Game Reviews
Articles
Code Bank
News Flash
Fan SceneWho We Are
The Paper Game Mag
Links
Feedback
Search
Home
|
Sony brings a great shooter to the PlayStation and I'll have to say it offers more than most in this genre. The most noticeable features are the unique views and weapons, offering more variety than I've seen combined into one game of this type. The game play is interesting - the capabilities of this 32-bit game machine offer new types of game play. The first levels feature asteroids the size of the screen that you must avoid, as well as smaller, faster moving ones. This is, I see, what 32-bit offers to the shooting genre, and Sony didn't deprive Philosoma from the use of any of the PlayStation's abilities. The depth of some of the backgrounds really gives you a great feel of realism and speed. As you navigate through the levels of Philosoma, you must dodge enemy aircrafts and destroy them with one of your aircraft's diverse, deadly weapons. You have five of them - an ammunition-spraying one that is best for normal airborne battles, a pulsing laser (powerful, but difficult to aim), a charge weapon (charge it up and release for one strong blast), a reverse gun (fires rounds of ammunition behind you), and the "large bomb" (the most powerful bombs that are the norm for a shooter). Different areas of the game are better suited for each of these different weapons. For instance, a group of small enemies should be destroyed with the normal weapon, while bosses may be suitable for the laser and large bombs. The different views require you to use each weapon, notably the reverse weapon. In some views, you must fire behind you at enemies flying in from the rear. Another view of the game shows your aircraft flying directly toward the screen with the boss in pursuit. You must use your reverse weapon, and move to compensate for his movements. The only gripe I have with the weapons are the means for changing them; rather than having each button on the controller fire a different weapon, Sony made changing weapons accomplished with a single button. You have to cycle through the choices to find the weapon suitable for a certain area. Somewhat annoying... As mentioned upon briefly, the views are superb. Most shooters either scroll from left to right or bottom to top, but Philosoma offers more. Players will find themselves flying up, right, toward, and even away from the screen. You name it! A Zaxxon style view is even used (a diagonal view). Truly a fascinating idea, and it's done well too, albeit I found it difficult to avoid the collusion of enemies in some types of views. Pixelization can be found here and there, although not too often. The play control is top notch. It's sharp and crisp regardless of the view the player is playing in or weapon the player is using. The means of weapon selection could have been altered to be more user-friendly, though, like mentioned. The player has the option to change the setup of the controller, although they still won't be able to fix the problem. The music isn't fabulous, but it's not annoying either. It's unnoticeable and unoriginal, at the most, but no real noticeable problems exist. The sound is done well, and some voice samples of aircraft transmissions are played during the game, adding a sense of realism (something which the graphics already accomplish for Philosoma). The visuals are good with the various views, and the cinemas between levels are a nice touch, but not necessary. The difficulty of Philosoma is set at an appropriate level too, although the player can change that on the option screen. Shooter fans should look into buying or renting Philosoma. The interesting views give the player a new experience, something which very few games accomplish today. |
Articles
Code Bank
News Flash
Fan Scene
The Paper Game Mag
Links
Feedback
Search
Home
We want to hear from you! E-mail the Editor of Game Mag at gamemag@kcnet.com.