Gunbird 2 Review

Old school scroll.

Capcom covers a wide range of game genres. From puzzle games to fighters to adventure games, they seem to run the gamut. Their latest action title, Gunbird 2, is a decent throwback to the late 80's when vertical shooters ruled the arcade scene. It features seven characters, seven stages, and THOUSANDS of bullets along with hours of pattern learning madness. The learning curve is so high, you may go insane trying to find a path through a seemingly endless sea of enemy fire. Oh well, I guess that's just the whole point of a shooter.

GB 2 is a classic, top-down shooter that has you weaving in and out of enemy fire like a lab rat through a maze. You also collect power-ups that'll give your ship more firepower than the FBI at Waco.

And firepower you shall need, since you'll be up against tons and tons of enemies. These guys aren't joking around, either - there are an insane number of ships firing all kinds of weapons at once. You'll easily lose track of your own ship amidst the massive amount of destruction on screen. Luckily, you have a bomb that clears the screen of all enemy fire. The only problem is that you get but two to start, and the bombs are about as easy to come by as an electoral vote in Florida.

Thank god for the unlimited continues, since it's almost impossible to clear a stage without losing several lives. Luckily, collisions with enemy ships will only power down your weapon, instead of destroying you completely. It's a really small break, though, since you still have to put up with the hail of bullets that continuously blanket the screen.

Capcom's mastery of 2D graphics shines. The crisp character design and sharp 2D backdrops tie in with blazing framerates to produce a good looking game. Even at the peak of chaos there is no visible slowdown.

The classic sound of early shooters rings strong throughout the game and explosions just scream cheesy arcade. The music score is typical 80's synthesizer, which fits like a hand in glove.

Like the shooters of old, GB2 has very limited depth and there are no extra levels or characters to unlock. All you can get is an art gallery. This seems extremely pointless. Who gets inspired to spend hours learning the pattern of some crazy boss fight to earn a mere picture? Give me a new ship, a secret level…anything!

The old school feel keeps going strong in the multiplayer mode. Two players join forces to simultaneously kick giant robo-butt by unleashing their firepower on a single screen at the same time. There's nothing like blowing up stuff with a friend by your side.

Capcom characters like to moonlight and make cameo appearances. Gunbird 2 features Morrigan of Darkstalkers as a "hidden" character. Nice idea if you're a fan, but otherwise, it's not a big deal.

Gunbird 2 really brings back the feel of old-school arcade shooters. The game is really, really hard, but that's the nature of this genre. I just wish that there were more rewards for my efforts; it feels almost pointless to try so hard. The graphics and sound are so arcadey that I'm still looking for a place to insert a quarter. The old school crowd will definitely want to check this one out, but for those not familiar with the genre, this game might be more of a lesson in frustration than fun.