In typical fashion, I've started a writeoff about something I love, and everyone has submitted before me. It may be a lack of inspiration to do it earlier on in the day, or the fact that I was tossing up whether to review this or Strikers. Either way, it's a trend I hope not to continue. On to the review...

I've been a fan of shooters longer than almost any game genre (aside from maybe platformers). Back when the NES era was ending, I was introduced to a brilliant Konami shooter called Life Force (precursor to the Gradius series) and from there shooters became my favorite genre.

Well since then, obviously, the genre has evolved, and so have the tastes of it's cult of fans. Not only in the visual presentation, but gameplay-wise as well. The games have remained simplistic, while still innovating along the way. Mars Matrix is yet another example of this. While it remains true to what made shooters successful, it differs a bit to carve it's own niche. And not only that, but it's one of the strongest overall DC shooters out there.

As you can probably tell from the screens, if you've ever seen any, Mars Matrix is a sheer bullet-fest. Swarms of enemy fire come at you from almost every direction. It's not as intimidating as it looks, however. You're aided by a special that digests enemy fire and uses it against them. Essentially, it rewards flying right through a swarm of fire gathering up as much as possible, and directing that back at the enemy, or waiting until it fills to unleash a bomb that kills almost everything on screen. Also in your arsenal are a regular laser-beam shot that levels up as you progress, and the Piercing Cannon which is very effective but has a small range.

Few enemies take more than one or two hits form the PC to destroy, but that makes things no less challenging. Some enemies alone litter the screen with fire, such as the Eagle-bots from the third level. The enemies are mostly interesting variations of the same blue-fireball shooting machine, but I won't blame Takumi for that. There's a lot of variety in the levels and enemies, so things never get dull.

There is no story mode, but the opening FMV explains the premise of the game well enough. A few ships, called Mosquito 01 and 02 engage in a war against entire fleets of enemies. Because, as we all know, it's easier for a single ship with some powerful weapons to take down endless seas of enemy units than some type of similarly-strengthed attack force. Poking fun, but again, not blaming Takumi for this one. Traditionally, shooters haven't been about engaging plot lines, so this is expected.

But the art, by itself, tells a good story, or at least engages you in the game further. The animation in Mars Matrix is simply stunning. Every boss has a unique color scheme that suits both the level and style of enemy that you're fighting. And while the enemy fire can clog up the screen, it's never to the point where you can't see what's going on. Granted, it may take some time to adjust if you're not used to this much flak, but the first level eases you into that so it's not a big deal.

Besides the arcade-perfect Arcade mode, MM features Score Challenge, a Shop to buy new levels/Gallery stuff in and a few other modes I'll never bother with. The meat of the game is Arcade, and the rest is maybe good for a quick look if you get bored (which you likely won't).

There's only one real problem with Mars Matrix, and that being the same problem that plagued Giga Wing - 'bullet-swarm' syndrome. It's not that the game is too hard, it's more a problem with how relatively easy it is to get caught in a position from whcih you can't escape. I don't want to have to rely on my Special all the time, but this is what MM forces the player to do in the later levels. That's not to say it's unplayable, however, but still a flaw that could have easily been solved by toning down some of the enemy fire, or making it smaller so you can actually maneuver the ship out of some instances if it absolutely must be shot out ad infinitum.

The rock soundtrack is forgettable, yet during gameplay it adds a lot to the quality of the gameplay. Nothing to immerse you in what you're playing, though (this isn't anything close to the Aleste series). At least the sound effects are loud and clear. There are few moments as satisfying as hearing the explosion of a Piercing Cannon destroying the last bit of a powerful enemy.

I can't think of a more enjoyable and satisfying shooter on Dreamcast than Mars Matrix. This game has everything a fan of the genre could ask for - an impossible level of difficulty, massive bosses, and excellent visuals, not to mention the soundtrack. Though if you tend to suck at games, this one might not be for you... Mars Matrix can get pretty rough, and we wouldn't want anybody raised on First Person Shooters to get caught up in it.

Overall - 9.2 / 10

Recommended: Yes