Raptor: Call of the Shadows

The Good
Finally a real shoot'em up for the PC after so much wait. Raptor is a PC only shoot'em up which is incredibly fun to play. All the tiny details here and there, ground, air and sea targets, innovative weapons, unique shield system, and finally a both life and time saving save game feature are the pros of the game.

The Bad
Well, it's nevertheless a mindless shooter. Other than that there's nothing really wrong with this game.

The Bottom Line
A classic which is still appealing in today's standards.

The Good
Fast, smooth, and polished. Mindless fun.

The Bad
The pattern-oriented vertically scrolling shooter became very stale between 1983 and 1994. Raptor doesn't add anything new or interesting to this type of game. In fact, if you go back to the genre-defining Xevious from over ten years earlier, you'll find that it is more sophisticated than Raptor in many ways.

The Bottom Line
A vertically scrolling shooter with well-done VGA graphics. If you liked Raiden, you'll like Raptor.

The Good
In 1994, this was a breath of fresh air. The graphics represent the pinnacle of what is possible with the VGA 320x200 video mode. Interesting ship designs, lovingly detailed backgrounds, earth-shaking pyrotechnics. When I pull this game out and play it today, the sounds are still impressive - loud and clear, every noise adds something to the experience. The gameplay is tons of fun, with a wide array of weapons to keep things fresh. Great map design and interesting enemies make Raptor an engaging experience from beginning to end. The "mercenary" aspect allows for buying and selling of equipment, which is a lot more interesting than in-game pickups.

The Bad
You can only play it so many times before you have so much equipment that you're sleeping your way though the levels. And it's not entirely taxing on the gray matter.

The Bottom Line
A top-down shooter with a gritty edge.