Philosoma

You've probably noticed that there haven't been that many shooters recently. Back in the heyday of the Genesis, they were probably the most common type of game. If it's high-intensity action you want, Philosoma will whet your appetite for adrenaline.

Philosoma joins Raiden as one of the first shooters for the PlayStation. Surprisingly, this first-generation game surpasses the competition in every way.

First, the computer-rendered graphics are a sight to see. The cinemas are perfectly smooth, and they are great to watch over and over. They even get more intense as the game progresses. Okay, so cinemas aren't your thing. How about power-ups?

Philosoma gives you a selection of five weapons that can each be powered-up three times. The basic weapon is the Vulcan--a standard spread gun that fills the air with lead. If you're getting swarmed, it's not too shabby. The Laser is a favorite. It's a blue beam that blankets the screen with lethal effects when powered-up. A-Break is a beam that can be charged up to do more damage. It's perfect for doing a lot of damage to a specific point (like Boss' weak spots). Last is Ray-B. This can be your most important gun at times. It's a simple shot that fires behind you. You'll see its importance later. Aside from these carnage-causing weapons, you'll also pick up icons that give you missiles. Some go straight forward and others home-in on the enemies. To top off everything, use a super-bomb to clear the screen of targets. Sounds cool, huh? Want to hear more?

This CD has five, count 'em five, different perspectives. No other shooter has this many points of view. (No fools, Axelay only had two views.) You have your typical horizontal and vertical views. While practically all other shooters utilize these perspectives, the visuals of these are just so cool. Enemies appear in the distance and fly into the foreground and so forth. Cool effects like that help this title stand out. You will also see forward and rear views. (See, that tail gun would come in handy.) These are sort of like Microcosm, but in a good way. For all of you Zaxxon buffs out there, there is a view that re-creates its intensity. It's also the only level where you can hit walls.

Be warned. The changes in viewpoint add a subtle challenge, and it keeps things fresh.

Philosoma has more than its fair share of visual effects. The weapons and the detail in the enemies work well with the backgrounds, which look great, too. They range from a canyonscape to a city. Each phase is broken down into sequences, each using a different view. The final phase ends with an enormous Boss. For some reason, they just don't seem to match the quality of the rest of the game. (Except for the train Boss. You have to see it!)

This is a good game to pick up. Even if you don't like shooters, Philosoma will give you all the thrills and spills that any decent game delivers. The action is nonstop and it looks good. What else would you need?

CYBER SEZS.....

It always seems like the first-generation shooters are filled with slowdown or they just don't have the "oomph" that they should. In a way, Philosoma's scary. This game breaks away from the ordinary conventions of shooters and excels in every way. There is no slowdown whatsoever and it plays really well. Compare this to any 16-Bit shooter, new or old. If this is a first-run game, what will the games released in the future be like? We re about to see some major revelations that will stir the gaming market. With new technology, the threshhold of what programmers can do has changed. What new genres will be spawned? Think about it...scary isn't it?

Philosoma tries hard to be a next-gen shooter, but in gameplay it barely surpasses Novastorm. Only shooting fanatics will find some redeeming trigger action.

The real eye-grabbers are the full-length rendered movies that pace the story. They're gorgeous. but they don't help the stodgy gameplay. The backgrounds and explosions, usually the mainstay of shooter graphics, are dull, and even all the enemies look suspiciously similar. And while Philosoma throws a ton of views into play (forward scrolling, overhead, side-view, and more), none of them is any more exciting than the others.

The sounds and controls are both stable and unassuming. The music doesn't interfere, and the controls are easy to maintain. If you've breezed through and enjoyed Galactic Attack and Jupiter Strike, Philo-soma should be the next entry in your flight log, jet-boy.

Avid PlayStation watchers have been waiting for this one for quite a while. Originally slated to be released around the same time as the PlayStation, Sony Computer Entertainment took its own sweet time developing this shooter and it's finally here (or there, in Japan, rather). After an absolutely stunning CG intro in which nothing short of total galactic war is declared (it's that good) the game starts in earnest. Yes, Philosoma is a shooter at heart, but it goes a bit beyond the current crop of shooters like Raiden and Parodius and offers players an ever-shifting perspective to keep their necks snapping. At one moment you might be comfortably flying your ship from a standard "behind-the-vehicle view" and the next you might be above, below, or even in front of it! It's definitely vertigo-inspiring.

As you can see, Phitosoma's no slouch in the graphics department either. As a cherry on top of the cake, the disc includes a catchy pop tune by one of Japan's biggest idol singers, Rika Takahashi. Get ready to freak!!!