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IS - internal section
Copyright © Squaresoft Japan
Sony PlayStation
Shooting
1-2 players
SLPS-01868
¥5800
available now in Japan
Where to buy
FAQ
—by Eddie Kwon
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Squaresoft, maker of fine Japanese console RPGs known and loved worldwide,
began to take different directions and game developing and publishing once
it established a firm and lucrative relationship with SCEI and the
PlayStation. Once FINAL FANTASY broke new ground in the RPG genre and
succeeded in selling many PSX machines alone, Square decided to try their
hand at developing and publishing games outside of the RPG milieu. Trying
their hands at several different game genres, they produced VS fighting
games (the TOBAL series, BUSHIDO BLADE), shooters
(EINHANDER), 3D Adventure
(SOUKAIGI), and platformers (BRAVE FENCER MUSASHI), among the more notable
titles. And in each new genre, they sought to add or contribute a little
extra to try to make their games special, if not unique. INTERNAL SECTION
is no exception to this rule.
INTERNAL SECTION is best described as a "sound reactive"
shooting game. It is set up very similar to the classic arcade game
TEMPEST or more recently, the PSX game N2O. All three of these are
shooters where the player controls a ship "looking down" and long tunnel
or tube and the player can move around inside the cylinder, shooting
enemies that it runs to while moving. I will make most of my comparisons
to N20 because it is apparent that the two games have a lot of similarities.
Gameplay is much like TEMPEST, where the player
controls a nondescript polygon "ship" that circles around the inside of
a cylinder. In this case, the ship's position on the screen is
fixed at the bottom and the rest of the playing field and enemies rotate
relative pushing the d-pad left or right. Moving and shooting enemies
down the barrel is simple enough, but the twist is this game is a preset
selection of 12 weapons, each based on an animal from the Chinese zodiac.
Every weapon has a different animal name (i.e. rabbit, tiger, snake, ox)
and thus has it's own style and firepower. 'Rat' is your typical single
Rapid-fire shooter. 'Bird' involves firing multiple tracking boomerang
shaped shots, while 'Snake' (one of my favorites) fires a long stream on
energy that slithers around the screen and does not go away until it has
destroyed an enemy. The player can switch these weapons on the fly and
each time he does, the ship morphs into a different shape.
Each level ends with a boss encounter where the perspective shifts
dramatically so the
ship now moves in a circle on a horizontal plane employing a "circle of
death" motion around each stage boss. While the multiple weapons may seem
cumbersome at first, the player will grow quickly accustomed to the order
and style of weapons. Each weapon has its own strengths when shooting
certain types of enemies.
The graphics are simple, bright and sharp. PAINFULLY sharp. In
fact, a warning appears when the game first loads, giving a caution of
seizures induced by the game. Running at a silky smooth 60 fps, the
game's imagery consists of flat-shaded abstract polygon enemies and
backgrounds
which change color and pulse to the background techno music. The high-res
graphics are so
sharp they border on becoming very taxing on the eyes. This reviewer
was able to tolerate no more than 20 minutes of game time when he first
played and had to slowly get used to it.
As for sound, the game offers a pretty standard fare of techno music,
which if not original, fits the game very well. The bass heavy techno
beats complements the psychedelic yet simplistic graphics as light
effects in the background pulse with the beat of the music. Perhaps one
of the most interesting features of this game is the ability to swap the
game CD with a music CD, a feature taken from RIDGE RACER and more recent
games like Konami's DANCE DANCE DANCE! This reviewer tried a wide variety
of music CDs ranging from his own techno collection, eurodance (reviewer's
favorite), j-pop, to country and rock ballads. It's recommended that
music with a steady beat is used, because some of the slower music throws
off the background lighting effects, and makes the game less fun to play.
Overall, I would have to say that this isn't an essential game for
everyone. But for the seasoned gamer who's seen it all and would like to
try something that's a little different, this curious shooter deserves
investigation. Of course, if you have eyesight or epilepsy problems, then
maybe you should think twice before purchasing this game. 
Rating: 7.0/10 |
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