Score
Gameplay:	8
Graphics:	9
Sound:	7
FunFactor:	8
PlasmaFactor:	6
Overall:	7.6

Project Sylpheed Review
July 17, 2007 by Andre Thomas

Legendary publisher, Square Enix , has been releasing jaw dropping RPG (role-playing games) classics for generations. Video game series like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts have been groundbreaking, changing the RPG genre forever. Well, Square Enix has tried something different with its space shooter/RPG, Project Sylpheed. It’s a remake of the classic arcade shooter from the 80’s. Going into this, I had nothing but high expectations for Project, just because of who published it.

I love an old-fashioned dogfight!

 

Project Sylpheed is a space shooter/RPG that takes place in the far future. It follows a battle that started political, became violent, and soon tore worlds and even friends apart. You are Katana, a Terran fighter pilot who must chose between his friends and his morals during this war on tyranny. Long after your training, your home planet is destroyed and you’re thrown into battle against the Rebel Alliance, which your friend has joined. It wouldn’t be Square Enix if the story wasn’t deep.

The control scheme in this game is different from any other space shooter I've played before. Square Enix utilized the Xbox 360's controls and made everything easy to utilize. Anyone can pick up and play Project with limited difficulty. When you first get into the game, there are two modes to go to. You can either go straight into the game or do some training in order to understand controls and get the hang of some space fighting. I would recommend it because once you start the game, you go directly into battle and there are features that would make the fight easier that you wouldn't know unless you went through the tutorial (remember I said "with limited difficulty"). Not to mention you get achievements for finishing all of the tutorials. See, when you learn, you actually are rewarded.

When you first start playing, the Star Fox games come to mind (with a lot more space to fly around). The fighter ships you are in move fluently but not unrealistically, so you actually have to know how to maneuver an aircraft instead of just flying and shooting. I enjoyed the fact that you could really feel the intense feeling of speed when you went into hyper drive. The ship becomes hard to control and your aim becomes worse while it was activated.

The most amazing part to me was the incredible storyline. Square Enix is famous for their original storylines and this game is no different. From the beginning when you enter the story, you are pulled in by one of their twists and you are addicted ever since. Every cut scene in the game is worth watching and listening to. The game's story, from beginning to end, is mind blowing. Project Sylpheed is also a long game so you won't be beating it in a couple of days. There aren't many games that have a good game play and a great story. Project Sylpheed made sure to took care of all of that.

One thing that raised some concern was some of the space fights. In many instances, you find yourself in action and you can’t tell what you are shooting. Yes, I understand that in space, far away objects look extremely small. But I found myself getting upset because I was getting tired of shooting dots, which made me wonder why this isn't just a Xbox live arcade game. Once the story kicks in I forget about my complaints, completely upping the games worth.

 

Captain! Starship at twelve o'clock!

The graphics in Project Sylpheed are outstanding. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Square Enix's cut scenes make their games look like CG movies. Thanks to the Xbox360's hardware, the game segments look just as good as good as the cut scenes. From the vibrant colors of the ships, to the fire from your jets, everything is well defined and crisp. It could have been so easy to give this game mediocre graphics because the setting is in space, but they went the extra mile instead. Open space has never looked so good.

It’s no longer silent in space!

The sound quality isn’t in Project anything spectacular. You have your cliché gunshots, missiles, and space flight. The voices of the characters fit perfectly. You don't get any of the cheesy lines usually found in anime shows translated to English. Everything sounds decent but nothing in the sound department really blows my mind.

Fun...in Space!

One of my favorite aspects of Project Sylpheed was the weapon customization. You can have your own unique ship by adding your own type of weaponry. Mixing and matching the weapons adds to the replay value. It was genius to add the customization feature to a space shooter, adding a feeling of accomplishment after every level.

Plasma ship...

What disappointed me about Project was the fact that there were no multiplayer features. I know Square Enix makes fantastic single player games and this one is no exception, but this game would have been even better if it would have had multiplayer. Just think of an intense sixteen-player space battle with custom weaponry and ships. It would have been great! This game is already good, but if they had added some online competition, it would have push this game to new heights.

 

Time to go home!

Square Enix has once again separated them selves from the cliché gaming world and has given us something different. It isn't the best thing they have ever produced, but it adds a different feel to gaming itself. With an intensive storyline, great customization, and fantastic feel of open space, Project Sylpheed is defiantly worth picking up. Not to mention the fact that it only costs forty bucks. I can only imagine how Square Enix's bigger titles will be after playing Project. It gives the next-gen world something to look forward to and I will be there with my glasses to catch every glance possible.