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| Source // Hardcore Gaming 101 |
Hey! Come here! We're going to play a space shooter! I know! Another one!
It is 2520 or so, and the world hasn't just gone to hell but has gone from the Universe. The only survivors are a bunch of space pilots and their robot, and they're not going out without a fight. This is Radiant Silvergun, a shooter that was said to have been released at the wrong time but has also been said to have been released at just the right time, to remind arcade players that the space shooter is alive and well.
Unlike the Earth.
Let's see just what's what.
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| Source // Hardcore Gaming 101 |
Fun Times
Released in the arcades and later ported to the Sega Saturn, I immediately expected this game to be a hassle to get going, but once again it's the Xbox 360 to the rescue, as Radiant Silvergun got a fancy remaster/re-release for the system, complete with the option to play with original (ish?) graphic options. With a free demo, there's no better way to get a taste of this space shooter.
What does it do differently to all the rest? The key selling point is that you don't collect weapons from power-ups or downed enemies; instead, everything is unlocked from the start, and you can pick and choose when and how to fire your arsenal of weapons, as the situation demands it.
Need a simple shot to down some simple foes? That's on one button. Need more of a homing shot to get the peskier opponents? That's on another. Need a laser beam? Need to fire at an angle? Need to fire behind you? They're all on buttons - or button combinations if you insist on playing it as old school as possible.
The more you use each one, the more effective it becomes overall, but you can't rely on one or two weapons to see you through the game, and so you'll be juggling your options as you wiggle your ship around the screen, dodging incoming fire and whatnot.
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| Source // Hardcore Gaming 101 |
Frustrations
Sounds good on paper, but damn is it a handful in practice. The last shooter I played involved one shoot button, with the shot changing depending on what I had picked up or switched to. Radiant Silvergun doesn't have a switch button and a fire button, but seven fire buttons (in the Xbox release, at least).
There's a handy overlay in the rerelease which serves as a cheat sheet for which button does what, but looking over at it for the right type of shot while in the middle of a section that demands attention because you are being shot at and need to shoot back is madness. I defaulted to the one type that worked for me, and it didn't work for me. I was dead in seconds. First, the ships go, then the credits. It was appalling.
Final Word
I didn't play it long at all, instead deciding to watch the experts. There's just too much going on for me to keep track of, yet when watching it, Radiant Silvergun looks like any other space shooter.
The animated cutscenes are great, especially if you're into that particular look. I'm not, not really, but they gave the game a bit of character, and gave the characters within it some life... and then you pilot a nondescript ship with absolutely no characters in sight.
It's a bizarre one, this. It's done something a little different, it's got a character, and yet it looks the same as any other space shooter. What am I missing? Other than any skill in playing it.
I'm in no rush to return to Radiant Silvergun and try my luck again. The remakes first impression wasn't bad, but the actual games first impression wasn't good, and it's an uphill battle from there.
I'm sure, to space shooter fans, it has a place amongst the numerous other titles of the genre. I'm sure it hit some milestones and gave its competition something to think about. To me, it just doesn't do it. To you? Who knows. Free to find out for yourself.
Fun Facts
Development of the game was seemingly full of pessimism over whether or not it'd be a hit at all, even going so far as to suggest that the arcade original was just a test version for the console release.
Radiant Silvergun, developed by Treasure, first released in 1998.
Version played: Xbox 360, 2011.
Version watched: Xbox 360, 2011 (TheInnocentSinful)