Alien Hominid GC sales+1
Everyone else has said most of the pertinent stuff, so I'll just chime in about the digging.
At first, I didn't like the dig move, mainly because I've never played a shmup where digging was a useful move... or even a move at all. Here, it's actually useful once you get the hang of it. Tap down+y (or down+triangle on PS2) and you'll dig underground, where the enemy can't shoot, stomp, or set fire to you. You can reach up and grab them by the feet if you want, but it's mainly useful against the bosses. If you're up against a boss with a full-screen laser blast or a ground-igniting attack, you can dig down and lay low until the coast is clear. Another spot it comes in handy is against those vultures at Area 51... when they swoop, you can hide underground. In most cases, digging is optional and unnecessary, but it does actually help you out if you get the hang of it.
It's true that the game throws lots of continues at the player, and you CAN use the level select to start right at a later level in order to finish the game, BUT I'm not sure those are negatives. Shmups have always been about practicing first and then mastering later. Crank the game up to Hard or TS difficulty and enjoy much fewer lives if that floats your boat. No one's forcing anyone to use the level select feature either.
All I know is, any game where you can hop onto an FBI agent's back and BITE HIS HEAD OFF IN A BLOODY MESS is a game I want in my collection.
Everyone else has said most of the pertinent stuff, so I'll just chime in about the digging.
At first, I didn't like the dig move, mainly because I've never played a shmup where digging was a useful move... or even a move at all. Here, it's actually useful once you get the hang of it. Tap down+y (or down+triangle on PS2) and you'll dig underground, where the enemy can't shoot, stomp, or set fire to you. You can reach up and grab them by the feet if you want, but it's mainly useful against the bosses. If you're up against a boss with a full-screen laser blast or a ground-igniting attack, you can dig down and lay low until the coast is clear. Another spot it comes in handy is against those vultures at Area 51... when they swoop, you can hide underground. In most cases, digging is optional and unnecessary, but it does actually help you out if you get the hang of it.
It's true that the game throws lots of continues at the player, and you CAN use the level select to start right at a later level in order to finish the game, BUT I'm not sure those are negatives. Shmups have always been about practicing first and then mastering later. Crank the game up to Hard or TS difficulty and enjoy much fewer lives if that floats your boat. No one's forcing anyone to use the level select feature either.
All I know is, any game where you can hop onto an FBI agent's back and BITE HIS HEAD OFF IN A BLOODY MESS is a game I want in my collection.