review
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POSTED 15/9/11


RADIANT SILVERGUN

Treasure
Xbox 360/XBLA

Some things are hard. Comprehending Nickelback’s popularity, spelling (let alone pronouncing) ‘Taumatawhakatangi-hangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu’, making soufflé that doesn’t go belly-floppy and – according to Einstein - understanding income tax.

Here’s another for the list, the reincarnated late ’90s arcade/SEGA Saturn 2D vertical shooter Radiant SIlvergun. Toto, we've a feeling we're not in Truxton any more...

We’ve been fairly handy at spacey shmups over the past couple of decades, be they sideways, upways or hybrid. This one broke our brain. Forget your standard shoot button with a handful of alternating weapon types coupled with a bomb button, RSG makes Defender seem like Whac-A-Mole. Every X-controller button houses a different weapon – if they added more buttons then Treasure would likely patch in more functions. Mind you, there’re also numerous combos when combining different buttons. It’s like memorising Joyce’s Ulysses.

You’ll need to memorise to get anywhere, too – the button functions, not Ulysses. Whilst hurling fucktonnes of plentifully frenetic shooter at you, there’s also a heavily puzzler-tinged strategic element. You’ll just kinda yelp and want to run away upon first experiencing wave after wave after wave of photon death stalking you, but as you gradually suss the various functions – and train your brain to tell fingers to press the right buttons when needed - improvement comes.

A typical arcade mode bumps options with a story mode; basically the same, just with the ability to gradually perma-upgrade your arsenal and mucho added cheese. The old school graphics have been given a new school injection. Still, if you’re a stickler for authenticity you can eschew the new shininess for blocky nirvana. Hell, if you’re that full-on about it you could even saw off the bits between 4:3 and 16:9 on your teev.

Being hard doesn’t mean being blah. Fling off those ‘meh’ shackles and get your brain dirty.

take me back to the start...

 



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ALL WRITTEN CONTENT COPYRIGHT © AMY FLOWER 2008-2018. GAME IMAGES COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE GAMES COMPANIES.