Raystorm

Let's get this straight from the beginning. If it wasn't for Einhander, this would be the best shooter of all time that I've played. This isn't coming from a shooter n00b, either. My brother is quite a shooter connoisseur (I think that's how you spell it) and naturally I wrench the controller from his clammy hands all the time. Don't worry, I play them enough myself. Anyway, on to the review.

RS differs from Einhander in several key areas. RS is top-down, and features no change of angle or anything like that. There are two "planes" of existence, the plane where your ship is, and the ground or a background plane. This is how it works. Your aircraft flies in the "upper" plane, and you can shoot anything on that plane with you with your main guns. However, there are many enemies that exist on the lower plane, anything from tanks to submarines to space cruisers. To kill those annoying buggers, you have a secondary laser that can attack either enemies on your level, or those below you. All this might sound confusing, but 5 minutes with Raystorm will explain everything.


Another key difference is that when you die, the game keeps moving (scrolling) and you respawn in 4 seconds.

In RS, the levels seem a bit shorter, with no punishing midbosses. The game is split into very defined levels, each that brings you to different areas of a large conflict. There are 8 levels, and by the 4th or 5th, depending on how good you are, you will have had the living sheiBen beaten out of you.

The last key difference is that RS is significantly easier then Einhander. Make no mistake, RS is still cutthroat and requires a Zen-like mastery to complete, but it's easier then Einhander. Let's put it this way, I can't beat Einhander, but I can beat Raystorm.

The graphics are good enough. They won't blow anyone away, especially in this day and age, but they are more than passable. The particle effects are nice, and that's good since there's so many explosions and crap blowing up.

There are 2 aircraft that you can fly, they are known as the R-Gray 1, and the R-Gray 2. The R-Gray 1 is a bit more conventional, as it sports pulse lasers like any other fighter in every other shooter. It's ground attack lasers are also very straight forward. If that's not good enough for you, then the R-Gray 2 should satisfy. It's primary lasers are two beams of light (think lightsabers) that stretch across the screen. It's secondary laser is a giant purple bolt of lighting that zips around the screen, hitting what you target. The annoying thing is that the beam has a long travel time. It needs to travel all the way to your target, then to the next, and so on so forth. In my opinion, it takes too darn long. RS moves too fast, the enemies move too fast, and I just don't have time to wait. Not to worry, both ships are balanced with the other. Sooner or later, you'll find a favorite aircraft, I suggest you stick with it. (There is also a R-Gray Zero, if you should be good enough to find it. As Far as I know, it exists is 13 ship mode only. More on that next.) Both ships become ridiculously powerful once upgraded enough.

There are 3 Modes in RS. You have Regular, Extra and 13 ship mode. Regular is the normal game, Extra is a little harder, with different enemies. If you beat Extra, you unlock 13 ship mode, which gives you 13 ships, (You must pick the launch order. That means the order in which you fly your ships.) to complete the entire game. As if that's not hard enough, The game is even more difficult. Neither me or my brother has completed 13 ship mode. Oh, and you can play through any modes (except 13 ship) with a friend. The only problem is confusing your ship with your partner's.


Now here are some of my complaints with RS, because, while it's good, it isn't flawless. For a good part of the game, there is minimal aircraft in the foreground, with more of these little, lame tanks that shoot laser bolts up at you. Personally, I'd like a little variety. Also, the first few levels are too easy (I have beaten the first 3 without dying), but level 6's boss borders on cheap. Also, there is a bug with the combo system. Allow me to explain. When you lock on to a string of enemies, and proceed to use your secondary laser, the first enemy is worth (for example, let's say 200 points) 200 points. The next should be 400, 600, 800, 1000, and so on. When you use the R-Gray 1, the combo multiplier doesn't work, leaving every enemy in the string at 200 points. Therefore, it's difficult to get a high score using the R-Gray 1, even if you're killing 80-90% of all the enemies. The R-Gray 2 is not affected by this bug.

All I may complain, Raystorm is still a blast. The levels are chaotic, forcing you to concentrate and persevere. Believe me, Raystorm is very intense. Try to get this if you can. On an unrelated note, I found evidence that RS is also available on the PC. I've reviewed the PS1 version. This is a very good game. Even though Einhander eclipsed Raystorm, that doesn't mean RS is any less worthy of your time. Enjoy, and try not to throw your controller in frustration.

4 star(s) out of 5

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