To be this good takes Ages

Following on from an earlier post, today I downloaded Radiant Silvergun and had a bash at it. I didn’t last long, which is unsurprising for an arcade shooter, but I was impressed with the number of shooting abilities on offer. Needless to say, this warrants further investigation.

What is of particular note is that with the purchase of Radiant Silvergun, the number of Sega games (as in either made by Sega or originated on a Sega console) on my XBLA account now reaches eight. It joins the likes of Sonic Adventure, Sonic CD, Ikagura, Soul Calibur, Daytona USA, Nights into Dreams and Guardian Heroes. Now whilst it may not sound like much it still represents a third of the games I have downloaded from XBLA.

I suppose having a particular empathy for the Sega games is a holdover from my days as a Sega fanboy. I guess once you’re a fanboy you’re one for life and you can never truly escape such a fate. However other reasons behind such an empathy exist in the form of:

• Perhaps playing Sega games on the Xbox it is a firm indication of Microsoft's replacing of Sega in the Console race
• Or maybe it is more of a case of finally playing games that I have previously only been able to admire from afar.

But most likely there is still the faint glimmer of hope that if Sega games are being brought maybe a miracle may happen and we’ll finally see a re-release of Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force 3.

But what are the odds of the happening, amIrite?

Shot Through

When I was a kid I really enjoyed arcade shooters – for some reason there was something appealing about controlling a jet/helicopter and gunning down a seemingly endless parade of military hardware. Indeed, I recall seeing these type of games in arcade parlors, watching the demo/attract mode and feel I could do better. Of particular note, I recall being more excited about Raiden 2 than Mortal Kombat 2 or Super Street Fighter.

I can’t stress this enough: I haven’t a clue as to why arcade shooters had such a sway over me. Was it the first kind of arcade game I saw and became familiar with? Was it seeing something that was capable of producing something beyond the limitations of my trusty Commodore 64? Or was it the offer of blowing shit up? I don’t know and somehow, such questioning doesn’t warrant further pondering.

However, when I entered my teens and adult years I grew off arcade shooters. Again why this is so is unclear to me:  Most likely it was me becoming aware of other gaming genres. Or maybe I realized just what a coin thief arcade games truly are. Nevertheless, I’ve gone off shooters and the interest has never been rekindled – true I’ve the Raiden Project for the PlayStation but, as always, the power of nostalgia can have a sway that is difficult to resist.

Still, what is of particular interest is that through being away from the genre, many innovations have occurred to it. Innovations that to me, come as a complete surprise. Two particular titles have stood out in particular: Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun. Both games from those wunderkinds known as Treasure and have such a reputation in amongst the arcade shooter crowd.

A reputation that warrants investigation – I already have Ikaruga and have had a go at it. So let’s see if Radiant Silvergun has something to offer….