Would you look at the graphics on that!! (Bangai-O (DC))

Member Name: dreamerz

Product:	Bangai-O (DC)
Date:	10/05/01 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic shooting action, Tonnes of levels

Disadvantages: Not for everyone, A little repetitive

Treasure have become something of legend amongst shoot-em-up fanatics in recent years. Beginning with the classic Gunstar Heros on the Megadrive they have produced a body of work which whilst resolutely two dimensional, has never failed to show innovation or lack playability.

Bangai-O is their first and probably now last title for the Dreamcast and it is unsurprisingly given their track record a 2D shooter. The plot is unimportant and to be honest rather confusing manga-esque stuff so I’d best stick to the basics. You play a robot with two pilots, each of which fires a different gun. The aim of the game is to shoot as many things as possible and fight your way to the boss of each level. There’s a time limit and failure to complete the level within this results in your score being drastically reduced.

That’s really all there is to it. There are a ridiculous number of levels to conquer but the main aim of the game is getting a high score rather then progression. The game is about as retro gameplay wise as you can get and it’s this rather pure feel to it that makes it so much fun to play. Just keep shooting and dodging, flashbacks of classic coin-ops come to mind as you play.

Graphically at a first glance the game looks like it would be embarrassed to run on an 8-bit machine. The sprites are incredibly tiny. However, it takes a machine as powerful as Dreamcast to generate as many as typically appear on screen during the game. There are literally hundreds of enemies and bullets flying around at once, all smoothly generated, cleverly detailed and not a hint of slow down what so ever. However, most of the time the player will be attempting not to get hit rather then admiring the scenery.

The game is highly addictive, the difficulty progression is judged just about right, never too easy but never frustrating. The urge to go back and beat that score too provides surprising longevity. However, this is n
ot a game for everyone. It is old-fashioned twitch gaming, pure and simple. Modern gamers raised on complex 3D worlds may find it a little too basic. It also can become repetitive, the game is not really suited to long extended session of play. It’s more a boot up for a half an hour blast every now and again. Also the boss encounters, usually a highlight of Treasure games are disappointing basic and often remain identical over large numbers of levels.

If you remember the classic blasters of the past or have previously enjoyed Treasures games then this comes heartily recommended. If not then perhaps its time to try a little retro entertainment. Given the price point of £10 its hardly going to be a huge risk.

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