Nanostray E3 2005 Hands-On

Shoot-'em-ups will always occupy a special place in our hearts, since many of the classic games we grew up playing fell squarely into this category. For various reasons, though, action games of this nature--your spaceship against the world--aren't all the rage anymore, despite how they can offer nail-biting, twitch-based gameplay. So we were very pleased to see Nanostray amid Nintendo's sizable lineup of DS games here at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, since the game looks like a graphically souped-up version of some of our old favorites. Plus, thanks to the DS's design, it's got some unique features all its own.

Developed by the makers of the similarly styled Iridion games, Nanostray offers straight-up shooting action, giving you three lives with which you must try to survive some grueling stages filled with swarming, smaller enemies, as well as some truly massive screen-filling opponents. The game's skewed overhead perspective hearkens back to the Super Nintendo classic Axelay, which seems to be a chief influence on this title. There's not a whole lot to explain about the basic mechanics: You can shoot, as well as drop a limited number of screen-killing bombs, even as you desperately try to avoid enemy fire and collisions.

The twists come in the form of selectable weaponry, made possible via the DS's touch screen. The action takes place on the top screen, but the bottom screen lets you change weapons on the fly. You've got a direct-fire machine gun, a lighting gun that penetrates obstacles, an unusual weapon that fires to your sides but not forward, and more. We found that switching between weapons with the stylus while frantically trying not to get blown up proved to be somewhat awkward, especially since the DS's shoulder buttons apparently go unused by the game. (They could have provided an easy solution to weapon switching.) In fact, the game's whole bottom screen isn't necessarily put to good use, since it's mostly filled by weapon icons and a recharging energy bar.

Nanostray's smooth, colorful 3D graphics are definitely a highlight, and they're what caught our eye as we were fighting our way through the crowds in Nintendo's booth. The game also seems to include a good number of different stages, including all your favorites, such as the fire stage.

Nanostray proved to be a pleasant change of pace today on a hectic E3 show floor. We're looking forward to spending some more quality time with this one.