an intriguing, if rather overrated, gaming experience

this game has developed something of a cult following in recent years, these people acting as though this game is some sort of god (hopefully not one of judeo-christian orientation), but truthfully, it's a very good game held up by an incredible presentation and brought down by overly simplistic gameplay. but that's what you get when a game that goes a bit beyond the norms of gaming conventions in one way or another becomes largely overlooked by the general gaming public.

the game is an on-rails shooter involving your character traveling through cyberspace, blasting away viruses, and repeating this process till the game ends. first of all, yes this game is a visceral experience unlike any other (well, except for maybe other tetsuya mizuguchi games). the trippy, vibrant, flashing colors and unique approach to music (every shot fired emulates an electronic percussion beat, surprisingly staying in synch with the rest of the music, no matter how haphazard you may fire). it's a sensory overload that is sure to kill an epileptic or two that dare take on this game. the problem? take away the aesthetics and you'd have what is basically yet another generic on-rails shooter. as you move forward, you aim, and fire at your pushovers for opponents. it's not a very difficult game at all, and shouldn't take you long to blow through the whole thing. ultimately it's the style that carries the game, and does a pretty good job at that, lifting this game from mediocre and disposable to an enjoyable game.

while it's not quite as good as it's been cracked up to be by its extremely devoted fanbase, it's definitely something that should be played and experienced at least once.