GENRE
	Shooter
	DEVELOPER
	Shin'en
	PUBLISHER
	Majesco Entertainment
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	MICROPHONE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

In the summer of our Lord 2005, German development studio Shin'en released Nanostray, a shmup for DS. Known for their work on Iridian, a GBA shmup, Nanostray remained the only shmup on DS: that is until now. Shin'en's back with the brand new Nanostray 2, which is bigger and badder than its predeccessor and cleans up its biggest flaw: no more tacked-on touch controls.

visuals

N2 is rendered in 3D, but remains a 2D-shmup similar to R-Type or Gradius. Shin'en decided to mix things up with both horizontal and vertical levels (most shmups are either one or the other, not both). Each of the eight levels has its own setting and unique enemies, sub-bosses and bosses. The action is on top while the bottom screen gets the status view. Occasionally, the top screen fills with too many bullets and slowdown occurs. But the presentation is top notch, with a few rendered cutscenes to go along with the Story mode.

audio

You take down enemies to techno. A cheerful ingenue's voice navigates you through the menus and acts as your guide through Story mode. But to taunt you, a snide male announcer will smirk "Oh no!" or "Focus!" or "Too close!" when your little ship crashes in-game. You are encouraged to not throw your DS in times like these.

gameplay

This is a shmup. If you don't like difficult games or aren't familiar with the trappings, stop reading now.

N2 is by the books, but offers one big hook: half the levels are horizontal shooting, the others are vertical. Gameplay is all memorization, with a dash of twitch. This is not bullet hell. This is Gradius.

The game serves up a buffet of content. You get a Story mode of eight levels, an Arcade mode for high scores on each individual level, a creative Mission mode, a Simulator mode with its own unique control scheme, three difficulty levels, and a bevy of options that let you customize to your content. The touch controls are responsive, should you choose to move your ship by touch instead of d-pad.

Gone are the gimmick touch controls of the first Nanostray. No more touch to swtc sub weapons. You can now make your choice of one of six sub weapons before each level. Using your powerful sub weapon on helpless enemies will give you a cruel chuckle and deplete your limited Nano Gauge. You will have to refill this Gauge as you play. You also get to choose the speed of your ship and can set the placement angle of your satellites -- the two extra guns you'll be picking up as you play each level. Tapping a shoulder button will strategically switch between the three firing angles you set the satellites at. It's pretty cool.

Enemies attack you in swarms of 3, 4 or 5 ships. Send them packing, and you'll get coins; send them all packing, and you'll get a blue coin. Collect the coins for points; collect the blue coin to refill some of your Nano Gauge. Occasionally you'll see an extra life.

The eight levels proceed with enemies, sub-boss, enemies, and finally, boss, with a healthy dose of mazes to navigate. You have five lives to get to the end. You will need them and wish for four more. Feel free to express this fact with your favorite four letter words. Good luck.

multiplayer

N2 serves up leaderboards for Arcade mode. For single card play, you get Duel mode -- a rather bare bones way of trying to shoot more ships than your buddy. For multi-card play, you get to play Story mode co-op. Like most shooters, the action can get a little hectic with two, especially on the tiny screen: too many bullets, or so your friend can rationalize.

overall

This one's for shmup fans only. With no competition on DS, N2 scratches the itch for portable shooting. There's nothing fancy here, but it's a solid playthrough for $20. There's a bit too much memorization, but Shin'en feels close to something special. A third game might just fit the bill to greatness.

7.5/10