First of all, extra big kudos should go to THQ for releasing this blazing piece of software in the US. It's because of this type of practice that the PlayStation has succeeded so well in the US and the Saturn sunk: Companies are willing to release product that appeals to a specific audience, namely shooter junkies like me. You should all email THQ and personally thank them for this game! And now, onto the task at hand...

G Darius plays like any other shooter, with a few exceptions First, this game features the "Capture Ball" system, an extension of a concept introduced in the excellent Darius Gaiden. By pressing the "X" button, you'll deploy one of a limited number of capture balls, which causes nearly any enemy to join forces with you. By pressing "X" again, the captured enemy can be used as a bomb Even better, you can use the enemy to charge your main laser (press and hold R2), and release an extremely powerful "beam of death". This is extremely useful against bosses, which I will also discuss shortly.

The other great innovation lies within the boss battles themselves. These confrontations are the focal point of this game, and are extend up 10 minutes of gameplay time per encounter. Nearly ALL the boss battles take longer than the actual stage itself. This is quite a switch: the early Darius games were known for pathetically weak bosses In Darius Gaiden, the boss battles were actually pretty tough, and in G Darius, it's taken to new heights. Thus, these behemoths can be quite a challenge to overcome, but I'll let you in on a little secret I call "crossing the streams." During most boss fights, the boss will assault you with a laser beam attack very similar to yours when you use a captured enemy. While the boss is firing this beam, fire your own beam directly into its cannon. The result is a huge giga beam that fills the screen (and a rather violent vibrations integrated in the Dual Shock pad), causing the boss to go down with little effort!

Aesthetically speaking, G Darius is quite pleasing, with nicely rotating 3D backdrops accompanying the 2D action The effect is not quite as stunning as in Radiant Silvergun, but it still looks good nevertheless. Overall, the game looks great, but nothing's unusually notable about the graphics. The game supports two player action, but this causes a fair amount of slowdown, so be prepared. Also, like every other Darius title, there are multiple paths to reach the final boss, which increases the replay value tremendously.

The one area that really excels in G Darius (besides the bosses) in the indescribably awesome Zuntata soundtrack Tono and company have really outdone themselves this time. The music is unlike anything you've ever heard; it goes beyond rocking, into the realm of a sound that's almost scary I guess one could compare it to Raystorm, but about 10,000 times better. This is the first games in which Zuntata's new sound really comes into its own. After playing the game you'll probably feel like running out and buying the soundtrack, which would be an excellent idea. If we're lucky, companies will start releasing game soundtracks domestically. (Hey I can dream can't I?)

Bottom line: G Darius is an excellent shooter, definitely the best PS shooter yet On the all-time scale, I'd say it falls just below Radiant Silvergun, but it certainly beats Einhander to a pulp. Every PlayStation gamer needs to own the game, and enjoy one of the best games of the year.