I got it from GameCrazy, though I'd pre-ordered it. I doubt it's showing up at many B&M locations. A budget title of a niche genre on a dead system doesn't exactly inspire retailer exuberance. Online ordering is probably the ticket.
It's an odd game, with a mix of stunning cut-scene art direction and storytelling with half-assed in-game graphics and classic shmup gameplay.
The enigmatic first cut scene has brilliant visuals, sound and music that unfolds what could be a very compelling sci-fi story. When your antagonist is a seraphic child who is sentenced to be thrown into a black hole for unspeakable crimes, well, this doesn't seem like the typical storyline for a shooter (when it even has one). The plot as described in the manual isn't exactly conveyed via the visuals, but I prefer a storyline I have to interpret over the usual cliches. I just wish I were a little better at the game and I could advance the story quicker.
The graphics are the game's weakest point. First, it's 480interlaced. How can this be in 2006? It is 16x9, however. Custom soundtracks are supported, and the offical BGM is typical genre techno. There's an odd "smearing" of your ship as it moves and a great deal of "fog" in the background. Maybe these are stylistic choices rather than game engine limitations, but in such contrast to the effort put into the non-interactive elements, it's disappointing. Movement and combat is primarily Robotron-style, moving your ship with the left stick and firing with the right. You cycle weapons with the right trigger and your left trigger calls up a missile reticle, which you aim via the right stick. It's a little clunky in practice. You can pilot your ship on the vertical "tv screen" plane, but movement through the game is on rails. Though, you can choose different paths which supposedly feature different enemies, so that adds to replay value. Due to the rail game mechanics and the scrolling/rotating background, how/what you're shooting at is sometimes confusing. But this seems endemic to the genre.
Of course, it's a shmup, which means it's "zone gaming," and if you can get your Zen on you'll have a good time. I doubt it stands up to the great shooters on the Dreamcast, save for the unique story, but for a genre that never (? - Panzer Dragoon Orta, I guess) appeared on the Xbox, it's nice to have the option. If you're interested in global rankings, I think they're pretty obtainable. I'm now #15 in the world.
