This week, I reviewed RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection, the recently-released shoot ‘em up compilation that's on PlayStation 4 and Switch. Normally, when I cover one of these classic game collections, I like to look at what the critics said back in the day, but I figured that no magazine covered the full trilogy. Oh, how wrong I was. There actually was a 1990s magazine that reviewed RayForce, RayStorm and RayCrisis, and it's not who you would expect. It's not Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro or even Computer & Video Games. The one magazine to actually cover this full series is, believe it or not, Next Generation.
That's right, the notoriously grumpy publication that is known for hating shoot ‘em ups is the one magazine to cover all the games in the RayForce trilogy. Who could have seen that coming? So, with that in mind, I thought it might be fun to make a top three list using Next Generation's own words and scores. There's just one problem – all three of the games scored three stars out of 5, so the whole thing ends in one giant tie. With no way to break this tie, let's read each review in chronological order, and maybe you can decide while one they liked the moist. Join me for a vaguely interactive episode of Next Generation Ranks Taito's RayForce Trilogy.
Galactic Attack (Saturn)
#3
“Though it would be foolish to recommend a game like Galactic Attack to anyone by a die-hard shooter fan, it is safe to say that this is more than just another filler game to satisfy the shooter jones. Aside from the fact that Galactic Attack is a super-fast action game, there is a definite feeling of quality development and several elements of smart game techniques that are displayed with this title. The best part about Galactic Attack, however, is that it offers everything a good space shooter should without any problems that may have shown up on a 16-bit system trying to do the same.”
“Essentially, the advantage to developing a relatively simple overhead shooter like Galactic Attack on a high-powered system like Saturn is that you don't have to make any compromises with it, which means no slow-down, even when a load of sprites are on the screen at once. So, it comes down to this – if you like space shooters, you're gonna love Galactic Attack.” (3 out of 5)
RayStorm (PlayStation)
#2
“Working Designs has been known for buying the rights to Japanese RPGs, “Americanizing” them during translation, and releasing them Stateside. Over the last four years, the company has taken some chances and uncovered more than a few gems. Lately, though, Working Designs has been branching out a bit, and once again, they have come up with a winner with Taito's arcade shooter RayStorm. For the casual gamer, this may not mean very much, but for the die-hard shooter lover, this is good news indeed.”
“RayStorm's graphics are where the game really excels, though. The developers at Taito have pulled out every special effect from the PlayStation graphic library, from transparency to light sourcing, and the overall effect is quite stunning. In the end, RayStorm is a great little shooter and offers a nice twitch diversion from more complex games. There's no escaping the debt this game owes to Xevious – and just about every other shooter since – but if the proof of a modern shooter is in its design, then RayStorm is well-proven indeed.” (3 out of 5)
RayCrisis (PlayStation)
#1
“Vertical shooters are about as popular with mainstream gamers as text adventures these days. Worse, the few shooters that come out today rarely do justice to the greats like R-Type and Thunder Force V. And so it is with RayCrisis. The follow-up to Taito's RayStorm, it manages to improve on the original's amazing 3D visuals – no small feat – but the gameplay is only slightly better than RayStorm's lackluster effort. Don't get us wrong: It ain't bad, but it's not much different than the hundreds of generic shooters that helped kill the genre in the first place.”
“Like any shooter, this has lots of slowdown, particularly during the boss sequences. But frankly, we're never sure whether shooter slowdown is a bug or an actual feature, since it's a big help when the entire screen is filled with bullets and missiles. That said, this isn't a bad game. It looks great, in fact. But the gameplay gives credence to the idea that scrolling shooters are essentially a finished genre.” (3 out of 5)
