PlayStation

RayCrisis: Series Termination

One of the game modes allows you to play the levels in any order and with infinite lives. This may be fine in the arcades, or if you have younger kids, but should be avoided at all costs if you have bought this game and want to get the maximum lifespan from it. Shoot-em-ups survive or fail on the "Just one more go" and "I wonder what's coming next" factors both of which are completely ruined by this mode. The gameplay is so simple that you will either love or hate this type of thing within a few minutes of playing it, so if at all unsure then try before you buy or rent it for the weekend first.

With stunning parallax scrolling, and gorgeous transparency and lighting effects, RayCrisis has a look to kill. Unfortunately, and much unlike the first release, RayStorm, the difficulty level in the sequel has been neutered, leaving little challenge for the user. Nonetheless, the journey is still thrilling, and something that gamers can sink their teeth into.

First of all, the two-player mode has been dropped completely, which is a major disappointment. And unlike the magnificent stages in Ray Storm, the levels in Ray Crisis seem awfully generic (lava stage, desert stage, etc). Finally, you'll have to deal with some extra-long loading times that you didn't have to put up with in the first game. Ray Crisis provides more of the same for fans for Ray Storm, but in this case more is less.