Xenon 2

It has been quite a while ago since I last played this game. Feels like about 10 years ago. The first thing that grabs you is the cool soundtrack. Some great beats and voice samples thrown in, really make it rock. The graphical style is typical of the Bitmap Bros. with a lot of nice looking metallic and a polished feel to the overall appearance. If you are familiar with titles like Speedball 1 & 2 and Magic Pockets, you'll know what I mean.

The gameplay is what other reviewers have stated - a little on the hard side, but that is what makes you come back for more. The difficulty setting is not a deterrent as it is challenging. Being a vertical scrolling shoot-em-up, enemies will come at you not only from the top of the screen but the bottom and sides too. Weapons that you acquire along the way combat this and before long, you are firing in all directions. Taking out waves of enemies will leave behind upgrades and money. More upgrades are available by entering shops along the way where you are greeted by alien salesmen who speaks only in his own tongue, so subtitles are provided.
The main thing that stood out for me when playing this game was when I acquired every weapon possible, it was absolutely nuts! There was so much firepower coming from my ship, I was a total killing machine! You can temporarily do this by either managing not to get hit by enemies shooting them and getting every pick-up you can, or by purchasing an upgrade called the Megablast in the shop. If you have acquired ship upgrades along the way and you get hit by an enemy, you tend to lose your upgrade rather than just die. The thing is however, if you are in a tight spot, you really tend to wish that you had the firepower necessary coz it gets quite frantic.
Overall, this is a fun game, but requires a lot of patience. As it is a shoot-em-up, you are reliant on your memory as to where the next wave of enemies are going to appear, knowing where to position your ship on the screen to give you the best advantage to take on the oncoming onslaught. Also, like most shooters you will encounter end of level bosses and yes they tend to completely let loose with firepower to keep you on your toes. Xenon 2 is worth checking out if you enjoy your shoot-em-ups.