The Hive

The Good
You'd never know that this game wasn't one full, rendered cinematic; the integration of the enemy ships and other sprites is that good. The panoramic view is also flawless and a neat trick.

As an added bonus, the orchestral music is also very good for a game of this calibre (almost too good!)

The Bad
It's too freakin' hard! I'm not an amateur at this stuff, and yet I was having a hard time hitting enemies. The game isn't impossibly difficult, but it really hurts that the game cursor moves no faster than the framerate of the game. It's not fluid enough, and feels very sluggish/choppy.

It's also really annoying that the game creators think they know more than you do (see the Trivia for this game for more details). And the fact that I have to delete my joystick settings to get mouse support just plain sucks.

The Bottom Line
If you enjoy video-backdrop shooters, this one is perfect. Just make sure you shoot up with speed (or Valium, depending on how you play games) before trying to play!

The Good
Though it might seem the game followed the same vein as Cyberia or Rebel Assault series' it actually boasted a new feature (can't remember exactly what they called it) of non-linear, 360 degree rotatable action. Your path was still rail-based in the sense that you moved along a predetermined path but, you could shoot in any direction while moving along this path. There was a small radar which would flash and show you from which angle you were being attacked.
Although not all the levels were unique (it is a shooter), each level began with a good FMV intro taking you through the story of the attacking Hive aliens, leading you into the next battle.
Great variety in aliens and your arsenal and plain old addictive gameplay making you go back for more and more each time you die.

The Bad
Though is was SUPPOSED to be a non-linear shoot-fest of sorts, I found that you had to kill a certain amount of enemies at each point of the path or an integral (to advancing that is) enemy running on the screen who was normally insignificant or that you couldn't shoot because there were to many other enemies on the screen at that time to dispose of.
I also found the sights (controlled by mouse/joystick) for aiming at the enemies were too small and changed every level, this was because you were in a new vehicle or had a new weapon though. They were also mainly red in colour and clashed with the backgrounds making them sometimes hard to find.
Although the game had good graphics, I found the squidgy blotches of blood some of the enemies turned into a bit of let down.

The Bottom Line
A rail-based shooter (similar to Cyberia/Rebel Assault) featuring a unique 360 degree shooting system that allows you freedom of angle from which to assault your attackers. Good graphics, appropriate sound and music and overall addictive gameplay.
A good old-fashioned 2 button analogue joystick is recommended.