At the start of the game, you have a choice between two characters: Ruby and The Tempest. Each has their own special weapons and power-ups. I personally preferred using Ruby (no, it's not because of the lingerie get-up). Ruby has a pretty cool anchor weapon that latches on to big enemies or rips through little ones. Use it to take down bullets that may damage you as well. The other additional playable characters include R.A.D., Sensei and Rikimaru (a dog!). Sensei and Rikimaru actually count as one playable character. You'll have to unlock 'em. I won't spoil it for you, but you can find out how here if you really want to know. You can also play Omega Five with a friend, in local two player co-op mode.

Omega Five follows some standard gameplay mechanics found in shooters. Three different weapon types (A,B,C), with upgrades for each. When the screen gets littered with bullets and enemies, drop a smart bomb ("ultimate burst") to clear the path. You can stock up to three ultimate burst bombs by collecting the pink chips that appear after taking enemies down. You also have a temporary shield, appropriately named the "temporal dodge." Primary fire is directed by the right thumbstick, allowing 360 degrees of coverage. It's similar to Geometry Wars' directional fire control.

There are four stages, each featuring a unique environment. You'll start out in a snow environment and make your way through some water and futuristic/mechanical levels. The 3D backgrounds and characters give Omega Five additional dimension from the old school shooters. The water level has some of the best visuals in the game. Each level has a tough mid-boss throughout the stage, with a final boss at the end of each level. Shooter fans, your bio-mechanical, spaceship laser-lust will be quenched. Successfully complete a level to unlock the Challenge Mode for it. Great for leaderboard challenges.

The odds may seem really tough in the beginning with only two continues. Don't fear. The more you play, the more continues are unlocked. After one hour of play, you get 5 continues. After 3 hours of play, you get 8 continues. Those will make a big difference when you unlock the Arcade++ and Challenge++ modes, where one hit means game over and your continues essentially work as lives. If you want to get all the achievements in the game, you will have to actually make it through the game without using one continue. That's the "Master" achievement for each character, worth 25 achievement points each. It won't be easy! Enemies follow a pattern, so just like in old school shooters, learn them to survive.

Side-scrolling shooters were a staple during the 16-bit era of gaming. It's nice to see a revival on the Xbox Live Arcade, thanks to Hudson and Natsume. I've been itching for a game like this, with beefed-up graphics worthy of a Xbox 360 release. What's amazing is that they got the download size under 50MB. Hudson also noted that the game was made by five people. While the gameplay may not be so long (anywhere from 3-5 hours for your first complete play through on regular Arcade mode), the challenges to unlock extras, rank up in leaderboards and get the complete 200 Achievement Points will be a challenge to any veteran shooter. It's a great addition to the Xbox Live Arcade and hopefully we'll be seeing more modern shooters like this.

See more on Omega Five here at the official website.
Watch a trailer video here.

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