Product description
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Disc(s) only. Ships in generic case. Disc(s) are professoinally
cleaned. Guaranteed functional or replacement.
Review
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After a painfully long hiatus in production, the shooter has
triumphantly returned to the market. Armed with 3D graphics and
deeper gameplay, the shooter has once again found its place in
the hearts of the masses. Capitalizing on this trend, Capcom has
released Gigawing, proving that there's a lot more to a good
shooter than a cool design gimmick. Why Capcom USA brought this
game to the States is beyond us. One day, the Medallion of Wisdom
fell from its shrine in heaven. The power-hungry humans quickly
discovered that equipping their planes, trains and other devices
with this metal granted them the power of the gods. Naturally,
this medal fell into the wrong hands, and it's up to four fighter
pilots to wrestle it from those hands and destroy it and all that
it begets. To help them, these pilots have a magnificent new
power at their beck and call - the Reflect Force. Aptly named,
the Reflect Force does just as the name implies - it reflects
enemy bullets. While this power can be used as many times as you
desire, it takes a short a of time to recharge between uses.
In addition to the Reflect Force, each fighter pilot has his own
weapon, ranging in both attack spread and strength, and three
screen-clearing bombs. While the Reflect Force is a great
concept, the game surrounding it isn't so hot. Gigawing began as
a CPS2 arcade game, and the difficulty that stems from these
arcade roots is apparent - this game is impossible. That may be a
slight overstatement, but mortals should expect to continue a
lot. The screen is constantly filled with beams, bullets, and
other deadly projectiles. While the whole point of the Reflect
Force is to turn this ceaseless barrage to the player's
advantage, the Reflect Force's recharge time makes it difficult
to use. In fact, you're likely to die many, many times when
trying to use it. During the game's latter half you may find
yourself dying and continuing only to take advantage of the three
bombs that come with every life. This kind of difficulty is not
only frustrating but also disheartening. Radiant Silver, the
de facto standard for quality shooters these days, is the exact
site: Although that game is difficult, one still felt that
the odds weren't impossible, and playing again and again would
almost always result in additional progress. When you are dealing
with shooters there will always be the question of longevity.
Compared with recent offerings, Gigawing is definitely a
questionable release. Thanks to the unlimited continues, you may
opt to complete the game in your first sitting. A sitting that
will last all of 30 minutes. And that's it. Nothing more. Playing
with the other three characters adds nothing to the game, really,
rather giving players the chance to skip the brief philosophical
monologues and play the same levels in a slightly different
order. No secrets, no different levels. Not even a worthwhile
ending. While Gigawing may have been an impressive feat for the
aging CPS2 arcade board, it doesn't stack up on the Dreamcast at
all. Sure, the Dreamcast's processing power gives the game
silky-smooth dodging mayhem without a hint of slowdown, but that
doesn't mean the game is in the least bit attractive. Capcom got
where it is today by bringing a high level of polish to the
table, something Gigawing developer Takumi can't seem to imitate.
The game's graphics are muddy, primitive, and lacking in style.
To top it off, the game's effects are nonexistent, animations are
brusque, and the color palette is garish and unbalanced. Takumi's
audio team is no better than the art team, bringing appropriately
mediocre music and sound effects to this entirely stale effort.
Why did this game come to the US? If Gigawing were priced to
move, the violent lack of quality and longevity could be forgiven
to an extent, but it's not. Gigawing was designed with the
hardest-core shooter fans in mind, but it's this same audience
that's likely to be the most disappointed. --Peter
Bartholow--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without
express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot
Review
