Silpheed

The Good
Silpheed is not simply a great follow-up to an earlier computer game, it was one of the only Sega CD games, that I played, which actually seemed to understand how to use the system's hardware capabilities.

I often criticize Sega for dumping the Sega CD onto the public, but for all the system's (MANY) faults, it did have the potential to create some long and truly exciting games.

Silpheed highlights this potential by the fact that it's a long game, by 16bit standards, with plenty of fast-paced shooting and 3D polygon-inspired graphics.

The game's controls are easy to pick up, generally quite responsive and a few weapons upgrades can can the space shooting from becoming too monotonous.

The game's sci fi story is enjoyable, with anime influences, as is the game's music and sound effects.

The Bad
The game was released around the same time as Nintendo's Star Fox game, so comparisons (while unfair) were inevitable.

Silpheed's polygon based characters designs are nice, but it's mostly a 2D shooter with some polygons and 3D-inspired elements pasted onto the game.

The difficulty level fact probably could have been balanced out a bit, as the game becomes exceptionally difficult, early on.

The designers may have been aware of the difficulty level, as codes were put into the game to (among other things) restore hit points. Although I don't think I ever managed to enter in the secret code properly.

This is especially the case if you lose the weapons upgrades, which I felt happened a bit too easily,

Frankly having the codes, if you are going to have them, probably should been entered via a password system.

The Bottom Line
Silpheed is a great entry in the franchise, which shows off some of the Sega CD's hardware potential. Gamers eager for a long and difficult space battle, should enjoy it.