Ah, Nanostray... For a second there, I thought it would bring back memories of classic Ambrosia games like Escape Velocity or Swoop. What I got is a very painful rehashing of Ikaruga that can easily be completed in 20 minutes.
Its not that its easy. In fact, it is brutally hard, and virtually impossible to make through any level without: a. spending dozens of hours dying playing the same level over and over again, or b. losing all of your lives but one, beating a level, continuing, and repeating the process. This doesnt work, however, on Arcade mode, and it will take a VERY long time to even get one score. But when you finally finish a level, you get a 16 character code which you can enter on the official website. However, this code isnt as complex as it should be, and has been cracked on multiple occasions (uploading scores via Wi-Fi would be much smarter).
Then there's the weapons. You get a big assortment at the beginning of the game- your standard blaster, homing missles, lightning, side shots, bombs, and your trusty tractor beam. However, you're encouraged not to actually use them! The Valor Bonus has got to be the worst excuse for an accuracy meter there is anywhere. Space shooters are made for Contra type people, not MGS players (no offence to them).
On the positive side, the graphics are pretty cool, and that lightning bolt is really fun to use. If you must have a uber challenging space shooter, this is the one to get.
I think it's really easy. It took about 10 minutes to get the learning curve out of my way, then easily made it to the last level. But I can't seem to be able to hit the final boss very much. Arcade is fun, when you actually have skill. After you play the level 5 times in Campaign, it's pretty easy to make it through a level without losing a life.
Now try to do it and get an A rank.
Yeah, this game is quite hard. I can't beat any of the challenges, but it is a great game; nonstop action on the go. I hate how people give it bad ratings because "it's too hard to switch between weapons." Obviously they think its hard to press A while switching weapons if they want to keep shooting, but you can actually use L to shoot.
[quote=Drewboy64]I hate how people give it bad ratings because "it's too hard to switch between weapons."
I didn't say that in my review, but I agree with you. They probably try to switch weapons with the stylus. I just switch it with my thumb, it isn't really "damaging" to the screen. I wish they had weapon upgrades, though.
Well, in EGM i think they meant trying to quickly go from a button to the screen and trying to memorize where the weapons were. But if you use L then it's really easy, and it's simple to memorize the placement.
I wish the story mode was longer, because i really enjoy this game. Weapon upgrades is a good idea. I also wish they had some sort of system where some enemies had a weakness. For example, green-glowing enemies would be weak to the side laser. This would force you to make use of all weapons.