Produced by: Psikyo/Capcom

Genre: Shooting

Players: Two

Before heading into the review proper, I'll just run you up to speed on the "finely tuned" plot behind this 2D shooter...

"Beyond the skies all over the world, five troubled characters seek a miracle potion: the legendary blessing which could make any dream come true. They face ancient mysteries, dangers and thrills. Sky pirates erupt again and again. How can they reach the potion?"

Ah, nothing like a good Japanese videogame plotline. I especailly like the part about "Pirates erupting". Wouldn't that be both messy and painful?

With the advent of high-end 3D graphics, the traditional 2D shooter has gone from mainstream to niche in a very short space of time. What was once the main genre in both arcades and on the 16-bit consoles has been reduced to walk-on parts on the next-gen machines. A few shining examples have emerged, titles like Radiant Silvergun, Bangiaoh (both by Treasure), Thunder Force 5, Raystorm and Strikers 1945. However, the 2D shooter is no longer the force it once was. Videogaming has moved on, players demand more than just instant fun - they want games built to last. Games with depth. It comes as a surprise then that Capcom has published two traditional 2D shooters on the 128-bit Sega Dreamcast. The first was very average GigaWing (released in the US soon). This is the second, and it's not actually coded by Capcom, but by arcade veterans Psikyo, who were behind the Strikers series. The graphics are totally 2D, and they do their job in a kind of "this looks cool for a Saturn game...what? It's on the Dreamcast? Oh..." type of way. As nice as it looks, you can't help be feel tinge of embarrassment - I mean, did you really spend your hard earned money on a machine just to play a 2D shooter that could have been done on the Genesis? No, of course you didn't. You at least expect semi-3D backgrounds, like in RayStorm. Also, unless you feel like turning your TV on it's side, you're going to have to play Gunbird 2 with huge borders down one side, as it retains the original arcade aspect ratio. I don't mind this so much, but I've heard several people comment that it annoys them.

Gameplay wise, Gunbird 2 is very basic. Let's make no bones about, this game is so simple it's retro. We've seen shooters like Radiant Silvergun add fresh ideas to the genre, and make shooters interesting again. Gunbird 2 has no new ideas. You see it, you shoot it. You upgrade your weapons, you fire a smart bomb, you avoid enemy fire, you repeat. You don't even have any other weapons to use - you're stuck with the standard "vulcan" shot. The only mildly interesting feature of the gameplay is the "Nice Bomb" bonus. When you use a smart bomb, it wipes the screen of enemy fire as well as dealing out damage to the enemy units themselves. If you use a bomb when the screen is full, you get a bonus. It only adds to your score, but it's a nice little effect.

The game features seven playable characters, five of which are available from the start, the other two must be unlocked. One of the secret characters is Morrigan of Darkstalkers fame, but don't get too excited - she's nothing special. There doesn't seem to be the greatest difference between the seven players, each has a different firing and smart bomb animation, but that's about it. The artwork is above average, but nothing mindblowing.

Maybe I'm being a little too harsh with Gunbird 2. It does offer some fun-filled gameplay for a few hours, and it's perfect for that "pick up and play" blast. However, not only does it offer nothing new, it takes a step back in terms of 2D shooter development - Psikyo clearly ignored Radiant Silvergun when making this game, and that's like making a driving game and ignoring the advancements made with Gran Turismo, or producing a fighting game and predending Tekken and Virtua Fighter never happened. I really can't recommend this title. It's not worth the asking price considering you can pick up the superior Raystorm on the PSX for next to nothing now. In fact, Genesis shooters like Hellfire and Zero Wing offer more fun than this, and you could pick up a Genny and both those titles for the price of Gunbird 2 alone.

In a word: AVOID. This game is outdated, unoriginal and simply not worth the money.

2 out of 5