Omega Five (Xbox Live Arcade) Review
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 01.14.2008
Vitals
Genre
Shooter
System
xbox 360
Release Date
Q4 2007
Stage one: Da Gwaciu Fotwess.
While the Xbox 360 is often criticized for its abundance of first person shooter games, what is often overlooked is its equal abundance of side scrolling shooters on Xbox Live. Games like Aegis Wing, Undertow, and even Space Giraffe are an easy find on Xbox Live, making it the modern day home for the arcade shooter. Yet even in this immense collection, there is a certain national genre within a genre that hasn’t been getting its proper representation: the Japanese shooter. The land of the rising sun is famous for its love of video games in general, but even more so for its affinity with unrealistically difficult shooters. Yet so few of those games ever make it to the international market.
Enter Omega Five.
Here is a shooter for the Xbox Live that isn’t afraid to let you know just how Japanese it is. The menus and music are reminiscent of Phantasy Star Universe. The character speech sounds straight out of a sci-fi subtitled anime. The spoken English words are, at best, broken. If this game added in the ability to switch between “plane mode” and “mecha mode” it would be the new Macross. And yes, the classic Japanese shooter difficulty level is present as well.
What’s the storyline for the game, you ask? Who knows? Who cares? No good arcade shooter has an in depth background story and Omega Five is no different. The Xbox Live Marketplace description for Omega Five reads: “The baddest guys around have been gathered together in order to save the beautiful planet from the clutches of invaders!” Fair enough. We don’t know who the invaders are or what beautiful planet they are invading, and we don’t want to know anyway. Let’s blow something up!
Omega Five gives players enemies to blow up in spades. The gameplay focuses on moving around the two analog sticks on the Xbox 360 controller, one to move and one to shoot. Other buttons allow you to perform super moves and dodge oncoming attacks, but for the most part gameplay involves rotating the two analog sticks to kill, kill, and kill. Enemies fly at the player from all sides, often in a constant stream. When we say “all sides” we really mean it. Often, your enemies will come into view from the games 3-D backdrop, and players must anticipate avoiding these enemies while destroying what is already on screen.
If it sounds hard, that’s because it often is. The weapons and characters in Omega Five are horribly unbalanced. Choose the female character of Ruby and find enough power upgrades for her B-type laser weapon and you will be able to deal with almost anything the game throws at you. Choose the alien character of Tempest, and I wish you luck no matter what weapon you use. In a sense, this doesn’t necessarily detract from Omega Five’s gameplay. Japanese shooters are notoriously difficult as it is, but having certain overpowered characters in the game allows players to get through the game at a relatively normal challenge level so that they will be able to anticipate certain surprises when playing with tougher characters.
One has to be very careful when describing gameplay in the shooter genre, as each individual shooter often boasts certain challenges that can make or break the game. In Omega Five’s case, the game is challenging but not unrealistic. Players mostly won’t have to worry about colliding with obstacles or getting tricked into scrolling off screen. For the most part, the challenge of Omega Five is all about dealing with as many enemies as possible and occasionally firing through a barricade placed in your way.
The game features four playable characters (leaving gamers to wonder what Omega Five actually means) and chances are if you are a shooter fan you will want to play through the game with all of them. If nothing else, the game is worth looking at for its gorgeous 3-D backdrops that actually spit enemies and other fare onto the 2-D battlefield. This, coupled in with the heavy challenge of the Japanese shooter, 2 player local option and the whacky Engrish voice-overs will make Omega Five a classic for those who still visit friends' houses to play video games.
All in all, Omega Five is a shooter package that will make you smile. If you don’t laugh at the odd sound bytes and strangely designed characters, you will marvel at the beautiful backdrops and enemy design. The game also features a challenge mode for players looking for even more difficulty, and the achievements available for Xbox Live are challenging without too much frustration. Not bad for an over-saturated genre at all.
The 411
Omega Five enters the overstocked shooter market of Xbox Live with hefty challenges, beautiful backgrounds, and off beat Japanese flavor. Shooter fans will enjoy the challenge of the game that is difficult but not frustrating, and newer players will be amazed by the graphics alone. Though it is part of a genre that is already dominating the marketplace, this title is still worth a look.
Graphics
8.9
Gorgeous 3D backgrounds and great enemy design.
Gameplay
8.0
Fast paced and fun, though sometimes hectic.
Sound
7.9
Japanese dubbing is humorous, music is classic shooter fare.
Lasting Appeal
8.0
Several characters and game modes to choose from, each offering different challenges.
