The Final Word game review

Silpheed -- Game Arts

You are the last hope for the survival of good in the universe in Silpheed for the Sega CD. Players must pilot the special edition Silpheed starfighter in a race against time to defeat the evil computer that is threatening to destroy your people. Filled polygon graphics highlight this fast action shooter.

Ferrari Man
Silpheed is an excellent overhead-shooter--and I stress overhead. Although there has been a lot of hype about the "3-D" Silpheed--it plays as if it were a slightly skewed 2-D game. There is no comparison to the SNES Starfox, not because one is better than the other, but rather because they are so different. This by no means makes Silpheed a bad game. However, the game is lacking interaction with the backgrounds, and the play control leaves little to be desired. To add to the list of complaints, the game's sound track does not seem to be CD quality. Overall the game was not bad, but I had hoped for much, much more.

????
Finally it is here. A long awaited shooter for the Sega CD. However, it isn't what Sega promised it would be. The opening scenes and background animation are great. Your ship however isn't very detailed and doesn't seem to fit into the game. At times the backgrounds are so busy that they distract you and cause you to lose a precious ship. Sound and music were pretty good. The control of the Silpheed fighter was average with nothing new. This game will only last for shooter fans who can focus on the ship and not the backgrounds. Not bad overall; for the Sega CD it is a step in the right direction.

R.I.P.
First off I'd like to say how disappointed I am at all the people out there who compared this title to Starfox. There is no comparison--these are totally different types of games. These people are obviously blind. Anyway, this game is sharp. Very pleasing to the eye, reasonable play control; but I had hoped for so much more from all of the hype. If you like vertical shooters, this game does nicely. Just be sure to play it on a big screen with a 100-watt plus per channel stereo and the bass cranked. Trust me, it makes a difference.

Salamander
Not bad. Silpheed looks sharp, although the play control could use some improvement. The sound could have used some improvement as well; particularly many of the voices (or voice actors). Overall, however, there is plenty of action and plenty of thrills. An above average shooter.

>>>>> 67.0/100 <<<<<		Ferrari Man	????	R.I.P.	Salamander
Graphics		3.0	4.0	4.0	3.5
Sound		3.0	4.0	3.0	3.0
Gameplay/Control		3.0	3.0	3.5	3.0
Longevity/Playability		3.0	2.5	4.0	3.0
Overall		3.5	3.5	4.0	3.5
Total		15.5	17.0	18.5	16.0

Originally appeared Vol 2, Iss 4 (11-12/94)