Gunbird 2
It's been such a long time since I've played a classic shooter. And Gunbird 2 offers quite a change of pace from the short arcade experiences you might remember. I know it looks like a 16-bit game, but the SNES and Genesis would be lucky if they could actually handle the large and numberous sprites shown onscreen. You also have your choice of a Vertical Screen that can be used by placing your TV on it's side (note: you should only do this if your TV is made to be stood vertically). Additionally the game breaks the classic spaceship mold and uses a variety of anime-inspired characters including Morrigan of Dark Stalkers fame and earthly locations as the backdrops. The detail is even impressive with lots of different things to blow up and pedestrians running around in pure chaos. Just because it doesn't use polygons doesn't mean it isn't good.
Gameplay wise, it's as basic as you can get with traditional vertical shooting action. With the ability to upgrade your weapons and even use limited specials to clear the screen in times of chaos. Now here's where the innovations come in. Depending on the character(s) you choose and your overall performance, the route and ending you recieve will change accordingly. There's two endings per character in single player mode. And there's an ending for each and every combination of characters in 2 player mode. Meaning there's easily over 40 different endings to see with seven selectable fighters. I should also mention that the game is full of personality and the endings are purely whacky japanese humor. For instance you discover that Marion is actually a 17 year-old girl who was turned into a 9 year-old by her husband. Wierd huh?
What the game lacks in terms of innovative controls, it makes up for with classic gameplay and loads of personality. I miss games of this variety and I applaud Capcom for taking a chance with this title. These games are honestly a true showing of what made games so fun in the first place. I hope we see more shooters like this in the future.
(thanks to www.gamefan.com for the pics)
| Category | Rating | How & Why? |
| Graphics | 8 | Old School 2D Grahpics / Giant Bosses with Destroyable Parts / Very Cool Vertical Screen Mode / Too Bad there aren't any Dreamcast Graphical Enhancements |
| Music | 8 | The Funky Tunes of Old School Gaming / Talk about a Nostalgic Trip... |
| Gameplay | 9 | Classic Vertical Shooting Controls and Gameplay / Various Screen and Difficulty Modes / 1 or 2 Player Blasting Action / Different Routes between 7 Different Characters |
| Innovation | 8 | An Arcade-Perfect Shooter on the Dreamcast! / Too Bad it doesn't take any Enhancements from the Dreamcast Hardware... |
| Replay | 8 | 40+ Endings - 2 Per Character including Different Character Combinations / Stage Routes change depending on Character and Performance / |
Overall 8.2
Review written by ShinjiZ for GameyPlace.com on December 13, 2000