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| CORBIE'S BLOG <- REVIEWS <- CONTACT |
| Silpheed Publisher: Sega Release Date: September 1993 Genre: Shooter     |
 In Silpheed you take control of an advanced fighter ship and your job is the same as you'll find in most shooters. You have to fly through level after level, blowing up everything that gets in your way and then at the end of the level fight a huge boss. At the beginning of the level you can set up your weaponry and firepower, but all you're really going to need is your finger on the fire button and a good amount of hand/eye coordination, because this is one tough shooter. This game throws everything including the kitchen sink at you, and if you manage to get past all of that, you still have a relentless boss to fight at the end of each level. As with most shooters, practice is what you need to get good at Silpheed. As with most of the early polygon graphics, looking at mere screenshots doesn't do the games justice. You really have to see the game in motion to fully appreciate how smoothly polygon graphics function, not to mention how easily they can be manipulated onscreen. Silpheed is no exception, and you won't find a more visually impressive game on the Sega CD system than this one. Screen-filling polygons will fly by your ship and you'll swear your right there in the middle of the action. In fact, some of the bosses you'll face are downright enormous and move around the screen with silky smoothness. The sights in Silpheed might not be as impressive now as they were 13 years ago, but I still sometimes catch myself remembering back to the first time I played this game and how blown away by it I was. If you thought the graphics were impressive, wait until you get an earful of the CD soundtrack and voice work in the game. Not only is the music top shelf but it always has a way of fitting the situation your in onscreen to a tee. As if this outstanding music weren't enough, the game is brim-level full of character voices talking to you and giving you directions and orders the entire time you're flying through a level. I've heard some terrific soundtracks on some of the many Sega CD games I own, but there isn't a better or more complete soundtrack than the one found in Silpheed. Even the explosions sound downright huge. Pound for pound, this soundtrack is the best the Sega CD has to offer. Silpheed may not be the full-roaming shootfest many people expected it to be, but it's still one damn fine shooter. Flashy polygonal graphics, a spectacular CD soundtrack, and some tight and responsive play control all come together to form one of the best shooters you can buy for your Sega CD system. As I said earlier, some of the initial "wow" factor has been lost since polygon graphics have come a long way since 1993, but if you can appreciate a look back at where 3-D gaming began, you'll enjoy the show in Silpheed. The game might turn off some gamers who are sensetive to the high level of difficulty found in the game, but shooter fans who like their shooters tough will find a lot to sink their teeth into with Silpheed. And although I'm a big Super NES fan, I still think Silpheed is better than Star Fox ever was. |
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