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Surprising depth for a budget title.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: November 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Xyanide is a budget release with a $19.99 price tag, but don't let that discourage you. If you're a fan of scrolling 2D spaceship shooters such as Gradius, R-Type, Ikaruga, etc., you'll definitely get your money's worth. The main difference is this game doesn't exactly scroll per se. The gameplay itself is 2D and is projected on top of a 3D background with a moving and rotating camera, creating the impression that you're zooming through the corridors of a large metallic ship. You (thankfully) can't crash into the walls, but the position of your ship onscreen sometimes affects which of multiple "paths" through the stage you'll take.

The control scheme also takes a different approach. You use the left analog stick to move and the right to fire, similar to the arcade classic Smash TV or its precursor Robotron:2084. This allows you to move in one direction while shooting in another, and it's essential as you'll have stuff flying at you from 360 degrees. In addition you can switch weapon types between "organic" (works best against smaller enemies) and "mechanical" (effective against larger ships and bosses) with the R-trigger. You'll have to power them up evenly and use them effectively if you want to succeed. There's also a secondary weapon which you can use to target specific enemies. The four A-B-X-Y buttons serve as your special weapons and defenses, which recharge over time and change based on your weapon type and power-up level. There's a lot to keep track of and it definitely takes some getting used to. Thankfully, unlike most games of this type, you don't lose all of your upgrades when you die.

I stumbled across this little gem by pure accident, never having seen it advertised or reviewed in any gaming magazines. That's a shame, as it's turned out to be some of the most fun I've had with my XBox this year, but it seems destined to be overlooked.

Old-School Fun, New-School Look

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: October 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Xyanide is a classic arcade-style shooter with cool current-gen upgrades. The best thing about this game is the cool 2D-3D look. This game (unlike other arcade shooters) doesn't rely on you wanting to beat your highscore for replay value. Instead it also gives you about 5-7 alternate paths per level.(Each path being harder or easier than others) Arcade-game junkies can also indulge in different difficulty levels. If you love arcade-shooters or just Shooters in general, you will love this game.

Symbolic to the oldschool shooters of the 80s, but with a new twist

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Short & sweet review.

Xyanide's a sidescrolling shooter in which you're charged with the task of trying to prevent to a substance (Xyanide, which can transform thoughts into reality) from being dispersed into the planet by an evil witch by the name of Aguira, of whom was sent to be exiled. The control scheme in Xyanide is a tad different from other sidescrolling shooters. You primary shoot by holding the right thumbstick, and secondary fire using the left trigger. While the controls can be altered, the basis of them is still the same (analog for primary, L or R for secondary).

The graphics are exceptional for a current gen shooter and the colors (along with the stages) are live and vibrant all throughout the huge areas of the game. You even have the opportunity to take various routes within areas in hopes of trying to immune yourself from massive danger. The only real problem is that at times it can be a hassle locating your ship on the screen given that there is some much going on onscreen at once (paritcularly when enshrouded with a swarm of enemy ships about the same size as yours). It does however help that your ship is highlighted in green. Xyanide especially shows off it's best within stages that parrallel from one area to the next (though those with 3d motion sickness may want to be aware). The cutscene sequences are all very well composed and help accompany the storyline to the fast paced action.

As you play through the game, you'll acquire all sorts of different power-ups and specials for your ship (which is one of Xyanides main strong points, the effects in which the specials & power-ups have). Some of these power-ups can range from Energy shields, Slomo (which slows everything onscreen), invulnerability, and stealth. With specials, you have a bustle to choose from such as; Lighting Storm, Freeze, Nuke, Fire Storm, and drones. What's truly unique about specials is that you can level them up to unleash even more of a devastating effect on the enemies.

All in all, Xyanide's an exceptional shooter. Albeit there may not be enough here to satisfy the casual gamer (need I mention the game can be played with two players?), those looking for a classical shooter symbolic to those of the 80s and 90s, will definitely want to give Xyanide a look. Infusing the elements of 2d and 3d, Xyanide offers enough to distinquish itself from the current titles out, while remaining genuine to the genre. All for a low retail price. If this keeps up, gamers may just very well have a new shooting franchise on their hands.

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