Weapons

Have you ever played a scrolling shooter with different colored guns and nifty powerup buddies that rotate around you, a-la Raiden II or Gradius? If so, you've seen pretty much everything you can get in this game. The fare's about as standard as at Denny's: the weak but infinitely powered gun, the gun that spreads its fire, the really powerful gun that shoots in a straight line, the (whatever)-seeking missiles.

Who needs Raid?

Tank

Then of course, your appetizers: little circular . . well, things, that fly around you and shoot out more firey death. And of course, you can pick up magical boxes of imperviousness, granting you, temporarily, the power to glow green (and uh, not get hurt). Fortunately, there is a big enough variety of weapons (whether or not they're original) to satisfy the most blodthirsty space marine, including plenty that aren't available in the demo.

No tank

Holy light, or big gun?

The one nifty and somewhat non-standard powerup that I grabbed (actually quite helpful) was the laser sight. Given that your viewing angle changes constantly, the laser sight is quite a help in figuring out just where you're aiming. Of course, sometimes it pays to just shoot. A lot.