Metareview: Nanostray 2

Despite the incredibly varied critical reaction to Nanostray, we know the shmup was popular with many of the readers, and that means there's a lot of concern over the recently-released sequel. So how's it looking? So far, on par with the first, though we're not seeing any of the high-scoring reviews the original garnered ... at least, not yet.

Games Radar: 80% -- Sometimes, it's okay to just be what you are. "Nanostray 2 doesn't try to re-invent the genre, and that's totally fine. The no-nonsense weapons and controls are easy to get the hang of, each stage has its own unique collection of enemies and environmental gotchas, and there's rarely a moment when the screen isn't flush with bullets, ships, and explosions. Detailed 3D graphics give the two-dimensional action plenty of depth, while the soundtrack consists of a manly mix of lasers, explosions, and trippy rock-trance music."

Nintendo Power: 60% -- Nintendo Power's negatives sound like positives to us! "Nanostray 2 is an odd mix of old and new; it looks and plays better than any of those old games, and it has the polish of a fresh title, but its brand of twitchy, frenetic action and on-hit deaths is so 1985." (Feb. 08, p. 89)

GamePro: 80% -- GamePro had praise for the new controls. "What Nanostray fans won't find are the much-maligned touch controls, which Shin'en rightly decided to deep-six. The D-pad controls your ship's movement, while the A and B buttons pull main and secondary weapons duty. The L and R buttons shift the position of satellites, floating Gradius-like orbs that supplement your main blasters. The touch controls do make a cameo, however, as alternate control settings, but we'd steer clear, anyway."