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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Action Developer: Natsume Publisher: Hudson Soft |
Side scrolling shooters are becoming common on Xbox Live Arcade. However, many of the shooters currently available are releases of older games. Luckily, “Omega Five” is a breath of fresh air for the genre. An
original shooter made specifically for Xbox Live Arcade, this amazing game is sure to please any player that enjoys dodging enemy attacks from all directions.
Players take on the role of one of several unique characters with the sole purpose of blasting their way to the end of each of four different stages. While players are going through the levels, they may wonder why they are
working their way through each level and who exactly they are fighting, but “Omega Five” doesn’t concern itself with trivial issues like a storyline or making any sense at all. All that matters is that there are some strange
creatures standing between the player and a victory in the game.
As with most side scrolling shooter titles, it is a real challenge to make it to the end of each stage without dying. Fortunately players have all of the tools necessary to wipe out the enemy attacks. Each character has
three different guns that can be acquired and upgraded with power ups. The type of gun that players choose to fight with can change how players will approach the game. Although there isn’t always a large change
between weapons, players will find that there is often one type of weapon that will work the best for a specific stage of the game. What makes the game even more exciting for the players are the alternate attacks and
special abilities that can be used. Each of these varies considerably between the different characters. Ruby launches a satellite that latches onto an enemy and does a considerable damage. Tempest can reflect
shots with a well timed flick of the right thumb stick. Players will also have the aid of a smart bomb that does massive damage to everything on the screen. This is powered up by collecting pink triangles released by any
destroyed enemies. This is a very effective tool, especially in the moments when the screen is completely filled with enemies.
“Omega Five” gives players a single life and only a couple of continues to use throughout the level. There is a high learning curve, so players should expect some tough times for the first few hours of game play. As they
play through the game, they will slowly unlock bonus credits that will give them more chances to make their way through the end of the game. With the increased skill and added credits, it becomes a lot easier to make it
through all the way to the end of the game.
When it comes to the visual effects of the game, “Omega Five” is a gorgeous game to look at, probably one of the best on Xbox Live Arcade titles to date. The character animations are spectacular and show a lot of real
attention to the details of the game. The enemies are inventive and the environments are very vivid. This is the kind of game that players would see someone else playing and would want to stop and watch them play
some more. It is the type of game that makes people just stare for a few minutes. From the explosions to the enemies flying in from the background to fight and the strange characters don’t quite make up for some of
the major flaws that “Omega Five” has.
Side scrolling shooters typically move very fast and have an unreal number of enemies on screen. “Omega Five” is a slow paced game that forces players into tight spaces rather than swarming players with enemies.
Though there are a few moments in the game where players will find themselves surrounded, they will probably never feel overwhelmed. The pacing of “Omega Five” is necessary because of the fact that the four
stages are small and if things moved more quickly the stages would end far too fast. The bosses prove the toughest element of the game, but the bosses are more difficult because players lose their gun upgrades if
the die. It is common that players will die right before or during the boss battle. With upgrades weapons, the bosses are pretty easy. However, once players lose the upgraded weapons, if becomes difficult to defeat the
boss characters.
“Omega Five” also has a cooperative mode that is included. Unfortunately it is local play only and adds very little to the overall experience. Players and their friends share credits and power ups, but there is no increase
in the number of enemies or the difficulty. Even if cooperative play were online, it wouldn’t add much to the overall game play. It is much tougher to play with someone else in the game because it becomes more of a
challenge to see what is happening on the screen.
The game comes with quite a few features that can be unlocked. Along with new characters, players can also open some new modes as they play. Players can unlock a Challenge mode for each stage they complete.
Challenge mode puts players to the task of earning as many points as possible with on life. Not only is their score put on an online leader board, but they can also upload and download replays.
The game is nice to look at, but doesn’t offer much. This could be one of the good games on Xbox Live Arcade. This doesn’t mean that it’s a great game, but it also isn’t a terrible game. “Omega Five” is worth
checking out for anyone that enjoys shooter games. The fun probably won’t last more than a week, but there are enough enjoyable elements to keep players having fun.
original shooter made specifically for Xbox Live Arcade, this amazing game is sure to please any player that enjoys dodging enemy attacks from all directions.
Players take on the role of one of several unique characters with the sole purpose of blasting their way to the end of each of four different stages. While players are going through the levels, they may wonder why they are
working their way through each level and who exactly they are fighting, but “Omega Five” doesn’t concern itself with trivial issues like a storyline or making any sense at all. All that matters is that there are some strange
creatures standing between the player and a victory in the game.
As with most side scrolling shooter titles, it is a real challenge to make it to the end of each stage without dying. Fortunately players have all of the tools necessary to wipe out the enemy attacks. Each character has
three different guns that can be acquired and upgraded with power ups. The type of gun that players choose to fight with can change how players will approach the game. Although there isn’t always a large change
between weapons, players will find that there is often one type of weapon that will work the best for a specific stage of the game. What makes the game even more exciting for the players are the alternate attacks and
special abilities that can be used. Each of these varies considerably between the different characters. Ruby launches a satellite that latches onto an enemy and does a considerable damage. Tempest can reflect
shots with a well timed flick of the right thumb stick. Players will also have the aid of a smart bomb that does massive damage to everything on the screen. This is powered up by collecting pink triangles released by any
destroyed enemies. This is a very effective tool, especially in the moments when the screen is completely filled with enemies.
“Omega Five” gives players a single life and only a couple of continues to use throughout the level. There is a high learning curve, so players should expect some tough times for the first few hours of game play. As they
play through the game, they will slowly unlock bonus credits that will give them more chances to make their way through the end of the game. With the increased skill and added credits, it becomes a lot easier to make it
through all the way to the end of the game.
When it comes to the visual effects of the game, “Omega Five” is a gorgeous game to look at, probably one of the best on Xbox Live Arcade titles to date. The character animations are spectacular and show a lot of real
attention to the details of the game. The enemies are inventive and the environments are very vivid. This is the kind of game that players would see someone else playing and would want to stop and watch them play
some more. It is the type of game that makes people just stare for a few minutes. From the explosions to the enemies flying in from the background to fight and the strange characters don’t quite make up for some of
the major flaws that “Omega Five” has.
Side scrolling shooters typically move very fast and have an unreal number of enemies on screen. “Omega Five” is a slow paced game that forces players into tight spaces rather than swarming players with enemies.
Though there are a few moments in the game where players will find themselves surrounded, they will probably never feel overwhelmed. The pacing of “Omega Five” is necessary because of the fact that the four
stages are small and if things moved more quickly the stages would end far too fast. The bosses prove the toughest element of the game, but the bosses are more difficult because players lose their gun upgrades if
the die. It is common that players will die right before or during the boss battle. With upgrades weapons, the bosses are pretty easy. However, once players lose the upgraded weapons, if becomes difficult to defeat the
boss characters.
“Omega Five” also has a cooperative mode that is included. Unfortunately it is local play only and adds very little to the overall experience. Players and their friends share credits and power ups, but there is no increase
in the number of enemies or the difficulty. Even if cooperative play were online, it wouldn’t add much to the overall game play. It is much tougher to play with someone else in the game because it becomes more of a
challenge to see what is happening on the screen.
The game comes with quite a few features that can be unlocked. Along with new characters, players can also open some new modes as they play. Players can unlock a Challenge mode for each stage they complete.
Challenge mode puts players to the task of earning as many points as possible with on life. Not only is their score put on an online leader board, but they can also upload and download replays.
The game is nice to look at, but doesn’t offer much. This could be one of the good games on Xbox Live Arcade. This doesn’t mean that it’s a great game, but it also isn’t a terrible game. “Omega Five” is worth
checking out for anyone that enjoys shooter games. The fun probably won’t last more than a week, but there are enough enjoyable elements to keep players having fun.
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