Zero Gunner 2

Wed 24th Jan 2018

Nintendo Life said:

When you consider how much the Dreamcast version of Zero Gunner 2 changes hands for on the secondary market these days, the fact that you can download a superior version on your Switch for a tiny fraction of that cost is worth celebrating; in that regard, you might want to purchase the game purely to feel smug about the amount of (hypothetical) cash you're saving. Perceived value aside, this is a refreshingly unique take on the shmup genre which has some neat ideas but also builds on Psikyo's other good work – the amazing transforming bosses the company is famous for reach their pinnacle here. The biggest problem is that Zero Gunner 2 lacks longevity, even when you take the two-player mode, multiple difficulty levels and (offline) high score table into account. With that said, it's still an essential download for shooter fans and is creative enough to be recommended to those who have a passing interest in the genre but want something a little different.

• Read Full Review

8/10

Wed 26th Feb 2025

JJtheTexan said:

Zero Gunner 2- is a solid port of a great arcade / Dreamcast game. In this case, the gimmick is that you pilot a helicopter which you can rotate 360 degrees. This is done by holding down a controller button to create a "pivot point," and you can maneuver the helicopter around it to aim your weapons in the desired direction. It's not as intuitive as, say, pressing L or R to rotate in that direction, but you'll get used to it.

Here's the really impressive thing about Zero Gunner 2-: the source code was lost, so developer ZeroDiv rebuilt it mostly from scratch, using only the existing graphical assets and sound effects. This makes me much more appreciative of the game for what it is, and helps me overlook its shortcomings.

The challenge can be steep, though there are lots of difficulty settings to choose among. Visually, it looks great, running at a locked 60 fps with some compelling locations and bosses.

I did encounter one bug: during a playthrough, after resetting the game twice, I found on the third run that the background music was nearly muted. Adjusting it in the menu didn't resolve the issue.

I do have two complaints. First, while the music is very good, the sound effects aren't. If you mute the BGM and stop firing your weapons, your helicopter is silent; a steady chopper noise would be welcome.

Second, I really wish the first Zero Gunner was available on Nintendo Switch!

Highly recommended to STG fans.

• Was this review useful?

8/10