This princess chick has been kidnapped by a bad guy. The necklace she's wearing could cause some issues for the world. That's pretty much all you need to know. Going either alone or with a friend, it's up to you to get her back from the evil clutches and save the world from Kubota. Seriously, does the story really matter in a straight up shooter like this one? Didn't think so.

The fantasy realm this one is set in highly resembles that of the Parodius series with a mix of Fantasy Zone tossed in for good measure. Enemies are generally in bright, pastel colors making it seem like a kids game at times, but the difficulty can be nightmarish at times (at least in later levels). Even with all the action, you'll hardly ever notice flicker or excessive slowdown. The 7 stages are varied enough to keep things interesting, except for the disappointing 6th which simply repeats the previous level bosses.

Power up systems in shooters are generally pretty standard stuff, but Ordyne takes a different approach. To obtain upgrades, you must collect cash and enter into shops which float by occasionally. These are not all permanent though. Weapons are limited by ammo and time so finding these ships is a pleasant sight. Also, no matter how much you have in the bank, you can only buy 1 item at a time each time you enter the shop. Even cooler are the casino ships which allow you to wager your hard earned cash to earn firepower or tons o' money.

On a system with so many great shooters (and a few like Deep Blue), it's only natural one of them will get overlooked. It's no Blazing Lazers or Super Star Soldier, but it's more than worth it for the hardcore shooting fanatic. The only excuse you have is the sometimes kiddie appearance, but that's not a very good one.