One of the most impressive shooters of all time, and sadly, one of the least played. Radiant Silvergun is a classic.
Graphics: Radiant Silvergun looks amazing, there's no two ways about it. Featuring the crisp, smooth look typical of Treasure's games, RS merges the world of 2D sprites and 3D polygons for a surprisingly impressive look. While most bosses are hulking polygonal ships, robotic sentries, etc., standard enemies are composed of a combination of sprites and polygons. While past attempts to implement 2D with 3D end up a bit short, RS' visuals are nothing short of breathtaking. The 2D backgrounds are at a level of detail rarely seen, particularly in a shooter, as they scale in and out with an abundance of parallax, and in some areas, polygonal background 'extensions' often effect gameplay (the rotating pillars that you must hide behind to dodge one boss ship's energy blast for instance). The 'Saturn' version of the game (as opposed to the straight 'Arcade' version) also adds a fairly good anime intro and ending, drawn in a decidedly 'Guardian Heroes-esque' style. In a game that looks as good as RS, that's just icing on the cake...
Sound: The sound in Radiant Silvergun is also of a very high-quality, but it frankly can't hope to shine as, ahem, radiantly, as the other aspects of the game. Generally speaking, the music is very good, some particularly so, consisting of epic orchestral tracks that would fit well in most sci-fi films. Weapons and explosions, on the other hand, sound surprisingly weak, kind of a disappointment considering the adrenalin-rushing nature of the game. One would assume this is so you can hear the Japanese voice-overs and the music, but in a game like this, you want to hear the enemies explode. A small complaint to be sure, but it would be nice if the sounds of destruction matched the intense carnage on screen.
Gameplay: Gameplay. The term is so widely used, yet it seems so few game developers in this day and age actually get it right, as they so often spend more time concentrating on tweaking the graphics engine rather than providing for a balanced, enjoyable gameplay experience. Luckily for the few that have stopped and taken notice, Treasure seems to nail it with each and every game (Guardian Heroes, Gunstar Heroes, Bangioh, etc.). Radiant Silvergun is obviously no exception. One of the first things you'll notice is that Treasure has done away with the usual 'powerup-based' weapon systems found in most shooters, with a rather unique system that designates a different weapon with each button. What makes this a step forward for the genre is that by combining the buttons, attacks are changed, the most powerful of which is an energy sword which you charge by absorbing certain energy projectiles for a screen-clearing blast of energy (with a very cool effect by the way). Throw in a unique color-based combo point system, weapon strength that increases as you defeat enemies (save and start over with the powered-up weapons) and dead-on control and you have a game where the gameplay has been as finely-tweaked as the graphics engine. NOTE: Oh yeah, on all but the easiest settings, Radiant Silvergun is EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT! Make sure you have extra controllers handy, just in case frustration sets in.
Theme: As I stated before, Radiant Silvergun sets a new standard for the shooter genre, and in doing so it also revitalizes the sci-fi shooter with its amazing visuals, finely-tuned gameplay and dead-on control. In other words, it's brought the old-school 2D shooter back to the forefront of gaming. While other games have tried and nearly succeeded, Radiant Silvergun is the first I've seen to capture gamers the way the R-Type and Gradius series once did. It brings a depth to the shooter genre that has never been seen, and since shooters have been referred as 'shallow' with the advent of 32-Bit systems, it's important to note to the quote, 'mainstream, casual' gamers what the 'hardcore' have known for years, and that's the fact that a good shooter can be just as fulfilling as a 40-hour RPG when done correctly. Nothing quite gets your gaming juices flowing like an old-school, adrenalin-pumping shooter. RS is a shooter of the highest degree.
Overall: The best shooter of all time? Well, for this gamer, that's an undeniable yes, although I assume the more nostalgic gamer will hold games like R-Type and Lords of Thunder at higher esteem (or perhaps even Galaga). Regardless of that, Radiant Silvergun is an old-school shooter, polished and refined for the next generation of gamer, and as such, it opens a doorway to more classic shooters, which seem to be largely ignored by today's 'fluff gamers.' Sure, it might be somewhat derivative of earlier shooters, it might be insanely difficult and it might just be a game that will not appeal to a certain segment (You know who you are!), but RS is simply the most impressive overall shooter ever to be developed. The fact that it's an import only is a shame, since there are going to be many a US gamer who will either miss out entirely, or end up paying $100+ for it. Even at that price, I'd say a game of this quality, approaching art even, is well worth the price of admission.
Final Grade: 96%