Giga Wing

Thank you Capcom. The traditional 2D shooter is perhaps my favorite subgenre of games, and it's really nice to see some trickle out here and there. Giga Wing certainly won't be remembered as one of the all-time greats--it certainly won't share the pedestal with classics like Radiant Silvergun (Saturn-Japan), Twin Cobra or the old R-Type. Still, it's a fun game. And since you won't be seeing many more of this style of shooter (vertical scrolling, completely 2D) anymore, you might as well get this one, while you can. If you've seen any of our previews, then you know that Giga Wing is one massive sprite-orgy. You won't believe the stuff that'll fill up the screen until you see it. Explosions, projectiles, power-ups, medals, enemies...they'll wall-to-wall carpet the playing area, with little or no slowdown at all! It's very impressive to see, especially if you understand how much memory all these 2D sprites are taking up. The gameplay is pretty straightforward, with the only noteworthy feature being your ship's reflective power (which is handy and gimmicky at the same time). Unfortunately, due to the fact that this is an arcade game with unlimited continues (and you get most of your power-ups back after you die), your fun with this disc may be short-lived. You can beat the game several times in an hour!

I was weaned on vertical arcade shooters like Twin Cobra, Truxton (and fell hard for Radiant Silvergun on the Saturn), so I have a soft spot for Giga Wing. But unlike those shooters of yore, Giga Wing is guilty of being a tad too inconsiderate to the player. In other words, this game is a "quarter-muncher." I do like the reflective shield that fires back, and the topnotch 2D graphics, but Giga Wing was designed to crush you. Save your egos now.

Having been raised on top-down shooters like Raiden, I was very eager to play Giga Wing. There's so much going on on-screen that this makes Raiden look like a cakewalk. Unfortunately since you have unlimited continues, it'll be easy for anyone to walk through this game. They should've at least made it so that you had to finish on limited continues the first time through. Great game, but needs the limits to keep people hooked at home.

This is the most chaotic and intense 2D shooter I've ever played. The screen is literally filled with enemy fire at all times. Consider yourself a God if you can complete the higher levels without using continue about 100 times. Giga Wing will overwhelm you with its menagerie of bullets and explosions but lacks substance to hook you for the long haul. Like a sugar rush, it never lasts. Rent it for a night to experience its decent two-player mode.