Gunbird is a perfect title to get a quick flashback to the days of the shooter. Picking from one of five characters, you'll traverse through numerous stages in a quest for a magic mirror. You'll never know exactly why you're searching for the mirror since every cinema, story reference, and other like elements are gone. This is really what propelled this game above the rest and there's really no logical reason for their removal. Oh, and no matter what difficulty level you play through, you get the same ending: A black screen with the words "The End" plastered on it in big white block letters.

As mentioned above, this is a quick ride. With the exception of the hardest difficulty level, the game is short. Playing through this one is a measly 20 minute ride. The hardest difficulty level simply recycles levels to add to the challenge. Then again, any game that offers infinite continues is not exactly all that difficult. Yes, the game plays great and pumps out incredible barrages of firepower, but when you can get hit without penalty, what's the point?

For a PS One game, the massive bosses and ludicrous amounts of fire is impressive, especially considering the complete lack of slowdown or flicker. Explosions are particularly impressive, filling a great deal of the screen. The music, while there, can barely be heard over the shots being fired by your character. Marion's homing shot is insanely annoying as a high-pitched screeching sound is played every time it fires.

It's a shame. This IS a great game. For whatever reason, XS Games decided to ruin it by removing nearly everything that made the game so intriguing. Without the cinemas or story to tie everything together, this is just a faceless shooter with terrible cover art. While it's not a bad pick-up for $10 (It does make a great two-player game if you don't have a lot of time on your hands), the Dreamcast version is much better and comes highly recommended.