Everything is bright, fluid, and extremely attractive. Much better graphics than Mars Matrix.

There is absolutely nothing wrong that I can tell with this games graphics - 5/5

Sound
The music is very good in this game. Of course outside of that and the constant effects of explosions and bullets being fired that is all the audio you get. But that's the way it's supposed to be...it is after all a shooter. The music suits the levels very good and even the explosions in their own way are well done.

Good sound all around - 5/5

Gameplay
Zero Gunner 2 can't really be called a vertical shooter or a horizontal shooter. The secret to doing well in this game is using your ability to pivot around in a circle so that you can aim your guns in any direction. This is a feature that I am not aware of any other shooter having. It is very nice to be able to simply turn to the side to knock out incoming enemies instead of having just eight directions to move. This is an excellent feature that makes Zero Gunner 2 stand out from the crowd.

In the beginning you have three helicopters to select from as your ship. They are the American Apache and Comanche as well as the Russian Hokum (real life helicopters all). Each one has it's own special weapons: the Apache fires unguided rockets in what ever direction you are firing, the Comanche fires a beam of laser energy, and the Hokum fires homing rockets. On top of that each chopper also can fire "super weapons" depending on how many experience blocks you've picked up and what chopper you picked. These "super weapons" are extremely destructive and can be fired for a sustained period of time. They are best used on bosses. Each chopper has three gun levels (basic, upgrade 1, and upgrade 2). Each time you pick up a red "P" block you get a level upgrade until you are at level three...then you get 1,000 points for every one you pick up. The more green experience blocks you collect the more "super weapons" you get. I also think that if you have max "super weapons" and you get enough experience blocks you get extra lives. Or if you get enough "P" blocks after getting max gun levels you get extra lives. I'm not sure which.

Most of the enemies you will encounter are modeled after real life aircraft. There are American F-16 fighters, C-130 transport planes, A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack planes, and many more. The bosses are broken into two stages; the first is where you must attack a large vehicle of some sort. After you destroy that the second stage starts. This is where you fight a giant battle robot. These fights are not usually hard, but they can be tricky.

Innovative, real life aircraft, experience to be gained - 5/5

Story
This is a shooter and as such a story is not a big concern. In all honesty I'm not even sure what the story is. I feel like it has something to do with either aliens attacking in giant robots, or a rouge government agency using its military power to take over the world. I'm not sure. It probably says in the manual...but I can't read Japanese.

Don't know what it is...but it's probably not very exciting - 3/5

Replay
Depending on how good you are you might find yourself playing for hours at a stretch to get better or to beat your high scores, or you may find yourself not playing it for weeks or months at a time because you've gotten so good at it. As a shooter it doesn't carry with it a great deal of replay potential. However, there will be times when you want to load it up to see how well you can do.

Lots of fun, but you might not want to play every day - 3/5

THE VERDICT
This game is certainly one of the better shooters I have played. It's unique pivot feature is something new and different and certainly comes in handy. The fact that it's such an attractive and well built game really makes Zero Gunner 2 a must buy for any shooter fan. It may be difficult to find, but don't let that discourage you. If you can get this game and you are a fan of shooters, than you really have no excuse for not buying this game.

If you like shooters...get this one - 84/100

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/04