This game even has cute anime girls! Rock! |
Giga Wing 2 has a more complex story which calls once again for the elite unit 100 Airborne which have been resting since the last war against Medallion. The "Giga Wing" are the pilots of the air fighters who are now on a mission to settle a political matter which could lead to the decomposition of the Serbenian Republic. This Eurasian continent has been rudely awakened from a peaceful state by the unrest and rebellion of the Republic Army who announced independence due to dissatisfaction. The Union of the Serbenian Republic has two options for action: 1) Unite with allied nations to fight for the peace and stability of the Republic, or to 2) Call in the Giga Wing team to resolve the issue quietly. Having been contacted about your mission, it's apparent which option the Union has chosen. In addition, an ancient artifact is brought into the picture mostly by rumor, yet this artifact's power is both feared and revered. As a part of the Giga Wing team, unearthing this mystery is naturally another a twist of your mission.
Romi is one of four players to choose from, each with their own unique story throughout game. The players differ mostly by the design of their ship, and the available firepower. The four players play the game levels in a different order, and although their stories differ during game play, the main plot line converges as you approach the end. New to the Giga Wings is the option of using a technology (described in the game as a Lost Technology) called a "Reflect Barrier". The Reflect Barrier actually consists of either a reflective shield which sends enemy fire back the way it came, or a reflect laser which absorbs enemy fire and targets enemies on the screen to annihilate once ready. This Reflect Barrier technology is crucial to the survival of the Giga Wings, and holds even greater mystery as the game progresses. As a shooter fan, this feature adds a whole new dimension to game play. It's nothing like the hassle of moving a cross-hair (which floats a few ship lengths in front of your ship) where you need to hit the laser button at precisely the right timing to hit the target (a la RayCrisis and RayStorm). Those weapons are nerf balls in comparison to this kind of firepower. This is the real deal -- added technology that works and is extremely useful.
It is also worth noting that your ship is temporarily invinceable after using the Reflect defenses or a force bomb.
More crazy bullets... Who'd have thunk it? |
Giga Wing 2 is a difficult game. If you have not yet mastered the basic strategies of the original Giga Wing, I'm of the belief that you have little business to do with this title. Unlike popular opinion, the strategy is not to use bombs to clear the screen until you run out and die. The goal is to survive; thus there is little room for death. It's hard to rate what is considered good for most shooters, but I will say that I consider you a good Giga Wing 2 player if you can make it through a single level (at normal difficulty) without continuing until at least the beginning of the next. This is not easy to do, so let's not pretend. And on top of that, the numerous boss levels near the end of the game are so difficult that I would be surprised if they could be conquered in a single continue at all.
The default ration of resources per continue is as follows:
- 4 player ships
- 2 force bombs
- unlimited reflect defenses (either reflect barrier or reflect laser)
With only these resources, the game is impossible for mere mortals to finish. Thanks to the developers, Giga Wing 2 offers unlimited continues. This feature is both a positive and a negative. Unlimited continues removes the challenge by not requiring a certain amount of skill to finish the game, yet at the same time it does allow players the option to complete the game. Giga Wing 2 is so difficult that if it had only 3 continues, it may discourage anyone from playing it. The learning curve for this game is not high, though many sequences including the bosses require impeccable timing and the calmest of nerves in the face of chaos.
Compared to the predecessor, Giga Wing, the sequel shines in terms of the improved interface and the addition of the reflect defenses. The action is comparable to the original Giga Wing and the power ups and force bombs are still available throughout your journeys. If you like the feel of the controls and the quick response to the buttons and directional keypad, Giga Wing 2 will feel like home. However, Giga Wing 2 feels so much like the original Giga Wing that it's safe to say that if you didn't like the first installment, you probably won't like this one much either. Other similarities to the original Giga Wing are the sound effects, the ridiculously high scores, the story line updates between levels, and the Score Attack mode. While the Score Attack mode potentially adds to the replay value, if you're simply not interested in playing well, or are not ashamed of using more than 5 continues to finish this game, this mode is certainly not for you.
In short, if you're not willing to invest the time into this game, the replay value is very limited. Also, the game length is rather short from start to finish -- thus without a mission to do your absolute best and make every second count, the fun factor is extremely shallow. To make matters worse, Giga Wing 2 suffers from massive slow-down during game play when a lot is happening on the screen. This is relatively common for shooters, but it's particularly difficult when the screen is filled with items left behind from destroying enemies (as these items tend to conceal enemy fire).
Giga Wing 2 takes pride in the details. With a higher resolution and an impressive 3D engine, the graphics look much sharper than any shooter on the Dreamcast console. Also worth emphasizing is the added dimension with the reflect lasers. While the reflect barrier is a good idea, the reflect laser is just plain cool. If you liked the original Giga Wing, Giga Wing 2 is a "must have".
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