Review by: John Dorff

Those of you who have read my review of Soukyugurentai, know how highly I regard it. To me, it is one of the best scrolling shooters around, and will be the measuring stick by which I will judge all top-down shooters from now on. Batsugun is in the unenviable position to be the first shooter reviewed. While it does not have the eye-popping graphics of Soukyugurentai, it is a fine shooter that holds its own quite well.

Even though the graphics might look a tad dated; the arcade version came out in 1993; the hand drawn art is still a sight to behold! Some beautifully detailed backgrounds, many levels of parallax, and fantastic looking enemies grace this game, though you won't have much time to admire it since Batsugun can have an insane amount of stuff happening on the screen at one time. An interesting feature is that the game has several ways you can setup the video screen, including an arcade mode where you can turn your TV on its side and have a true "arcade" experience! Too cool.

Gameplay is, in a word, INTENSE! It is guaranteed to drive your eyes batty since the screen is constantly overloaded with enemies and weapons fire from every direction. In fact, IMHO, the game tends to cross the line, sometimes, from being challenging to just plain frustrating. There are stretches in the later levels where my ships get blown up one after another, with little I can do about it. And this is on EASY! This game is Contra Hard Corps type of hard... times ten! Only serious shooter fans need apply.

The game is for one or two players with a choice of three different ships. Each ship has two different energy weapons, particular to each ship, and a limited amount of "destroy all" bombs. You can pick up power-ups and more bombs as you go along, which you will most definitely have need for. The power-ups increase the strength and "spread" of your energy weapons, though, after a while, the "spread" will become so wide and intense that you will be hard pressed to see your enemies through it. Given all the incredible amount of sprites that can be on the screen at once, there is no noticeable slowdown... even in two player mode! To me, that is an incredible feat.

There are three levels of difficulty and two modes of gameplay available: arcade and special version, though I have no idea yet what the difference is. The game has only five levels, which most people will consider too short, but let me tell you, you will be hard pressed to get through all five! In an interesting, if strange, bit of gameplay design, there are sometimes groups of pigs hidden throughout the levels that you can uncover by your weapons fire and then rescue by flying over them... yes, you did read that right! Have no idea what it has to do with the game, though.

Control is intuitive and precise, though I wished the game supported the analog pad. Heck, if I had my way, every game would support the analog pad! IMHO, it is the best controller for ANY system. It lacks the option to setup the controls to your preferences, but I found the default just fine.

The music track is good, if a bit uninspired, and gives you the choice of regular or remixed versions. The SFX are a little disappointing... too generic with not enough oomph to them.

Batsugun may be a little too frustrating at times for my taste, but then again, what do I know? My ten year old daughter and her friends actually like it better and play it more often then Soukyugurentai! Bottom line? It is still a fine shooter that every shooter fanatic should own. The occasional shooter fan might be wise to try before they buy.

Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Control: 8/10
Music/SFX: 6/10
Replay Value: 7/10
Overall: 7/10